Yomiuri Giants right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma announced Friday he will retire following the end of the Japan pro baseball season, bringing the curtain down on a career that span two decades and both sides of the Pacific.
"I was never alone in the fight," Iwakuma said at a press conference at Tokyo Dome. "I always found support in the bonds with my teammates, the fans and my family. I can only offer my gratitude."
Iwakuma, who underwent shoulder surgery in 2017, spent this season and last with the Giants going through rehabiliation and did not appear in any Central League games. He said the decisive moment for ending his 21-year career came when he saw manager Tatsunori Hara observing him to pitch batting practice one day.
"I threw as hard as I could," said Iwakuma, who suffered a separated shoulder with his first pitch. "I thought it would be alright the next day and wasn't ready to give up, but I realized I had reached my physical limit."
At the press conference, Hara presented the 39-year-old veteran with a bouquet and told him, "You were a role model for the younger players. That will be the valuable legacy you will leave. You had a fantastic career."
Iwakuma won a combined 170 games in Japan and the major leagues.
Drafted out of high school, he made his pro debut in 2001 with the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes before joining the expansion Tohoku Rakuten Eagles in 2005. He won 21 games in 2008. In Japan, he finishes with a 107-69 record and 3.25 ERA, with 1,175 strikeouts.
In 2012, he made the move to the majors, joining the Seattle Mariners and compiling a 63-39 record over six seasons. That included a no-hitter on Aug. 12, 2015, against the Baltimore Orioles, making him just the second Japanese pitcher after Hideo Nomo to achieve that feat.
Asked to name a game that left the most lasting impression on him, Iwakuma brought up his first regular-season game in 2011, after the Great East Japan Earthquake devastated the Tohoku region.
"In the spirit of moving forward, it was a total team victory," he said. "Even when I was in the majors, I always wanted to offer a ray of hope to the people of Tohoku."
A retirement ceremony is planned for Nov. 7 at Tokyo Dome, when the Giants face the Tokyo Yakult Swallows.
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