While their starting rotation may appear thin, that can't be said of Yakult's bullpen.

Occasionally working as a starter, Tatsuki Yamamoto leads the middle relief crew which includes Hiroto Kato, Tetsuhiro Nonaka, and Hiroaki Hirota.

Forming one of the best set-up and closing teams in Japan, Shingo Takatsu and Tomohito Ito alternate late-inning relief roles. Though Ito is the more dominant of the two, Takatsu is better in high-pressure situations. Because he has never allowed an earned run in Japan Series play, Takatsu has been nicknamed "Mr. Zero,"

Mark Acre, a AAA reliever with the Edmonton Trappers and Oakland A's, will join the Yakult bullpen in 1998.