Taiwanese pitcher Chia-Hao Sung misses NPB free agency eligibility

Taiwanese pitcher Chia-Hao Sung has failed to qualify for Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) free agency after 11 years in Japan. Despite having accumulated 366 career appearances for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, Sung did not meet the required number of days on the first-team roster this season.

Under NPB rules, foreign players can obtain free agency status and transition to domestic player status after eight years of service, calculated at 145 days per season. Entering the season, Sung was only 138 days short of the threshold. However, due to limited playing time, he appeared in only 18 games this season, pitching 14.2 innings with a 3.07 ERA.

Sung joined the Golden Eagles in 2015 as a development player and rose to become a key reliever, peaking in 2021 with 63 appearances. His career statistics in Japan include 22 wins, 15 losses, 8 saves, and 124 holds, with a career ERA of 3.00. The delay in his free agency status means he will continue to occupy a foreign player roster spot.