The Seibu Lions have acquired the services of former Boston Red Sox right-hander Jason Johnson on a one-year contract worth 350 million yen, officials of the Pacific League team said Friday.
The 198-cm Johnson, who pitches mainly out of the rotation, holds a major league record of 55-98 with a 4.99 ERA and possesses a 150-kph fastball in his arsenal.
Johnson, who is a diabetic, will be expected to play a major role in Seibu's rotation after the Lions lost arguably the best pitcher in Japanese baseball to the major leagues, Daisuke Matsuzaka.