Dennis Scott Sarfate (born April 9, 1981) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. He played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, and

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) and the

Hiroshima Toyo Carp The is a professional baseball team based in Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan. They compete in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda ...

Saitama Seibu Lions The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Seibu Railway ...

, and

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. They compete in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) as a member of the Pacific League. The team was formerly known as the Nankai Hawks and was based in Osaka. ...

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

(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 is a 3× NPB All-Star, a 3× Pacific League saves leader, a 5×

Japan Series The Japan Series ( , officially the Japan Championship Series, ), also the Nippon Series, :File:2014_JS_logo.png is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a best-of-seven series ...

Champion, won the

Japan Series Most Valuable Player Award The is given to the player deemed to have the most impact on his team's performance in the Japan Series, which is the final round of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) postseason. The award was first presented in 1950. The series follows a b ...

, won the Pacific League MVP Award, and won the

Matsutaro Shoriki Award Matsutaro Shoriki Award is named in honor of Matsutarō Shōriki, the owner of the Yomiuri Shimbun, whose achievements earned him the label of the real parent of present day Japanese professional baseball. The prize was founded in 1977. It is pres ...

Early life

Sarfate was born in

Queens, New York Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, to Dennis Sarfate and Linda Williams. He has two sisters, Jaime and Jennifer.

Amateur career

Sarfate graduated from Gilbert High School in Gilbert, Arizona in 1999. He was an

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n and First Team All-State, after going 10–2 with a 1.75 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 81 innings in his senior year. He was the '' Scottsdale Tribune'' Pitcher of the Year in 1999. The Texas Rangers selected Sarfate in the 15th round (465th overall) of the

1999 MLB draft The 1999 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, was held on June 2 and 3, 1999. A total of 1474 players were drafted over the course of 50 rounds. First round selections ...

. He did not sign, enrolling in college. He attended Arizona State University in 2000, majoring in sports psychology, and Chandler-Gilbert Community College in 2001.

Professional career

Milwaukee Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers selected Sarfate in the ninth round (268th overall) of the

2001 MLB Draft The 2001 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 5 and 6. First round selections Supplemental First Round Selections Compensation Picks Background On June 1, 2001, Rolando Viera, a Cuban ba ...

. In 2003, while pitching for the Single-A Beloit Snappers in the

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

, he was 12–2 with a 2.84 ERA in 26 starts, and 140 strikeouts (second in the league) in 139.2 innings. He made his MLB debut on September 3, 2006, striking out three batters in 1.1 scoreless innings against the

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The fran ...

. Sarfate pitched in eight games for the Brewers, with a 4.32

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA), and 11 strikeouts in 8.1 innings.

Houston Astros

The Brewers traded Sarfate to the Houston Astros on September 11, 2007, for cash considerations. After beginning his professional career as a starter, Sarfate spent 2007 as a

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weat ...

. He made seven relief appearances for Houston, and was 1–0 with a 1.08 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 8.1 innings.

Baltimore Orioles

On December 12, 2007, the Astros traded Sarfate along with designated hitter/left fielder Luke Scott,

s Matt Albers and Troy Patton, and

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

Michael Costanzo to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

Miguel Tejada Miguel Odalis Tejada ( Tejeda; born May 25, 1974) is a Dominican former professional baseball shortstop who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for six teams, most notably the Oakland Athletics and Baltimore Orioles, befor ...

Sarfate also began 2008 as a relief pitcher. On July 28, 2008, he was moved to the Orioles' starting rotation. He returned to the bullpen after just four starts, in which he went 0–2 while allowing 18 runs in just 15 innings. Overall, in 57 games, he was 4–3 with a 4.74 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 79.2 innings. Sarfate began 2009 in the Orioles' bullpen, but was placed on the disabled list in May after posting a 6.39 ERA in eight appearances. He was activated in September, and pitched much better, posting a 3.48 ERA over 12 relief appearances. Overall, he was 0–1 in 20 relief appearances with a 5.09 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 23 innings. In 2010, Sarfate pitched with the Triple-A

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's location on the Chesapea ...

, where he was 2–2 with 20 saves (tied for seventh in the International League) and a 2.73 ERA in 47 games, as he struck out 72 batters in 56 innings. He was named an MiLB Organization All Star.

Hiroshima Toyo Carp

In 2011, Sarfate signed with the

of Japan's

Central League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consi ...

. Sarfate quickly became one of the top closers in Japanese baseball. He was a 2011 All Star. In 2011 he was 1–3 with 35 saves (second in the Japan Central League) and a 1.34 ERA in 57 games. In 2012, he was 2–5 with nine saves (ninth in the league) and a 2.90 ERA in 47 games.

Saitama Seibu Lions

He spent one season with the

in 2013. Sarfate was 9–1 with 10 saves (seventh in the Japan Pacific League) and a 1.87 ERA (eighth) in 58 games (seventh).

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks

In 2014, Sarfate joined the

, and got the final save of the

2014 Japan Series The 2014 Japan Series (known as the '' SMBC Nippon Series 2014'' for sponsorship reasons) was the 65th edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's (NPB) championship series known colloquially as the Japan Series. The best-of-seven playoff was won by ...

. He was a 2014 All Star. For the season he was 7–1 with 37 saves (second in the Japan Pacific League) and a 1.05 ERA (third) in 64 games (third). In 2015, Sarfate closed out the

2015 Japan Series The 2015 Japan Series was the 66th edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's postseason championship series. The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, champions of the Pacific League, played the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, champions of the Central League. The Hawks ...

as well, as the Hawks won their second championship in a row. For the season he was 5–1 with 41 saves (leading the league) and a 1.11 ERA (fourth) in 65 games (third). During the 2016 season, Sarfate recorded 43 saves, a new record for most single-season saves in the

Pacific League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series. It currently cons ...

. He was named a 2016 All Star. For the season he was 0–7 with a 1.88 ERA (seventh in the league) in 64 games (second). On April 2, 2017, Sarfate recorded his 178th save in Japan, setting a new record for most saves by a foreign pitcher in

history. The record was previously held by

Marc Kroon Marc Jason Kroon (born April 2, 1973) is an American former right-handed relief pitcher. He served as the closer for the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's Central League. Career He was drafted 72nd overall by the New York Mets in 1991. The Mets traded h ...

of the

Yomiuri Giants The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They ...

(177). On July 4, 2017, Sarfate recorded his 200th save, becoming the sixth pitcher in NPB history to reach that threshold and the first foreign pitcher. On September 5, 2017, Sarfate earned his 47th save of the season, breaking the record for most single-season saves in Japanese baseball history. He finished the season leading the league with 54 saves, as he was 2–2 with a 1.09 ERA (fourth in the league) in 66 games (second). Sarfate earned two saves and a win in the

2017 Japan Series The 2017 Japan Series (known as the ''SMBC Nippon Series 2017'' for sponsorship reasons) was the championship series of Nippon Professional Baseball's postseason. The 68th edition of the Japan Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the F ...

, and won the

. He won the Pacific League MVP. He also received the

, for the year's greatest contribution to Japanese professional baseball. Sarfate had season-ending surgery on his right hip in April 2018, after pitching six innings. He missed the 2019 season as well. His 234 career saves rank fifth-most in NPB history. On October 14, 2020, Sarfate underwent hip reoperation and spent the 2020 season in rehabilitation. On November 30, 2021, Sarfate announced his retirement from professional baseball, having missed the past three seasons due to injury.

References

External links

NPB.jp

- Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks Official site {{DEFAULTSORT:Sarfate, Dennis 1981 births Living people American sportspeople of Italian descent American expatriate baseball players in Japan Arizona League Brewers players Baltimore Orioles players Beloit Snappers players Bowie Baysox players Chandler–Gilbert Coyotes baseball players Christians from New York (state) Frederick Keys players Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks players Hiroshima Toyo Carp players Houston Astros players Huntsville Stars players Jewish American baseball players Jewish Major League Baseball players Major League Baseball pitchers Milwaukee Brewers players Naranjeros de Hermosillo players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Nashville Sounds players Nippon Professional Baseball MVP Award winners Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers Norfolk Tides players Ogden Raptors players Saitama Seibu Lions players Scottsdale Scorpions players Sportspeople from Queens, New York Baseball players from New York City