Koji Uehara

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Koji Uehara (born April 3, 1975) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher.

He previously played for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), as well as the Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). A right-handed pitcher, Uehara has a solid MLB career strikeout rate, with 10.7 K/9 and walk rate of 1.5 BB/9 (through the 2017 season).

Through the 2017 season, his career 7.33 K/BB is the best in MLB history for a player with at least 100 innings pitched.

Uehara won the 2013 ALCS MVP Award, and closed the final game of the 2013 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

With his World Series win, Uehara became one of sixteen players in history to have won both a World Series and a World Baseball Classic.

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Career

Uehara graduated from the Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences in Osaka. In 1998, Uehara withdrew a three-year deal with the then-Anaheim Angels and signed with Yomiuri. As scouting director Eddie Bane had said that acquiring either Uehara or Daisuke Matsuzaka was a top priority for the team, the Angels had reiterated their continued interest in Uehara. However, several other franchises, including the Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox, Mets, Mets, and Orioles, had expressed an interest in bidding for Uehara if he were to be available.

In 1998, he was selected by the Yomiuri Giants as the first pick.

He had a fruitful rookie year in 1999, winning the Eiji Sawamura Award, broken the all-time rookie record, and led in victories, ERA, strikeouts, and winning percentage. Uehara was ordered to give the Giants' Hideki Matsui a chance to capture the home run crown in the final game of the season against the Yakult Swallows, with the league standings already decided. After the third intentional walk, the competitive Uehara obeyed the instructions but displayed his fury on the ground, kicking the dirt repeatedly and even shed tears.

He had a 4.02 ERA in 2001, the highest of his career.

He bounced back from winning his second Sawamura Award in 2002, leading the Central League in victories. He played in Japan in the Major League Baseball Japan All-Star Series during the 2002 season and was the first pitcher to beat Barry Bonds three times in a single game on November 11. This achievement placed him in a prominent position in American Major League Baseball.

He was hospitalized before the 2007 season, which made him a late appearance, but in the ensuing year, he became a closer, achieving a 1.74 ERA with 4 victories, 3 losses, and 32 saves. Despite being a good starter and closing, he returned as a starting pitcher in the 2008 season. After that season, he left the Giants as a free agent and allowed him to play in Major League Baseball.

Through the posting system, Uehara demonstrated that he preferred his public appearance to a Major League Baseball team. The Yomiuri Giants' front office had rejected his plans. He was supposed to be eligible for free agency in 2007 (but it was postponed to 2008 due to injury). In April 2008, he became eligible for a free agency.

Uehara and the Baltimore Orioles announced a two-year, $10 million contract on January 13, 2009. He started the 2009 season as the second starter behind Jeremy Guthrie. On April 8, Uehara made his big league debut against the New York Yankees. Uehara won by five runs and allowing one run. He was out for second outing, resulting in a victory over the Texas Rangers.

It was announced on September 10, 2009, that Uehara would be out for the remainder of the season. He will finish his 2009 campaign with a 2-4 record, 4.05 ERA, and 48 strikeouts in 66+23 innings in 12 starts. He started the 2010 season as a setup reliever in the bullpen and finished the season 1–2 with a 2.86 ERA, 55 strikeouts in 44 innings, and 13 saves.

He was 1-1-1 in the first half of the 2011 season with a 1.72 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 47 innings pitched.

Chris Davis and Tommy Hunter were traded to the Texas Rangers on July 30, 2011. Yoshinori Tateyama, his former high school classmate, was reunited with him after the move. The Orioles' second half, which the Rangers', was off to a slow start to the season. At the time, he was 1-2 with a 4.00 ERA. When he gave up three home runs in 1+13 innings to compile a 33.75 ERA before being cut from the field for the World Series due to his ineffectiveness, it would get worse in the postseason. After pitching for the two different franchises, he would finish 2011 with a 2-3 record, 2.35 ERA, and 85 strikeouts in 65 innings.

Uehara remained with the Rangers as a vesting option in 2012. He would resume his career after a fruitful campaign by lowering his ERA to 1.75. However, after spending some time on the disabled list with a strained lateral muscle, he was limited to 36 innings in 37 games.

Uehara decided to a one-year deal with the Boston Red Sox on December 6, 2012. After season-ending injuries to Andrew Bailey and Joel Hanrahan, Uehara transitioned his role from setup man to closer.

Uehara's 2013 season was one of the most dominant by any relief pitcher in baseball history. His 2013 WHIP of 0.57 in 74.1 innings set a new low for a pitcher with 50 or more innings pitched. Between July 9 and September 17, Uehara batters retired 37 consecutive batters, smashing the previous franchise record of 32, while Bobby Jenks' MLB record of 41 for consecutive outs by a reliever is nearing Bobby Jenks. Uehara finished the regular season with a 1.09 ERA, a 2.08 xFIP, and took down 38.9% of batters. He was rated by Fangraphs as the top reliever of 2013 in Wins Above Replacement.

In five games of the 2013 ALCS, Uehara was named ALCS Most Valuable Player. He pitched 5.1 innings, allowing 4 hits and no walks in the series, and 9 strikeouts were recorded. In Game 6, he saved the Red Sox their 13th AL pennant, earning them their 13th pennant.

Uehara beat St. Louis Cardinals pinch runner Kolten Wong in Game 4 of the World Series, defeating the Cardinals by a score of 4–2 wins. In Game 5, he made his seventh save of the season, tied for the most saves in a single postseason. (British tying John Wetteland, Robb Nen, Troy Perpetual, and Brad Lidge tied for saves in the playoffs this year.) In Game 6 at Fenway Park, Boston, Uehara threw the winning pitch in the series, putting the Cardinals 6-0. David Ortiz lifted Uehara over his shoulder during Boston's games five and six.

Uehara was named in his first All-Star Game on July 9, 2014, replacing injured New York Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka. He struggled during the 2014 regular season and was suspended from the closer role on September 5. After finishing the regular season with a 6–5 record, 2.52 ERA, 80 strikeouts in 64+13 innings, and 26 saves in 31 chances, the Red Sox lost its title by finishing with a subpar 71-91 record. Uehara's return to action in 2015 has brought him to a season-end injury, when a batted ball struck his right wrist on August 7. He's going to finish his 2015 season with a 2–4 record, 48 strikeouts in 40+1,3 innings, and 25 saves in 27 attempts as the Red Sox failed to hit the.500 mark for the second season in a row. After suffering some time on the disabled list with a pectoral strain, Uehara finished the regular season with a 2–3 record, a 3.45 ERA, 53 strikeouts in 47 innings, and 7 saves. For the first time since the 2013 championship season, his team will make the postseason. In the 2016 ALDS, Uehara pitched 2 games without allowing a run in 2 innings, but the Red Sox were swept by the Cleveland Indians in 3 innings.

Uehara also agreed to a one-year deal with the Chicago Cubs on December 14, 2016.

Uehara signed a one-year deal with the Yomiuri Giants on March 9, 2018, marking his first return to Japan since 2008. He was selected to the 2018 NPB All-Star game. In 2018, Uehara became the second pitcher in history to win 100 games, 100 holds, and 100 saves between NPB and MLB. He re-signed with the Giants on December 14, 2018. He had a 4.00 ERA through nine innings in his last season with the Giants, having struck out ten batters.

Uehara announced his retirement from professional baseball at the age of 44 after making nine appearances for Yomiuri in 2019. Uehara retired after playing in a total 748 games around the MLB and NPB, with a total ERA of 2.93, 1,989 strikeouts, 134 wins, and 128 saves. He finished his career as the MLB's all-time leader in strike out-to-walk ratio among qualifying relievers, with a 7.33 K/BB in his nine years in the MLB.

International career

Since he was in college, Uehara has been involved in international tournaments, including the first World Baseball Classic twice, and the first Asian Baseball Championships. He has 12 victories and two saves in his 25 appearances from the above events, without losing a single one.

He was a member of the Japanese national baseball team, which was competing in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. The team eventually received the bronze medal.

He joined Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and won two games, raising his unbeaten record in international competition (including amateur appearances) to 12 victories in 21 appearances. Japan defeated Cuba in the World Baseball Classic, defeating them in the championship; Uehara led the tournament with 16 strikeouts. He was a closer to being a part of the 2007 Asian Baseball Championships, participated in two games, and claimed his first international save against Korea.

In April 2008, Uehara was transferred to another team. He was in the 39-out-of-77 men's list for the Beijing Olympics in late June and was chosen to the final 24-men list in mid-July. He was supposed to be a setup pitcher before the Olympic Games, but his team lost 6–1. He was dressed as a closer in his first appearance against Chinese Taipei, pitching a shutout inning without yielding a single hit. He made his first Olympic save against Canada by winning 1–0 two days later. In the Games, Japan came in fourth place. The 2009 World Baseball Classic did not take place in Uehara.

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