Japanese relief pitcher Yoshinori Tateyama was traded by the Texas Rangers to the New York Yankees on Friday for future considerations in a Major League Baseball deal.
Yoshinori Tateyama of the Texas Rangers pitches on February 24, 2013 in Surprise, Arizona. Tateyama was traded by the Texas Rangers to the New York Yankees on Friday for future considerations in a Major League Baseball deal.
The 37-year-old right-hander from Osaka joined the Rangers as a free agent in November of 2010 after pitching from 1999 through 2010 for the Nippon Ham Fighters of the Japan League.
Tateyama made 53 relief appearances with the Rangers over the 2011-12 seasons, earning a 3-0 record with one save and a 5.75 earned-run average with 61 strikeouts over 61 innings.
This year, Tateyama had spent the entire season with the Rangers' top developmental club, going 0-1 with a 4.24 earned-run average and one save over 23 games.