Takashi Saito

is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher who is currently the chief pitching coach for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).

Saito's professional career spanned 23 years. He spent his first 13 seasons pitching for the Yokohama Taiyo Whales / BayStars in the Japanese Central League, compiling a record of 87–80, usually as a starter. He spent the next seven seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a closer and relief pitcher, before finishing his career in Japan with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. In his first MLB season of 2006, Saito finished eighth in the National League Cy Young Award voting. In his second season, he was named an All-Star. Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully bestowed the nickname "the Man from Miyagi" upon him, in reference to the prefecture that encompasses Saito's place of birth. He was also nicknamed "Sammy" by his Dodgers teammates Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp, who affectionally compared him to Sammy Sosa. Provided by Wikipedia