Farewell, Hiroki Kuroda:

Hiroki Kuroda is returning to Japan to pitch for Nippon Professional Baseball, according to multiple reports. A Japanese newspaper first reported the story on Friday, and CBSSports.com later confirmed the report. The CBSSports.com report also mentioned that Kuroda plans to pitch for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, the team he pitched for prior to coming to the United States.

Kuroda, 39, pitched seven solid seasons in the United States – four with the Dodgers, three with the Yankees. He finished a perfectly even 79-79 with a 3.45 ERA.