Former Red Sox reliever Koji Uehara retires from professional baseball

One of the important pieces of the Boston Red Sox’ 2013 World Series run is calling it quits.

Former Red Sox reliever/closer Koji Uehara officially announced his decision to retire from professional baseball on Tuesday after a illustrious career that spanned over three decades in Japan and the MLB.

The 44-year old posted a combined 22-26 record, 2.66 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 570 strikeouts and 95 saves in nine MLB seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs from 2009-2017.

He spent the final years of his career with the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball.