Former NPB Player Ryutaro Nagata Impresses in CPBL Debut with Two Hits

Ryutaro Nagata, a 25-year-old Japanese player recently released by a Japanese professional baseball team, has officially joined the TSG Hawks in Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL).

Nagata made his CPBL debut in a second-division game against the Uni-President Lions, immediately making an impact. In his first at-bat, he hit a single through the middle against pitcher Chun-Lin Kuo, who has prior experience in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. Nagata later scored the Hawks' first run.

Throughout the game, Nagata went 2-for-5 with a double, scored two runs, and struck out once, finishing his debut with a batting average of .400. His performance included another hit in the ninth inning, which helped the Hawks tie the game at 3-3. However, the Hawks ultimately lost 4-3 after the Lions scored the winning run in the bottom of the ninth.

Nagata previously studied at the University of Taipei, played in Japan's NPB development league from 2022 to 2025, and returned to Taiwan to play in the semi-pro league before being drafted by the Hawks in the second round of the mid-season CPBL draft.