The Houston Astros fell 10-2 to the Seattle Mariners on Saturday at Daikin Park, with right-hander Tatsuya Imai making his return to the majors after nearly a month off. Imai, 28, lasted just four innings, allowing six runs on five hits with five walks and three strikeouts, taking his first loss of the season (1-1).
Imai, in his first MLB season, had been sidelined since April 10 due to fatigue in his right arm after his third start. He completed two rehab outings in the minors before being reinstated to the active roster for this game.
The outing started smoothly, as Imai retired the side in order in the first inning, including a strikeout. But in the second, after issuing a walk, he left a slider over the plate that Randy Arozarena crushed into the left-field stands for a two-run homer. Imai allowed a single but then retired the next three hitters to limit the damage.
The third inning saw him give up a leadoff single, but a double play helped him escape without allowing a run.
The Astros tied the game in the bottom of the third, but the fourth inning unraveled quickly for Imai. After a questionable called third strike was overturned on a challenge, Imai hit two consecutive batters and walked another to load the bases with no outs. The next hitter launched the first pitch into the right-field seats for a grand slam, putting the Mariners ahead 6-2. Imai was removed after finishing the inning, having thrown 80 pitches.
The loss extended Houston’s losing streak to four games, leaving them last in the AL West.
After the game, Imai spoke calmly to reporters from both Japan and the United States.
“My slider was either slipping or catching too much, and I couldn’t find a way to fix it on the mound,” he said. “I discussed with the coaches that I wanted to first pitch the way I did in Japan and trust that approach here. The Astros valued that when they signed me. I think the logical order is to start with that, and if it doesn’t work, then I can add more pitches.”
