WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Tatsuya Imai’s Astros debut included a brief scare but ended exactly as planned.
The 27-year-old right-hander was struck on the right shin by a 98.7 mph comebacker off the bat of Marcus Semien in the first inning Thursday at CACTI Park. Imai was examined by an athletic trainer but remained in the game and completed the inning.
Through an interpreter, Imai said he was scheduled to throw only one inning regardless. Manager Joe Espada confirmed the outing was pre-planned, adding, “That was not what we wanted to see. But he came back and got out of that inning. He looked really good out there.”
Imai finished the frame cleanly, retiring Mike Tauchman on an infield popup before Bo Bichette grounded into a double play. After the comebacker, he threw five sinkers, three splitters, and two sliders, with his sinker averaging 93.3 mph and touching 95.
There were no reported limitations following the inning.
Mets Take Control
While Imai checked the first box of his Houston tenure, the rest of the afternoon tilted toward New York in a 5-0 Astros loss.
Steven Okert allowed three runs in the second inning, Bryan King surrendered another in the third, and AJ Blubaugh yielded one more over two innings as the Mets built a five-run cushion.
Ryan Weiss and Anthony Maldonado provided clean relief late, but Houston’s offense never found traction.
Offense Stalls
The Astros managed just two hits—singles by Jeremy Peña and Cam Smith—and struck out 15 times. Houston went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and has now been shut out twice in six spring games.
The club has shown increased patience at the plate early in camp, but sustained contact remains inconsistent.
Looking Ahead
Houston returns to action Friday when Lance McCullers Jr. is scheduled to make his spring debut against the Washington Nationals at CACTI Park. First pitch is set for 5:05 p.m. CT. Full spring training schedule details are available here.
For Imai, the debut delivered both a scare and reassurance—a reminder of how quickly things can shift, and how quickly they can settle.
