The Yomiuri Giants on Thursday announced a deal with pitcher Shun Yamaguchi, who will rejoin the Central League club after terminating his contract with a San Francisco Giants minor-league affiliate.
Yamaguchi posted a 15-4 record and led the CL in strikeouts, wins and winning percentage in 2019, his previous season in Japan, when he helped the Giants win their first CL pennant in five years.
The Oita Prefecture native was unable to make an impact with the Blue Jays last year, when the MLB season was cut to just 60 games amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In 17 games, he posted a 2-4 record with an 8.06 ERA before being left off the team's playoff roster.
Yamaguchi became a free agent after being released by Toronto in February. He signed a minor-league deal the same month with San Francisco and played for their Triple-A affiliate, the Sacramento River Cats, before opting to return to Japan.