Astros' Imai Hit By Comebacker In Spring Debut

Tatsuya Imai, the Houston Astros' new Japanese right-hander, threw a 10-pitch scoreless inning in his spring training debut against the New York Mets. He was struck by a comebacker off the bat of Marcus Semien on his lower right leg but remained in the game after being checked by trainers. Manager Joe Espada noted Imai looked good, throwing up to 95 mph. Imai expressed enjoyment facing hitters from another organization and is working on pitch execution with the MLB baseball. He allowed one hit and finished his scheduled inning, with manager Espada stating he would be sore but that was enough for his debut.