Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks starting pitcher Tsuyoshi Wada announced his retirement from Nippon Professional Baseball on Monday. He had played 22 professional baseball seasons, 17 of which were with the Hawks in the Pacific League.
Wada’s impressive career resume includes winning 2003 Pacific League Rookie of the Year honors, 2010 Pacific League MVP, six NPB All-Star games, and five Japan Series titles, all with the Hawks. He is the Hawks’ all-time strikeout leader with 1,901.
In his 2010 MVP season, Wada went 17-8 with a 3.14 ERA and 169 strikeouts in 169.1 innings. His 17 wins were good for first in the Pacific League.
Wada, 43, told reporters on Tuesday at a press conference at Mizuho PayPay Dome Fukuoka, the Hawks’ home stadium, that his body is no longer up for the challenge. He made his NPB debut in 2003 as a 22-year-old.
“I felt strongly this year that my role as a player was coming to an end,” Wada said. “Toward the end, I thought my body was getting worn out.”
In 2024, the lefty appeared in eight Pacific League games and seven Western League games, posting a combined 3.02 ERA in 53.2 innings. Wada did not appear on the mound for the Hawks in any of the six games in the Japan Series loss to the Yokohama DeNA BayStars due to a leg injury.
In 2011, Wada left NPB to pursue an MLB career, agreeing to a two-year contract with the Baltimore Orioles. He underwent Tommy John Surgery in May 2012 and did not make his MLB debut until 2014 with the Cubs. From 2014-15 with Chicago, Wada went 5-5 in 21 games (20 starts) and struck out 7.8 batters per nine innings. He returned to the Hawks in 2016.
In international competition, Wada helped Japan win the bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Additionally, he played in the inaugural World Baseball Classic for Japan in 2006, pitching two shutout innings in a matchup against Mexico. Japan defeated Cuba 10-6 in the WBC championship game.
Based on Wada’s long list of experience and success in NPB, it would not be surprising if he joined the Hawks or another organization as a bench or pitching coach. That is purely speculation on the former pitcher’s future plans.
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