Mon Sep 15 08:20:00 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article summarizing the provided text:
**Headline: Aoyagi’s NPB Return Falters as Yakult Loses to Hiroshima**
Hiroshima, Japan – Ko Aoyagi, recently signed by the Yakult Swallows after a stint with the Philadelphia Phillies’ Double-A affiliate, had a rough start to his Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) comeback on Friday. Making his debut for Yakult against the Hiroshima Carp at Mazda Stadium, the 31-year-old right-hander struggled with control, ultimately being tagged with the loss in a 4-4 defeat.
Aoyagi pitched 4 innings, throwing 86 pitches and allowing 4 runs on 4 hits. He immediately ran into trouble in the first inning, walking the leadoff batter Shogo Nakamura before giving up four consecutive hits, leading to a four-run deficit. While he settled down somewhat in subsequent innings, preventing further hits, his control issues persisted, resulting in a total of eight walks and hit batters.
“It was my first NPB appearance in a while, but I struggled with my control and gave up too many walks and hit batters,” Aoyagi commented after the game. “I wasn’t able to pitch like myself.”
Hiroshima’s Shogo Tamamura (5-8) earned the win, while Aoyagi took the loss (0-1). The Carp’s bullpen, including Taylor Hearn, Ryo Kuribayashi, and others, held on to secure the victory.
First Piper 