2003. In March , the New York Mets acquired Ishii in exchange for catcher Jason Phillips to replace injured starting pitcher Steve Trachsel. After posting a record of only 3–9 with an ERA over five, the Mets released him the following December. Ishii returned to Japan and played from 2006 for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. He was signed as a free agent to the Saitama Seibu Lions in 2008. Ishii announced his retirement on September 24, 2013. In September 2018, Ishii became the general manager of NPB's Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. In November 2020, it was announced that Ishii would take over both managerial and GM duties for the team's upcoming 2021 season. Personal Ishii is married to Ayako Kisa, a television presenter for BS Asahi's "Ima Sekaiwa" ("今世界は") program, and has one child, Kanta, and resides in Chiba, Japan. References External links 1973 births Baseball people from Chiba Prefecture Japanese expatriate baseball players in the United States Living people Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Japan Managers of baseball teams in Japan New York Mets players Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers Norfolk Tides players People from Chiba (city) Saitama Seibu Lions players St. Lucie Mets players Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles managers Tokyo Yakult Swallows players Yakult Swallows players