Koji Uehara

Koji Uehara is a retired Japanese professional baseball pitcher known for his achievements in both Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and Major League Baseball (MLB). Selected as the first overall pick by the Yomiuri Giants in the NPB draft, Uehara had a rookie season with 15 consecutive wins, breaking the all-time rookie record. He earned the Rookie of the Year Award, the Eiji Sawamura Award, and led the league in wins, ERA, strikeouts, and winning percentage. Uehara won two Sawamura Awards, which is Japan's equivalent of the Cy Young Award, and was named to nine NPB All-Star teams. His tenure with the Giants included two Japan Series championships, two Golden Gloves, and two Best Nine Awards.

Uehara transitioned to Major League Baseball and debuted with the Baltimore Orioles, primarily serving as a set-up pitcher. In MLB, he played for the Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs, compiling a 22-26 record with a 2.66 ERA, 95 saves, and 572 strikeouts over 436 appearances. Uehara, a right-handed pitcher, posted a career strikeout rate of 10.7 K/9 innings and a walk rate of 1.5 BB/9 innings. His 7.33 K/BB ratio stands as the best in MLB history for players with at least 100 innings pitched.

Uehara's standout MLB season came with the Boston Red Sox, where he delivered a dominant relief performance. He finished the regular season with a 1.09 ERA, 0.57 WHIP, 21 saves, 13 holds, and 101 strikeouts. His 0.57 WHIP is the lowest in baseball history for a qualified reliever. Uehara set a Red Sox record by retiring 37 consecutive batters, the second-longest single-season streak for a reliever in MLB history. He appeared in 13 of the team's 16 postseason games, did not allow a run in the American League Championship Series or the World Series, and was named the American League Championship Series MVP. Uehara recorded the final out of the World Series in Game 6 at Fenway Park.

Internationally, Uehara played a key role for Team Japan, contributing to the team's victory in the inaugural World Baseball Classic by leading the tournament in innings pitched and strikeouts. He is among a select group of players to have won the Japan Series, the World Series, the World Baseball Classic, and an Olympic bronze medal. Uehara is one of only 16 players to have won both the World Series and the World Baseball Classic. After returning to Japan following his MLB career, Uehara retired, having competed at the highest levels of professional baseball across two continents for more than two decades.