Spending nine seasons in MLB, Koji Uehara had a career 2.66 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and 95 saves. In his age 38 season in 2013, he posted a career best 1.09 ERA and 0.56 WHIP. He secured the final three outs of Boston's World Series victory.
Although he only pitched for four years from 2000-2003, Kazuhiro Sasaki left his mark on MLB. He saved 129 games for the Mariners and posted a career 3.14 ERA and 1.08 WHIP.
Pitching in two of the league's biggest markets, Hiroki Kuroda had success for both the Dodgers and Yankees. He started 30+ games in six of his seven seasons, finishing with a career 3.45 ERA and 1.17 WHIP.
It was a huge deal when the Red Sox signed Daisuke Matsuzaka. His star burned bright early, seeing him register a 2.9 ERA in his 18-win 2008 campaign. While he lasted eight years in the majors, he was relatively average for the remainder of his career.
Joining MLB at 25 years old, Masahiro Tanaka spent his entire career with the Yankees. He decided to return to Japan after the 2020 season, finishing his MLB career with a 3.74 ERA and 1.13 WHIP.
Known for his uncommon number (91) and unique windeup, Hideo Nomo had a strong 12-year career in MLB. Pitching for seven different clubs, he posted a career 4.24 ERA in an era where that was better than it would be now.
The stage was not too big for Hideki Mastui, who finished second in AL rookie of the year voting in 2003. Matsui enjoyed consistent success with the Yankees, posting four 100-RBI seasons. He was the 2009 World Series MVP.
One of just two active players on this list, 2025 will be Yu Darvish's 13th year in the big leagues. He has a career 3.54 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and over 2,000 strikeouts.
Despite not making the leap to the majors until he was 27, Ichiro Suzuki played an astounding 19 seasons, most of them with the Mariners. He won AL MVP and rookie of the year in 2001. For the first 10 years of his career, Ichiro won a gold glove. He won the AL batting title twice and is part of the 3,000 hits club. He is almost certainly going to be inducted into the Hall of Fame later this year.
Could it be anyone else? Shohei Ohtani is probably the greatest baseball player of all time. In just seven seasons, he's already won AL rookie of the year, two AL MVPs, one NL MVP, a World Series, and is the only player in history to hit 50+ home runs and steal 50+ bases in the same season. He is only 30 years old.
