Freddy Tarnok Hits a Blazing 161 km/h as Hiroshima Reliever Continues His Resurgence

The Hiroshima Carp may have discovered a completely different version of Freddy Tarnok.

The hard-throwing right-hander once again turned heads on August 30 against the Yakult Swallows at Mazda Stadium, recording a 161 km/h fastball, the fastest pitch of his career in Japan.

Tarnok entered the game in the seventh inning with Hiroshima leading 5-1 and one out with a runner on first.

The situation quickly became uncomfortable.

Back-to-back hits by Uchiyama and Montel put runners on base and created a potential scoring opportunity for Yakult.

Tarnok managed to escape the jam, however, getting Kaname Suzuki to ground out to third before retiring Miyamoto to end the threat.

The biggest moment came with two outs and the bases loaded.

Facing Miyamoto with a 1-2 count, Tarnok threw a 160 km/h fastball, which Miyamoto fouled off.

He then raised the velocity even further.

The next pitch was clocked at 161 km/h, setting a new personal record since joining Japanese professional baseball.

Miyamoto managed to foul that pitch off as well.

Tarnok then changed speeds dramatically, throwing a 133 km/h knuckle curve that induced a ground ball to shortstop and ended the inning without a run.

It was another impressive display of the raw power that has made Tarnok one of Hiroshima's most intriguing pitching options.

From Struggling Starter to Power Reliever

Tarnok entered the 2026 season as a member of Hiroshima's starting rotation.

However, his first season in Japan did not go according to plan.

He made eight starts without recording a win, going 0-4, before being moved to the bullpen.

The change immediately appeared to unlock his velocity.

In his first relief appearance on June 27 against the Hanshin Tigers, Tarnok overwhelmed hitters with a fastball that reached 158 km/h, striking out Teruaki Sato, Yusuke Ohyama and Seiya Maekawa consecutively.

Arai had already expressed his intention to use Tarnok in increasingly important situations.

Unfortunately, a right hip injury was discovered after that appearance, forcing him back out of action.

He finally returned to the first team on August 25.

Since then, his performances have generated considerable excitement among Carp fans.

Just days ago, Tarnok threw a 158 km/h fastball past Yoshitomo Tsutsugo and retired the heart of DeNA's lineup on just eight pitches.

Now he has pushed his velocity even higher.

161 km/h.

The most encouraging part may not even be the number on the radar gun.

Tarnok is showing that he can survive difficult situations while mixing his overwhelming fastball with breaking pitches such as his knuckle curve.

Hiroshima desperately needs reliable pitching as it attempts to climb out of last place and close the gap to the teams ahead of them.

If Tarnok can continue pitching effectively out of the bullpen, his transformation from struggling starter to high-velocity reliever could become one of the most important developments of the Carp's season.

And at 161 km/h, he is certainly giving Hiroshima fans something to get excited about.