43-year-old Orix pitcher Atsushi Nomi, the oldest active professional baseball pitcher, will retire at the end of this season, according to interviews with people involved.
Pitcher Nomi is 43 years old from Hyogo Prefecture.
He graduated from Tottori Johoku High School and joined Osaka Gas as a member of society, and joined Hanshin in 2005 as a draft free frame.
With his fastball and sharp slider, he scored double-digit wins five times in Hanshin, and in 2012 he struck out 172 times in a season, winning the title of most strikeouts.
Last season, he transferred to Orix, where he pitched in 26 games while also serving as a pitching coach, contributing to the team's first league title in 25 years, and also pitched in the Japan Series.
In his 18th season as a professional, he continued to serve as a coach while also mentoring young players, but he only appeared in four games as a player.
Pitcher Nomi has pitched in 473 professional games so far, with a record of 104 wins and 93 losses.
According to people involved, Nomi has told the team that he will retire from active duty at the end of this season, and will hold a press conference soon.