TOKYO (TR) – Yomiuri Giants relief pitcher Yuhei Takanashi has issued a public apology after being caught engaging in an extramarital affair following a late-night drinking session in the Ginza district.
The scandal comes just months after the birth of his first child, reports Friday (Aug. 21-28).
Hotel in the capital
In mid-July, the 34-year-old left-hander was spotted arriving at a Ginza shisha bar around 9:30 p.m. following a home game against the Chunichi Dragons. Despite wearing his wedding ring, Takanashi partied deep into the night.
At around 2:30 a.m., he stepped outside to see off four male friends before returning to the bar. An hour later, at 3:30 a.m., Takanashi finally emerged alongside a beauty wearing a long dress.
Appearing in high spirits and repeatedly gesturing to hold the woman’s hand or carry her bag, Takanashi hailed a taxi. The pair traveled to a hotel in the capital, entering the building separately to avoid suspicion, and did not emerge until the following morning.
Different woman
The July rendezvous was not an isolated incident. One month prior, Takanashi was spotted drinking with a different woman in a miniskirt at another Tokyo bar before the pair headed home together.
Takanashi, who boasts an estimated annual salary of 150 million yen, married a younger non-celebrity woman in 2022. Following the birth of his first child in 2024, the pitcher publicly vowed during his contract renewal to “work even harder for the sake of my family.”
When pressed for comment regarding the incidents, the Yomiuri Giants’ public relations department claimed the woman from the June outing was merely a “friend.” However, Takanashi released a statement admitting to the July hotel affair.
“I deeply apologize for causing such a disturbance,” Takanashi said in the statement. “I have apologized to my family, and the matter has already been resolved. I also sincerely apologize to the fans and everyone involved.”
Takanashi joined the Rakuten Eagles in 2017 before being traded to the Giants in 2020, where he established himself as a reliable setup pitcher.
