is a right-handed

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 ...

for the

Orix Buffaloes The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team formed as a result of the 2004 Nippon Professional Baseball realignment by the merger of the Orix BlueWave of Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes of Osaka, Osaka Prefectur ...

in Japan's

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 ...

. He played in the

2006 World Baseball Classic The 2006 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was the inaugural tournament between national baseball teams that included players from Major League Baseball. It was held from March 3 to 20 in stadiums that are in and around Tokyo, Japan; San Juan, Puerto ...

. Originally a starter, Mahara was converted to a closer partway through 2005 season and has been an efficient closer since then. His best season was in 2007, when Mahara broke the team record for saves by recording 38 and also recording a 1.47 ERA. The previous record-holder was

Rodney Pedraza Rodney Bernard Pedraza (born December 28, 1969) is an American former professional baseball pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He played for the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks from 1999 to 2002 and Yomiuri Giants in 2003. He was an All- Star four ...

, who had 35 saves in 2000. Mahara did not blow a save until late in the season, when Orix Buffaloes slugger

Tuffy Rhodes Karl Derrick "Tuffy" Rhodes (born August 21, 1968) is a retired American professional baseball player. He played six years in Major League Baseball in the US, and thirteen years in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in Japan. Rhodes is the all-ti ...

cracked a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 9th at

Skymark Stadium or officially Hotto Motto Field Kobe is a baseball park in Kobe Sports Park, Kobe, Japan. It is primarily used for baseball, and is one of two home fields for the Orix Buffaloes, the other being the Kyocera Dome Osaka. The stadium also occas ...

. With the exception of the 2008 season when he missed half the season due to injury, Mahara has recorded at least 22 saves each year since 2005. In 2011, he was in a slump and become losing pitcher in two games in Nippon Series. In 2012, he was injured and he didn't play any games. He was traded to

in the off season.

External links

NPB.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahara, Takahiro 1981 births Living people People from Kumamoto Japanese baseball players Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers Fukuoka Daiei Hawks players Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks players Orix Buffaloes players 2006 World Baseball Classic players 2009 World Baseball Classic players