In 2010, it was Hanshin Tigers outfielder Matt Murton who broke the Japanese baseball record for most hits in a season when he banged out 214 safeties in his first year playing in the country.
Now Hiroshima Carp closer Dennis Sarfate has an outside shot at setting a new standard for saves, checking off on his way three other records. Through games of Wednesday, Sarfate had racked up 34 saves, leaving him one short of the mark for the most rescues by a first-year foreign pitcher. Eddie Gaillard of the Chunichi Dragons saved 35 games during his first season in Japan in 2000.
Next for Sarfate would be the Hiroshima team record of 38 saves posted in 2008 by Japanese reliever Katsuhiro Nagakawa during the tenure of American manager Marty Brown at the helm of the Carp. Following that would be the all-time foreign pitcher mark of 41 also set in 2008 by Marc Kroon of the Yomiuri Giants.