Yomiuri Giants righthander Koji Uehara announced his retirement on Monday after two decades of success in pro baseball on both sides of the Pacific.
The 44-year-old Uehara returned to the Giants last season after 10 years in the major leagues, mainly with the Boston Red Sox.
In July last year, Uehara became the first Japanese player to achieve the "triple 100" of pitching stats when he recorded his combined 100th hold in Japan and the majors. He had already topped 100 wins and 100 saves overall.
Uehara, who underwent an operation on his left knee following last season, had appeared in just nine games this season for the Giants' farm team. He did not appear in any Central League games.
Uehara was the Giants' No.1 draft pick in 1998. In his first year in 1999, he went 20-4 and earned both the Sawamura Award as the top pitcher and the Central League Rookie of the Year Award. He received the Sawamura Award a second time in 2002, when he chalked up a 17-5 record.
Moving to the majors in 2009 to join the Baltimore Orioles, he was used mainly as a reliever. After a stint with the Texas Rangers, he joined Boston in 2013, had helped the team win that year's championship, in which he became the first Japanese pitcher to record a save in the World Series.
He finished with a major league record of 22-26 with 95 saves, 81 holds and an ERA of 2.66. His career record in Japan was 112-67 with 33 saves, 23 holds, and a 3.02 ERA in 312 games.
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