Giant Hisashi Iwakuma (39), who will retire from active duty this season only, held a press conference at Tokyo Dome on the 23rd.

He joined Kintetsu in fifth place in the draft in 1999 and transferred to Rakuten since 2005. As of 2012, he won a total of 63 wins in the Major League Mariners, joined the giant in 2019 and returned to the world. of Japanese baseball for the first time in eight years, but due to the influence of his right shoulder pain, he did not join an army for two years.

The right arm representing Heisei, who scored 170 victories in Japan and the United States, as contributing to the best in the world at the WBC in 2009, said: “With this season, I decided to retire from active duty and take off my uniform. make another flower bloom with this uniform, but unfortunately I couldn’t finish the boarding in the 1st Army, but in the last two years I met some wonderful teammates, communicated and to the end I am deeply grateful for taking on the challenge, and I am also grateful for the support of many people during the last 21 years, for giving me a lot of courage and for being able to fight. Thank you very much. “

◆ Hisashi Iwakuma Born in Tokyo on April 12, 1981 (Showa 56). He joined Kintetsu in 1999 from Horikoshi in fifth place in the draft. 2004 More wins, higher win rate, top nine. Immediately after transferring to Orix on a distribution draft in the same year, it was transferred to Rakuten on a monetary exchange. In 2008, he won 21 victories and, in addition to three pitchers, MVP and Sawamura award. Aiming to transfer to a major league with a 10-year late bidding system, but remains as negotiations break down. Transferred to Mariners in FA on 11 years off. No hits and no points in 2015. In 2018, he was a major player and had no chance to climb the board, so he transferred to a giant the same year. The estimated annual salary for this season is 20 million yen. 190 cm, 95 kg. Right-handed.