Former Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks ace Tadashi Settsu will retire after he was unable to land a contract with a Nippon Professional Baseball club for next season, a source familiar with the matter said Sunday.

Settsu, who won the Sawamura Award in 2012 as Japan’s most impressive starting pitcher, did not receive a contract from the Hawks. The 36-year-old right-hander was looking to continue his career with a different club but none of the teams showed interest in signing him.

This year, Settsu earned his first win in two seasons but finished with a 2-4 record in seven games with a 5.16 ERA.

He was the Pacific League’s rookie of the year in 2009 as a middle reliever, coming out of corporate league ball as SoftBank’s fifth pick in the 2008 draft.

He earned 10-plus wins in five straight seasons from 2011, when he moved to the starting rotation and pitched for Japan in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. Settsu has a career record of 79-49 with one save, 73 holds and a 2.98 career ERA.