D-backs agree to terms with Yoshihisa Hirano on a 2-year contract

The Arizona Diamondbacks agreed to terms with RHP Yoshihisa Hirano (Yo-she-he-sah Here-ah-no) on a 2-year contract.
"We have scouted Yoshihisa for years with the Orix Buffaloes, and are excited to add a reliever of his quality, and with his experience to our bullpen. We look forward to welcoming him, his wife, Ai, and his two young children to Arizona," said Hazen.
"I am honored to be signing with the Arizona Diamondbacks. They have welcomed me and my family with open arms and made us feel at home already, which is the reason I chose to sign here," said Hirano. "My family is looking forward to starting our new life together in Arizona. I believe the D-backs are a team that can win a championship, and I hope I can help them achieve that goal."
Hirano, 33 and a native of Kyoto, Japan, spent his last 12 seasons (2006-17) with the Orix Buffaloes of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball League. He will become the D-backs' second Major League player of Japanese descent, along with Takashi Saito in 2012, and the third player born in Japan to play for the club, along with Saito (Sendai) and Stephen Randolph (Okinawa) in 2003-04.
Hirano worked exclusively as a reliever his last 8 seasons (since 2010), led the league with 40 saves in 2014 and earned the league's Most Valuable Middle Reliever honors in 2011. He set career highs as a reliever with 40 saves in 2014, 72 appearances in 2011 and a 1.67 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 2010.
Since 2010, he appeared in 476 games (251 games finished) and went 30-33 with 156 saves, a 2.30 ERA (132 ER in 516.1 IP) and 564 strikeouts (9.83 strikeouts per 9.0 innings).
He worked predominantly as a closer from 2013-17, and in 271 games (213 games finished), he was 10-25 with 143 saves, a 2.64 ERA (80 ER in 272.1 IP) and 284 strikeouts (9.39 SO per 9.0 IP).
Last season, he made 58 relief appearances (45 games finished) and went 3-7 with 29 saves, a 2.67 ERA (17 ER in 57.1 IP) and 47 strikeouts. Last spring, he was a member of Team Japan in his first World Baseball Classic and made 6 relief appearances, going 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA (2 ER in 5.1 IP), 7 strikeouts and a 0.56 WHIP.
From 2010-12, he worked as a setup man and made 205 relief appearances, going 20-8 with 13 saves, a 1.92 ERA (52 ER in 244.0 IP) and 280 strikeouts (10.33 SO per 9.0 IP).
He began his career as a starter and made 68 starts from 2006-07 and '09, having missed the 2008 season due to elbow surgery.
The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder was selected by Orix with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft. In his 12 seasons with the Buffaloes, he pitched in 549 games (68 starts) and was 48-69 with 156 saves, a 3.10 ERA (336 ER in 974.2 IP) with 884 strikeouts (8.16 SO per 9.0 IP).
He and his wife, Ai, have 2 young children, a daughter and a son, and will be moving to the greater Phoenix area.
In a corresponding move to make room on the 40-man roster, D-backs' LHP Henry Owens was claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The D-backs 40-man roster is at 40.