Koji Uehara

Koji Uehara (上原 浩治, Uehara Kōji, [ɯehara koːdʑi]; born April 3, 1975) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He previously played for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), as well as the Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB).\n', ' A right-handed pitcher, Uehara has a solid MLB career strikeout rate, with 10.7 K/9 and walk rate of 1.5 BB/9 (through the 2017 season). Through the 2017 season, his career 7.33 K/BB is the best in MLB history for a player with at least 100 innings pitched. Uehara won the 2013 ALCS MVP Award, and closed the final game of the 2013 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. With his World Series win, Uehara became one of sixteen players in history to have won both a World Series and a World Baseball Classic [ja].\n', ' Uehara graduated from the Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences.\n', 'In 1998, Uehara rejected a contract worth $3 million from the then-Anaheim Angels and signed with Yomiuri. The Angels had expressed their continued interest in Uehara, as scouting director Eddie Bane had stated that acquiring either Uehara or Daisuke Matsuzaka was a top priority for the team. However, many other teams, including the Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox, Mets, and Orioles had shown interest in bidding for Uehara if and when he were to become available.\n', '