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Kazuhisa Ishii is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yakult Swallows and Saitama Seibu Lions and in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets.
Robert Bartmess Friend was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher between 1951 and 1966, most notably as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. A four-time All-Star, Friend was an integral member of the Pirates team that defeated the New York Yankees in the 1960 World Series. He played for the New York Yankees and New York Mets in his final season of 1966. As of 2019, he still held Pirates records for career innings pitched and strikeouts. He is the first man to lead the league in ERA while pitching for a last place team.
Tsuyoshi Wada is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of the Nippon Professional Baseball League (NPB). He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs.
Farid Yu Darvishsefat, more commonly known as Yu Darvish, is a Japanese-Persian professional baseball starting pitcher for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). Darvish has also played in MLB for the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Chicago Cubs and in Nippon Professional Baseball for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. In international play, Darvish pitched in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2009 World Baseball Classic as a member of the Japanese national team.
Kenshin Kawakami is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Chunichi Dragons and in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves.
Henricus "Rick" Nicolas van den Hurk is a Dutch professional baseball pitcher for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has also pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins, Baltimore Orioles, and Pittsburgh Pirates, and in the KBO League for the Samsung Lions and in NPB for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. In international play, he is a member of the Netherlands national baseball team.
Hisashi Iwakuma is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He has played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes from 2000 to 2004, Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles from 2005 to 2011, and Yomiuri Giants in 2019, and all of his time in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners from 2012 to 2017. Iwakuma retired in 2020 due to lingering shoulder issues that had prevented him from playing that year.
Dennis Scott Sarfate is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has also played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, and Baltimore Orioles in Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Hiroshima Toyo Carp and Saitama Seibu Lions of NPB. While an average reliever in the MLB, Sarfate became one of the greatest closers in NPB history after moving his career overseas. Sarfate holds several NPB records, including most saves in a season and most by a foreign-born pitcher. As of 2020, his 234 career saves rank fifth-most in NPB history. He has been a 3× NPB All-Star, a 3× Pacific League saves leader, a 5× Japan Series Champion, won the Japan Series Most Valuable Player Award, won the Pacific League MVP Award, and won the Matsutaro Shoriki Award.
Toshiya Sugiuchi is a Japanese baseball player. He is a left-handed starting pitcher for the Yomiuri Giants.
Hideaki Wakui is a Japanese Professional baseball pitcher for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He previously played for the Seibu Lions / Saitama Seibu Lions and Chiba Lotte Marines.
Charles Kevin Rogers is a former left-handed Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the San Francisco Giants from 1992 to 1994.
Wade Matthew LeBlanc is an American professional baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the San Diego Padres, Miami Marlins, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners, and Baltimore Orioles. LeBlanc has also played for the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Kimiyasu Kudo is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher and the current manager of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball. Known for his longevity as a player, he holds the NPB records for longest career with 29 seasons played, most consecutive seasons with at least one win with 23 and is the oldest pitcher to strike out 10 batters in a game, doing so at the age of 41 years and 11 months. In his career, he recorded 224 wins, a 3.45 ERA and 2,852 strikeouts. However, despite all his accolades, he is infamously known for having never won the Sawamura Award, given to Japan's top pitcher.
Brian Patrick Schlitter is an American professional baseball relief pitcher for the Seattle Mariners organization. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Saitama Seibu Lions.
The 2010 Japan Series was the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) championship series for the 2010 season. It was the 61st Japan Series and featured the Pacific League champions, the Chiba Lotte Marines, against the Central League champions, the Chunichi Dragons.
Kevin Dale Lomon is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the New York Mets (1995) and Atlanta Braves (1996).
Koji Mitsui is a former pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball. Mitsui pitched for the Seibu / Saitama Seibu Lions from 2001 through 2009.
Fabio Castillo is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in the KBO League for the Hanwha Eagles, in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Saitama Seibu Lions.
Matthew Phillip Dermody is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago Cubs
The 2018 Japan Series was the championship series of Nippon Professional Baseball's (NPB) 2018 season. The 69th edition of the Japan Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, the Pacific League's (PL) Climax Series champion and defending Japan Series champions, and the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, the Central League's (CL) Climax Series champion. The Hawks defeated the Carp, 4–1–1, in six games, to win their second consecutive Japan Series championship and their fifth in eight years.