Former Red Sox Pitcher Retires From Baseball After 15 Year Career

Former Boston Red Sox reliever Hirokazu Sawamura has retired after a 15-year career across Nippon Professional Baseball and Major League Baseball. Sawamura announced his retirement in an Instagram post on Thursday.

“It’s time to accept that my career is nearing its end and to say goodbye,” Sawamura wrote in his Instagram post. “Thirty years have passed since I first started playing the game I love, and 15 years have passed since my professional debut. Things didn’t always go exactly as planned, but fans—you always had my back.”

The Red Sox signed him before the 2021 season, and in two seasons with Boston, he pitched in 104 regular-season games.

In that span, he had a 3.29 ERA and 101 strikeouts. He appeared in three postseason games, throwing two innings and allowing one earned run. After the 2022 season, he returned to Japan to play for the Chiba Lotte Marines.

He made his pro debut for the Yomiuri Giants in 2011. As a rookie in Japan, he posted a 2.03 ERA in 29 starts. He was named Central League Rookie of the Year. In 2012, he had a 2.86 ERA in 27 games and was key in helping the Giants win the Japan Series.

In 2015, Sawamura took on a new role. Although he had come out of the bullpen before, he became the closer for the Giants in 2015. In 2015 and 2016, he combined for 73 saves. He remained in the bullpen, but did not serve as the primary closer after 2016. He signed with the Red Sox at 32 years old in February 2021.

Although his time with the Red Sox was short-lived, he was a solid addition to the team. The Red Sox were the only big league team he ever played for. Between the big leagues and NPB, he played in 549 regular-season games. He had a 2.28 ERA in his NPB career.