The Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles' former major league All-Star closer Takashi Saito announced Monday he will retire at the end of the season.
"The way things stand, I'm not able to contribute on the first team," the 45-year-old Saito said at a press conference. "In many ways, I thought this was the time to leave.
"Physically, it is very difficult. On days (in the minors) when I've pitched on consecutive days, I have not been able to shake the previous day's fatigue."