is a

closing pitcher In baseball, a closing pitcher, more frequently referred to as a closer (abbreviated CL), is a relief pitcher who specializes in getting the final outs in a close game when his team is leading. The role is often assigned to a team's best relieve ...

for the

Tokyo Yakult Swallows The Tokyo Yakult Swallows () are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Y ...

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 formatio ...

. His uniform number is ''29''.

External links

* 1980 births Japanese baseball coaches Japanese baseball players Living people Nippon Professional Baseball coaches Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers Saitama Seibu Lions players Seibu Lions players Baseball people from Saitama Prefecture Tokyo Yakult Swallows players {{japan-baseball-pitcher-stub