SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The San Diego Padres have signed left-handed reliever Yuki Matsui to a five-year contract, the team announced on Saturday.
Matsui, 28, joins the Padres with an impressive track record from his tenure with the Tohuku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Nippon Professional Baseball. He became the youngest player to reach the 200-save milestone.
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A five-time NPB All-Star relief pitcher, Matsui posted a 1.57 ERA with 39 saves in the 2023 season, according to a press release from the team.
In the 2013 NPB draft, Matsui was highly sought after, with five out of twelve teams selecting him as their first overall pick before the lottery assigned his rights to the Golden Eagles.
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