Ex-Red Sox closer Koji Uehara confirms retirement from baseball

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"High Five City" officially is no more.

Former Boston Red Sox closer Koji Uehara announced his retirement from baseball Sunday, confirming reports from The Japan Times and Kyodo News' Jim Allen while thanking fans for their continued support in a Twitter post.

Red Sox fans will remember Uehara as the lovable reliever who dazzled in the 2013 postseason and recorded the final out of the 2013 World Series.

The Japan native played some of his best baseball in Boston from 2013 to 2016, posting a 1.09 ERA with 21 saves in 2013 and earning All-Star honors the following season. He finished with a 2.19 ERA and 79 saves with the Red Sox over four seasons.

Uehara played one year for the Chicago Cubs in 2017 before returning to Japan in 2018 to play for the Yomiuri Giants of the Nippon Professional Baseball league. He appeared in nine games this season before hanging them up at age 44.

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