When the Houston Astros introduced Tatsuya Imai on Monday, owner Jim Crane revealed an unlikely source was crucial to the team's efforts to land the 27-year-old starting pitcher from Japan. The chief marketing officer of Daikin, Takayuki "Taka" Inoue, was in attendance and was credited by Crane for helping the Astros land Imai.
The Astros sold the naming rights to Daikin last offseason as part of a 15-year deal, and a tidbit that was likely overlooked at the time was that the company is a Japanese conglomerate. In fact, Inoue took part in a ceremonial first pitch at the newly named Daikin Park last season.