KOJI UEHARA

Koji Uehara played in Nippon Professional Baseball with the Yomiuri Giants. He was injured before the 2007 season which made him a late appearance, and in that season, he became a closer, recording a 1.74 ERA. He left the Giants after 2008 becoming a free agent and allowing him to play in Major League Baseball.

Koji was renowned for his performance in international competitions, participating in the Olympic Games twice. After playing in the World Baseball Classic for Japan in 2006, he chose not to participate in 2009.

In 2009, Uehara signed a two-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles and in 2011, he was traded to the Texas Rangers.

After that season, Koji agreed to a one-year contract with the Red Sox. Here he transitioned his role from setup man to closer after season-ending injuries to Andrew Bailey and Joel Hanrahan.

Koji's 2013 season was one of the most dominant by any relief pitcher in baseball history. Between July 9th and September 17th, he retired 37 consecutive batters, exceeding the previous Red Sox record of 32, and nearing the MLB record of 41 for consecutive outs by a reliever. He finished the regular season with a 1.09 ERA.

He participated in five games of the 2013 ALCS, and was named its Most Valuable Player. In Game #4 of the World Series, he picked off St. Louis Cardinals pinch runner Kolten Wong for the last out of a 4–2 Red Sox win. In Game# 5, he recorded his seventh save of the postseason, tying the record for most saves in a single postseason. Koji threw the final pitch of the 2013 World Series in Game #6.

In 2014, he was named to his first career All-Star Game. He struggled near the end of the regular season and was removed from the closer role.

Injured in 2015 spring training, he had not successfully closed out a game since August of 2014. He sprinted to the mound, eager to pitch. Three outs later, the Red Sox had their closer back and an 8-7 victory as he came off the DL and shut down the Nationals.

But against Detroit, the Sox lost Koji for the rest of the year. The game against the Tigers ended with him being struck on the right wrist and fracturing it, by a line drive.

Koji became the set-up man in 2016, with the team acquiring closer Craig Kimbrel. It was a tough year for him as he posted a 3.45 ERA, his highest as a member of the Red Sox, and wasn’t healthy for a second straight season. He missed the end of July and the entire month of August with a strained pectoral muscle.

He returned in September but wasn’t able to pitch back-to-back days or more than an inning in a given game the rest of the season. In the 2016 ALDS, he pitched two games without allowing a run in two innings of work, but the Red Sox were swept by the Cleveland Indians.