Yakult legend and Japanese all-time saves leader Shingo Takatsu has joined South Korean outfit the Woori Heroes (formally known as the Hyundai Unicorns).
Takatsu has 286 career saves in the NPB, all for the Swallows in 598 games, as well as earning the nickname Mr.Zero for never having given up a run in his 11 Japan Series appearances.
His two stints at the Swallows were broken up by a two year spell in the MLB in 2004 and 2005, where he plied his trade to varying degrees of success for the Chicago White Sox and the New York Mets.
He was cast aside by the Swallows at the end of last season, but it was the manner of his release which upset many Yakult fans as he was given no special send off by the organisation. It was simply announced by the front office after the season had ended, meaning fans had no chance to say farewell to Shingo and show their appreciation to one of the team’s all-time legends.
Good luck in Korea Shingo, hopefully you’ll make it back to Jingu one day so that the fans can give you the sendoff that you deserve.
It’ll be interesting to see how he fares in the KBO. I’d like to see more player movement within Asia to give chances to players who may otherwise be buried on the team or considered to be finished in one particular league. Adding an Asian import quota of 1 or 2 players has been floated before, and increasing competition can’t be a bad thing…
I for one would love to see a “Heroes and Legends Day” or something of that sort at Jingu. The fact that only three Tokyo numbers have been retired sets standards high, which is good, but leaves too many great players un- or under-remembered and fails to show the kiddies that this is a club with a history, a culture beyond “Tokyo Ondo”, and a past of which Tokyo’s loyal baseball fans can be proud. Retro jerseys are cool and all, but not the same as giving people their due.
I’m with you, Simon, but I’m wary of any kind of quota system. The best way to open up competition is to let teams fill their rosters with whomever they think will make them a better team, regardless of whence those players come. Perhaps lifting the limits on foreign players or increasing the number that can be on a roster would allow NPB teams to bring in and develop more Korean and Taiwanese talent. Similar moves in Korea would allow 2-gun players in Japan to get more playing time against stiffer competition, too.
[...] long-term absence of Ishii Hirotoshi to injury, and the release of Japanese all-time saves leader Shingo Takatsu at the end of last [...]