Japanese catcher Kenji Johjima, who quit the Seattle Mariners hoping to play full time, signed a four-year contract Friday with the Hanshin Tigers of Japan's Central League.
"I'd like to play in all the innings and in all the games, if possible," the 33-year-old told a news conference in Osaka, where the club is based.
The deal was estimated by Japanese media to be worth two billion yen (22 million dollars) with additional performance-related bonuses.
Asked about his role as a batter, he said: "I cannot change my style after playing for 15 years. I swing my bat aggressively and that's my stock in trade."
He is expected to boost the Tigers, who finished fourth in the league last season.
Johjima opted out of the final two years of his three-year contract with the US major league club after injuries limited him to 71 games this year.
He debuted with the struggling Mariners in 2006 after 11 seasons with the Fukuoka Hawks, becoming the first Japanese-born catcher to play in the major leagues.
Seattle signed him to a new 24 million-dollar deal in April last year, which would have run until 2011.
But he was put on the disabled list twice and shared the catcher's position with 26-year-old Rob Johnson in the past season.
Johjima batted .268 during his four seasons with the Mariners, hitting 48 home runs and driving in 198 runs in 462 games.
Copyright 2009  AFP American Edition
