sentences:  On December 19, 2018, he signed with Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).Iwakuma made his first appearance on the international stage when he was named to the Japanese national team that would play in the 2004 Athens Olympics.Coming off a torrid 12–0 start to the regular season, Iwakuma took the mound in the second game of the preliminary round against the Netherlands on August 16.