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Koji Uehara, the righthanded relief pitcher who was acquired by the Texas Rangers, has announced his retirement at the age of 44.
Uehara had a lengthy and successful career as a starting pitcher in Japan before coming to America and signing with the Baltimore Orioles in 2009. He moved to a relief role in 2010 and excelled, with the Rangers then acquiring him on July 30, 2011, from Baltimore in exchange for Chris Davis and Tommy Hunter.
Uehara pitched well down the stretch, but struggles at the end of September, and the. The ALDS and ALCS, led the Rangers to leave Uehara off the World Series roster. Having an effective Uehara available could have significantly impacted the series, and in particular, Game 6.
After a solid 2012 season, Uehara spent the next four years with the Boston Red Sox, then joined the Chicago Cubs for 2017. He pitched for Yorimuri, his original JPL team, in 2018, and then this season prior to his retirement.