is a professional Japanese

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

player. He plays

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

for the

Yokohama DeNA BayStars The are a professional baseball team in the Japan, Japanese Central League. Their home field is Yokohama Stadium, located in central Yokohama. The team has been known by several names since becoming a professional team in 1950. It adopted its c ...

Professional career

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks

On October 24, 2013, Mori was drafted by the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in the

2013 Nippon Professional Baseball draft The 2013 Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) Draft was held on October 24, , for the 49th time at the Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa to assign amateur baseball players to the NPB.　It was arranged with the special cooperation of Taisho Pharmaceutic ...

2014–2015 season

On May 11, 2014, Mori debuted in the

Pacific League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series. It currently consis ...

against the

Saitama Seibu Lions The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Seibu Railway, wh ...

as a

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue (medical), fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection (sports), ejection, or for other strategic ...

. In the match against the

Chunichi Dragons The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chūbu region of Japan. The team plays in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. They have won the Central League pennant nine times (most recently in 2011) ...

in the

Interleague play Interleague play in Major League Baseball refers to regular-season baseball games played between an American League (AL) team and a National League (NL) team. Interleague play was first introduced during the 1997 Major League Baseball season. Pr ...

on May 26, he recorded a

Hold Hold may refer to: Physical spaces * Hold (ship), interior cargo space * Baggage hold, cargo space on an airplane * Stronghold, a castle or other fortified place Arts, entertainment, and media * Hold (musical term), a pause, also called a Fermat ...

for the first time. And in the match against the

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at ES CON Field Hokkaido. The Fighters also host a ...

on July 12, he pitched as a relief pitcher and became his first Winning pitcher. In 2014 season, Mori recorded with a 58 Games pitched, a 4–1

Win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

, a 2.33

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

, a 20

Holds A hold (abbreviated HLD, H or HD) is awarded to a relief pitcher who meets the following three conditions: :1. Enters the game in a save (baseball), save situation; that is, when all of the following three conditions apply: :: (a) He appears i ...

, a one a 54 strikeouts in 65.2 innings. In the 2014 Japan Series against the

Hanshin Tigers The Hanshin Tigers (Japanese: 阪神タイガース ''Hanshin Taigāsu'') are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. The team is based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and is owned by Hanshin Electric Railway ...

, he pitched in Game 1, Game 4, and Game 5 as a relief pitcher, scoring 2 Holds in each inning with no runs. On July 19, 2015, Mori participated the All-Star Game for the first time in MAZADA All-Star Game 2015. In 2015 season, he recorded with a 55 Games pitched, a 5–2 Win–loss record, a 2.69 ERA, a 16 Holds, a 66 strikeouts in 60.1 innings. In the

2015 Japan Series The 2015 Japan Series was the 66th edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's postseason championship series. The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, champions of the Pacific League, played the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, champions of the Central League. The Hawks ...

against the

Tokyo Yakult Swallows The Tokyo Yakult Swallows () are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Yom ...

, he pitched in Game 4 and Game 5 as a relief pitcher, contributing to the team's second consecutive Japan Series champion with no runs in either match.

2016–2020 season

In the match against the

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles The , often shortened as the , are a baseball team based in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. It has played in Nippon Professional Baseball's Pacific League since the team's formation in November 2004. The team is owned by the Internet shopping c ...

on May 8, 2016, he recorded a save for the first time. In 2016 season, he pitched as a

setup man In baseball, a setup man (or set-up man, also sometimes referred to as a setup pitcher or setup reliever) is a relief pitcher who regularly pitches before the closer. They commonly pitch the eighth inning, with the closer pitching the ninth. As ...

, and finished the regular season with a 56 Games pitched, a 4–3 Win–loss record, a 2.98 ERA, a 14 Holds, a one Save, a 51 strikeouts in 60.1 innings. In 2017 season, Mori finished the regular season with a 64 Games pitched, a 2–3 Win–loss record, a 3.92 ERA, a 33 Holds, a one Save, a 60 strikeouts in 64.1 innings. In the 2017 Japan Series against the

, as a setup man, he pitched in four games, Game 1, Game 2, Game 3, and Game 6, and contributed to the team's first Japan Series champion in two years. Mori pitched as a setup man until the 2016 season, but he pitched as a closer pitcher for the reason that

Dennis Sarfate Dennis Scott Sarfate (born April 9, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, and Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, Saitama Seibu L ...

out of the team for surgery from the 2018 season. On July 13, 2018, he participated in the mynavi All-Star Game 2018 for the 2rd time. Mori recorded seven consecutive Saves on the NPB record between September 18 and 25. He finished the regular season with a 66 Games pitched, a 2–4 Win–loss record, a 2.79 ERA, a 6 Holds, a 37 Saves (League Saves leader), a 61 strikeouts in 61.1 innings. In the

2018 Japan Series The 2018 Japan Series (known as the ''SMBC Nippon Series 2018'' for sponsorship reasons) was the championship series of Nippon Professional Baseball's (NPB) 2018 season. The 69th edition of the Japan Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff betwee ...

against the

Hiroshima Toyo Carp The is a professional baseball team based in Hiroshima, Japan. They compete in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Matsuda ...

, he pitched as a closer and contributed to the team's second consecutive Japan Series champion with a 3 saves in 5 games. On November 27, Mori was honored for the Pacific League Saves leader Award at the NPB AWARD 2018. Mori had recorded 19 saves as a closer since the start of the 2019 season, but left the team on June 16 due to a back muscle injury. On July 21, he returned to the team and pitched for the rest of the season as a closer. Mori finished the regular season with a 54 Games pitched, a 2–3 Win–loss record, a 2.21 ERA, a 7 Holds, a 35 Saves, a 59 strikeouts in 53 innings. In the 2019 Japan Series against the

Yomiuri Giants The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They ...

, he pitched as a closer and contributed to the team's third consecutive Japan Series champion with a one Save in 4 games. In the match against the Chiba Lotte Marines on August 20, 2020, Mori recorded a total of 100 Holds. And in the match against the Chiba Lotte Marines on October 11, he recorded a total of 100 Saves. In 2020 season, Mori finished the regular season with a 52 Games pitched, a 1–1 Win–loss record, a 2.28 ERA, a 6 Holds, a 32 Saves, a 40 strikeouts in 51.1 innings. In the

2020 Japan Series The 2020 Japan Series (known as the ''SMBC Nippon Series 2020'' for sponsorship reasons) was the championship series of Nippon Professional Baseball's (NPB) 2020 season. The 71st edition of the Japan Series, it was played from November 21 to 25. ...

against the Yomiuri Giants, he pitched as a closer and contributed to the team's fourth consecutive Japan Series champion with a one Save in 3 games.

2021–2023 season

On April 29, 2021, Mori was diagnosed with left

olecranon bursitis Olecranon bursitis is a condition characterized by swelling, redness, and pain at the tip of the elbow. If the underlying cause is due to an infection, fever may be present. The condition is relatively common and is one of the most frequent typ ...

. The Hawks announced he underwent surgery on May 28 and will require four weeks of hospitalization. On September 8, he pitched against the Saitama Seibu Lions after four months of medical treatment. In 2021 season, he finished the regular season with 30 Games pitched, a 1–3 Win–loss record, a 4.03 ERA, a 15 Saves, and a 26 strikeouts in 29 innings. On September 16, 2022, Mori pitched for the first time as a

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

in his 461st career game. He was recorded as the pitcher who starting pitcher for the first time after playing the most games in NPB. In 2022 season, he finished the regular season with 29 Games pitched, a 2–4 Win–loss record, a 2.62 ERA, a 3 Holds, a 6 Saves, and a 27 strikeouts in 34.1 innings. In 2023 season, Mori played as a starting pitcher but only pitched in two games. On October 22, 2023, the Hawks announced they would release him.

Yokohama DeNA BayStars

On December 1, 2023, Mori signed with the

2024 season–present

International career

On February 23, 2016, Mori was selected for

Japan national baseball team The is the national team representing Japan in international baseball competitions. It won the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and 2009, as well as WBSC Premier12 in 2019. The team is currently ranked 1st in the world by the World Baseball Sof ...

at the 2016 BASEBALL CHALLENGE

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

vs.

Chinese Taipei "Chinese Taipei" is the term used in various international organizations and tournaments for groups or delegations representing the Republic of China (ROC), a country commonly known as Taiwan. Due to the One-China principle stipulated by th ...

. On February 27, 2019, he was selected for Japan national baseball team at the 2019 exhibition games against the

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

References

External links

Career statistics - NPB.jp
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mori, Yuito 1992 births Living people Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks players category:Yokohama DeNA BayStars players Japanese baseball players Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers Baseball people from Tokushima Prefecture