Free agent right-hander Takayuki Kishi came home on Friday, when he announced his signing with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
"Today, I have become a member of the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles," the 31-year-old native of Sendai told a news conference at the club's home park, Kobo Stadium Miyagi. "I will do my utmost for Tohoku and Sendai.
"If I don't contribute to the team and win a pennant, then my coming here will have no meaning."
Kishi leaves the Pacific League-rival Seibu Lions, for whom he went 103-65 over 10 seasons.
"I always aim to achieve a career high," Kishi said. "Every year I desire to win 15 games."
He joins a team that has missed the playoffs for three straight seasons since winning the PL and the Japan Series in 2013, and will be the Eagles' oldest starting pitcher.
"With this addition only, I am more than confident we will compete for the pennant," Senichi Hoshino, the team's senior director and the manager of the 2013 Series champions, said.
