The Pacific League has 419 registered players for the 2026 season. These are elite athletes who have reached the pinnacle of professional baseball.
Among these 419, the Pacific League Insight editorial team searched for "1-in-419" players—those who are the only ones to fit a specific criterion. Try guessing who the number one and only unique players are.
Records and statistics are as of before games on September 25, 2026.
Find the 1-in-419! Start with Hometowns
It's natural to secretly cheer for players from your own prefecture. Currently, every prefecture in Japan has at least one Pacific League player, but some prefectures have just one—a true rarity. These are Iwate, Shimane, and Kochi.
Iwate Prefecture: Orix pitcher Kyosuke Saito
Shimane Prefecture: Chiba Lotte pitcher Shuta Takano
Kochi Prefecture: Saitama Seibu player Yushin Kawada
Orix's Saito is from Takizawa City, adjacent to Morioka. Drafted by Orix in the third round in 2022 after attending Morioka Central High School, he started eight games in his second pro year (2024), earning two wins (including his first pro win) and three losses. This season, he returned to the first team after two years.
Chiba Lotte's Takano is from Izumo City, Shimane, famous for Izumo Taisha Shrine. Although he didn't play in Koshien while at Izumo Commercial High School, his talent blossomed at Kansai University. After joining Nippon Tsu-un, he was drafted fourth by Chiba Lotte in 2022. He found success as a reliever from his rookie year. On September 1, he attempted starting pitching, delivering a masterful performance similar to fellow countryman Masahiro Tanaka, throwing seven scoreless innings for his first start win.
For context, Tottori Prefecture (next door to Shimane) has teammates Daito Yamamoto and Orix pitcher Arian Rikuri. Keep an eye on whether any Shimane-born players will be drafted this year.
Saitama Seibu's Kawada is from Sukumo City, Kochi. Located at the southwestern tip of Shikoku, Sukumo enjoys a warm climate and rich nature with sea, mountains, and rivers.
Kawada attended Kochi High School and Kyoto Sangyo University. After graduating, he joined Shikoku Bank, based in Kochi. In his first year (2024), he played in the City vs. Company Baseball Tournament, contributing to the team's advancement with one hit and two walks in three at-bats as the leadoff hitter. He also participated in the Social Baseball Championship in 2025. Drafted sixth by Saitama Seibu in 2025, it was the first time in 54 years that a Shikoku Bank player was selected in the draft!
There are nine registered players from the four Shikoku prefectures, including Kawada. Tokushima is represented by Hokkaido Nippon-Ham's Ryusei Kono, Chiba Lotte's Ryusei Miyazaki, and Orix's Yutaro Sugimoto. Kagawa has Hokkaido Nippon-Ham's Tatsuki Mizuno, Orix's Reiji Higashiyama, and Chiba Lotte's Kaihide Takahashi. Ehime features Saitama Seibu's Ryota Itogawa and Chiba Lotte's Keisuke Sawada.
Next, look at foreign players' origins. While there are 13 Americans and 10 Dominicans, Colombia and Puerto Rico each have exactly one player in the Pacific League.
Colombia: Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks player Downs
Puerto Rico: Chiba Lotte Marines player Soto
In his ninth year in Japan, Lotte's Soto became team captain this season. Wearing a captain's mark inspired by the Puerto Rican flag on his right sleeve, he improved his stats over last year, hitting .703 OPS with 17 home runs and 47 RBIs in 111 games.
Rare Career Path: Vocational School Graduates
While high school, university, or industrial league backgrounds are common, some players come from vocational schools.
Vocational School Graduate: Tohoku Rakuten pitcher Naoto Nishiguchi (Koka Health Medical College)
Nishiguchi graduated from Koka Health Medical College in Shiga Prefecture. Notable alumni include Yoshiki Tateyama, Atsushi Fujimoto, and umpire Kazuyuki Shirai. The school changed its name to "Renesu Momiji Sports & Acupuncture College" in 2019, making Nishiguchi the "last graduate" from the original institution.
Drafted tenth by Tohoku Rakuten in 2016, Nishiguchi tied for the Pacific League lead with 61 appearances and ranked third with 30 holds in 2022. After Tommy John surgery in autumn 2023, he moved to a developmental contract but returned to the roster in 2025. That year, he appeared in 52 games with a 1.07 ERA, 31 holds, and 70 strikeouts. Due to condition issues in 2026, he rejoined the first team in late August.
Big Men Who Stand Out in the Stadium!
Who are the largest players by height and weight?
Height Category: Orix pitcher Jerry (213 cm / 113 kg)
Weight Category: Hokkaido Nippon-Ham player Reyes (196 cm / 139 kg)
Jerry's towering height has been a media favorite since his arrival. Only five players are over 200 cm, but Jerry is the sole player over 210 cm. Using his two-seamer as a weapon, he started 21 games in his debut season, posting a 3.38 ERA with 3 wins and 10 losses, achieving 12 quality starts.
Ten players weigh over 110 kg, with Hokkaido Nippon-Ham's slugger Reyes being the heaviest. His unconventional physique generates immense power, leading the league with a .313 batting average, 32 home runs, 82 RBIs, 149 hits, and a .375 on-base percentage.
To visualize: 210 cm is the standard size of a sliding glass door in Japanese homes. 130 kg is comparable to a commercial refrigerator or a lighter sumo wrestler.
Youngest and Oldest Players?
Professional baseball spans generations, from young high school graduates to veterans. Who are the current youngest and oldest?
Youngest: Tohoku Rakuten pitcher Daichi Ito (Born Oct 27, 2007, age 18)
Oldest: Saitama Seibu player Go Nakamura (Born Aug 15, 1983, age 43)
Turning 19 on October 27, Rakuten's Ito joined the team via the fifth-round draft in 2025 after attending Reimei High School. As a rookie, he made seven farm team appearances this season, with expectations for future growth.
Pacific League veteran Nakamura entered as a pinch hitter in the 11th inning against Rakuten on August 21, hitting a grand slam for his 23rd consecutive year with a home run, sealing the game. In 2026, his contemporary Takashi Kuribayashi retired, yet Nakamura remains indispensable.
With a 25-year age gap, they could be father and son. Nakamura's eldest son, Hayato, is a sophomore at Osaka Toyonaka High School's baseball team (which gained attention for participating in the Spring Selection Tournament), placing him only two grades above Ito.
Interestingly, Ito shares his birth year (2007) with Nogizaka46 member Ayaka Ogawa, Tokyo Olympics skateboarding gold medalist Momiji Nishiya, and Spain's Lamine Yamal, who contributed to the 2026 World Cup victory.
Nakamura's peers include actors Kazunari Ninomiya, Jun Matsumoto, and Asami Mizukawa—an impressive list!
Most Letters in Back Names?
Uniform back names are visible during games. The longest currently belongs to Hokkaido Nippon-Ham's Daigo Kamikawabata. "KAMIKAWABATA" boasts an impressive 12 letters, filling his back.
Kamikawabata joined Nippon-Ham via the ninth-round draft in 2021 from NTT East Japan. Known for solid defense, he played over 100 games in 2023 and 2024. In 2026, he has appeared in 23 games with a .220 batting average.
Several players have 11-letter names, such as SoftBank's Taiga Kamichatani. Among them, Rakuten's Ikki Murabayashi, Orix's Kotaro Kurebayashi, and Seibu's Rakuto Wakabayashi share the kanji "Hayashi" (forest) in their surnames.
Only One Left-Handed Thrower, Right-Handed Batter!
Of the 419 players, 228 are right-right, 118 are right-left, 5 are right-switch, and 67 are left-left. However, only one player is a left-handed thrower and right-handed batter: Tohoku Rakuten pitcher Taiju Nishino.
In his fifth year, Nishino recorded his first appearance and win last season. This year, he pitched in a career-high 25 games, going 2-3 with 10 holds and a 3.42 ERA. As a reliever, he rarely gets at-bats even in interleague play. With the Central League adopting the DH rule next season, seeing him bat may become rare.
Note: There are zero left-handers who are switch-hitters.
Fans, try finding your own "1-in-419" Pacific League players!
