Blue Jays sign RHP Shun Yamaguchi
The Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to terms with RHP Shun Yamaguchi on a two-year contract (US $6,350,000). Yamaguchi had been posted by the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball.
Yamaguchi, 32, pitched 170.0 innings with a 2.91 ERA, 60 walks, and 188 strikeouts over 26 starts for the Yomiuri Giants last season. The 6-2, 198 lb. right-hander led the Japanese Central League in strikeouts and tied for third in ERA among starting pitchers. The Nakatsu, Japan, native owns a record of 64-58 and a 3.35 ERA over the course of 14 seasons while making 427 total appearances for Yokohama, DeNA and Yomiuri. He will become the sixth Japanese-born player to play for the Blue Jays, and the fourth pitcher to do so, joining Mike Nakamura (2004), Tomo Ohka (2007), and Ryota Igarashi (2012).