ANAHEIM, CA -- The Angels on Thursday signed left-handed pitcher Hisanori Takahashi to a two-year contract through 2012.
"We are pleased to announce the acquisition of Hisanori Takahashi," Angels general manager Tony Reagins said in a release. "We believe that his contributions in various roles in our bullpen will be extremely important to the overall success of our club."
Takahashi, 35, appeared in 53 games (12 starts) with the New York Mets in 2010, going 10-6 with eight saves and a 3.61 ERA. Takahashi started the season in the bullpen before making his first start against the Yankees on May 21. He assumed the closer role over the final month and a half of the season, converting all eight save chances. He became the first Mets pitcher since Roger McDowell in 1986 to post double-digit wins and record eight or more saves in the same season.
Prior to his stint with the Mets, the 5-foot-10, 170-pound southpaw spent 10 seasons (2000-2009) with the Yomiuri Giants. In his final season in 2009, he helped lead the Giants to the Japanese championship, posting 10 wins and a 2.94 ERA in 25 starts. For his Japanese career, Takahashi was part of three Japanese championships (2000, 2002 and 2009) and logged a 79-66 record with 21 complete games, eight shutouts, 15 saves and a 3.70 ERA in 245 games (202 starts). In that span, he walked only 359 batters while collecting 1,032 strikeouts. He was a teammate of Hideki Matsui for three seasons during his tenure with the Giants (2000-02).
The native of Tokyo graduated from Syutoku High School and Komazawa University. Takahashi signed with the Mets as a minor league free agent on Feb. 11, 2010. He would be the third Japanese player to appear in an Angels uniform (Shigetoshi Hasegawa and Matsui).
