Right-hander Masahide Kobayashi matched a Pacific League high among Japanese players in re-signing with the Chiba Lotte Marines for an annual salary of 230 million yen for next season, baseball officials said Saturday.
Kobayashi, 29, posted 33 saves to become only the second player in Japanese baseball history to mark 30 saves or more for three straight seasons and received a 75 million yen raise, equaling the amount which Kiyoshi Toyoda of the Seibu Lions signed for earlier this week.