between December, 1994 and February, 1998, and in December 1998 the Reds sold his contract to the Yakult Swallows. Nippon Professional Baseball A new home helped revitalize Petagine's career. Let go by the Reds in 1998, he proved a welcome addition in the Japanese Central League, as he won three Gold Gloves, two home run titles and one Central League MVP award while playing for the Yakult Swallows (1999–2002) and Yomiuri Giants (2003–04). For Yakult and Yomiuri, Petagine hit .317 with 223 home runs and 594 RBI in 756 games. In 2003–04, Petagine became the highest-paid baseball player in Japan. The Giants acquired him to take the place of Hideki Matsui, who had signed with the New York Yankees to play in Major League Baseball. However, Petagine was often forced to play as an outfielder because the Giants already had a first baseman in Kazuhiro Kiyohara. Still, he put up excellent numbers at the plate for those two seasons, producing a total of 73 home runs and 165 RBIs. Return to North American baseball Before the 2005 season, the Boston Red Sox agreed to a minor league contract with Petagine. He underwent knee surgery in spring training, preventing him from making the 25-man roster. In August, first baseman John Olerud was placed on the 15-day disabled list and his roster spot was filled by Petagine, who'd had a productive Triple-A season (including a .327 batting average with 20 home runs and 69 RBI in 74 games at Pawtucket). In 18 games with Boston, he hit .281 (9-for-34) with one home run and nine RBI. The Red Sox declined to sign Petagine for the 2006 season. He signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners, and was invited to spring training. After a productive spring, he made the major league team as a backup to Richie Sexson. On July 9, 2006, he was designated for assignment by the Mariners. To start the 2008 season, Petagine played first base for the Diablos Rojos del Mexico of the Mexican League. In 37 games, he batted .372 with six home runs and 27 RBIs. Korean baseball On May 12, 2008, the LG Twins announced that he would join the team, replacing starting pitcher Jamie Brown on the roster. The contract was worth a prorated $250,000 for the remainder of 2008. In his first full season with the LG Twins in 2009, Petagine hit