Yokohama DeNa BayStars

Miura was drafted 6th in the 1991 Nippon Professional Baseball draft by the Yokohama Taiyo Whales. He made his professional debut against the Yomiuri Giants on October 7, 1992, retiring six straight batters in relief.

In 2005, he led the Central League in strikeouts (177) and ERA (2.52). Miura became a free agent after an injury-plagued 2008 season. Both the BayStars and the Hanshin Tigers, the team that he had rooted for as a child, offered him contracts. Miura decided to return to the BayStars, who offered him a 4-year contract worth 1 billion yen (approximately US$10 million), as opposed to the Tigers, who were offering three years and 900 million yen. Miura's contract was renewed for the 2014 season at 180 million Yen (approximately US$1.75 million).^[1]

Miura is known for his success against the Tigers in his career. Even in his worst seasons, Miura has had some of his best games against the Tigers, particularly at Koshien Stadium. ^{[citation needed]}

His nickname is "Hama no Banchō". This means "Boss of [Yoko]hama".^[2]

Olympic career

Miura pitched for Japan in the 2004 Summer Olympics, and helped the team win a bronze medal.^{[citation needed]}