Hisashi Iwakuma will be with the Seattle Mariners next season, the American League club's general manager said Sunday.
The 33-year-old right-hander, who did not throw his first pitch until May 3 due to an offseason injury, finished with a 15-9 record and a 3.52 earned run average. Prior to the 2013 season, Iwakuma signed a two-year deal with a clause that includes a third should he work 350 or more innings over two seasons.
Iwakuma, the former ace of the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in the Pacific League, pitched 179 innings this year and 219⅔ in 2013. Yet, his career in the bigs did not get off to a flying start. A starter in Japan, Iwakuma was originally assigned to the Mariners bullpen, where he went 1-1 with two saves and a 4.75 ERA in 14 games. After being put in the rotation that first season, Iwakuma went 8-4 with a 2.65 ERA.
Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik told reporters that Iwakuma had done a good job and he was looking forward to seeing what the pitcher could do next season. The Mariners finished one game out of the AL's final wildcard playoff spot.