Shota Imanaga admits even buying lunch is tough. So much so if it wasn't for his Yokohama teammate Yuki Kuniyoshi he would've gone hungry on Thursday.
But that's part of the reason why the Canberra Cavalry's star recruit is here.
Cavalry star recruit Shota Imanaga has one goal – to help his new team win.Credit:Dion Georgopoulos
To push himself, both on and off the ballpark.
"[Kuniyoshi's] English is quite good. He can even catch some words when people speak quite fast. In practice he helps me," Imanaga said via a translator.
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"Not just baseball, he helps going grocery shopping … both baseball and life he helps me.
"Before I came here today we decided to have KFC for lunch, but without him I couldn't order. I almost missed lunch."
Imanaga only arrived in Australia on Tuesday, but will play his first Australian Baseball League game for the Cavalry as a starting pitcher against the Sydney Blue Sox at Blacktown on Saturday night.
The Cavalry are still looking for their first win of the 2018-19 season, having lost all four games against the Melbourne Aces last weekend.
Imanaga wants to help turn things around for Canberra and revealed he volunteered to be part of the first batch of Yokohama DeNA Baystars players to come Down Under as part of the new partnership between the two clubs.
He's desperate that he, Kuniyoshi and Koki Aoyagi – plus Tomoya Mikami when he arrives – mark the agreement with success.
Imanaga also played for Japan against the Australian national team in Nagoya in March, sparking his interest in Aussie baseball.
"My goal is just to win in the Cavalry team," he said.
"There's Australian players and American players in this team, but we all have one goal – just to win."
The 25-year-old has played 69 games in Nippon Professional Baseball, the highest level in Japan.
He has a career earned run average of 3.84 – meaning he gives up almost four runs for every nine innings he pitches – but struggled in his third season for the Baystars with an ERA of 6.80.
Cavalry manager Keith Ward said Imanaga had come to Canberra with things to work on, but the way he described the Baystar's pitching it sounded like he was an artist.
Rather than beating hitters with raw power, he used placement and movement to paint a picture around their bats.
But it wasn't just on the field that Ward said Imanaga and his Yokohama teammates would have an impact.
Their renowned Japanese work ethic was also having an effect on their Cavalry teammates off it as well.
Imanaga was the only change to the Cavalry roster to face the Blue Sox, coming in at the expense of Grant Piccoli.
An unbeaten Sydney boasts ex-Cavalrymen Jack Murphy and Tyler Herr.
"He can still get up there around [145km/h] with the fastball, but he's a real command [pitcher] and keeps guys off balance and makes them feel uncomfortable in there," Ward said.
"From everything I've heard about him when he's on it's a real joy to watch because he knows how to pick hitters apart."
ABL ROUND TWO
Canberra Cavalry v Sydney Blue Sox at Blacktown – Friday 7.30pm, Saturday 3.30pm and 6.30pm and Sunday 4pm.
David Polkinghorne covers the Canberra Raiders, local rugby league, Canberra Cavalry, racing and cycling, along with every other sport, for The Canberra Times.
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