Scott Mathieson had appeared in 393 games for the Yomiuri Giants entering this season. Over the past seven years, he's come out the Yomiuri bullpen mostly tasked with either protecting leads, keeping the Kyojin in games or closing out wins.

Mathieson has been a vital member of the club since 2012. He was part of a Japan Series winner in his first season and on the 2013 squad that won the Central League pennant. He was an All-Star in 2016 and last year he was one of Yomiuri's captains.

So when a guy like that is gone for an extended period, the fans notice.