BRADENTON, Fla. -- Masumi Kuwata walked across the McKechnie Field grass in street attire, slowly, stoically, but with head held high.

The place had been empty for an hour, and all that remained were a handful of emotional Pirates employees, the usual troop of about 50 Japanese reporters and photographers and some swirling seagulls that provided the only noise.

Once at the mound, he kneeled to set down a baseball on the rubber, careful to keep his feet off, then turned to smile for the cameras.

Did it one more time, too, then walked away for good.

Kuwata, a baseball superstar in his native Japan, formally announced his retirement after the Pirates' 7-4 victory against the Detroit Tigers this afternoon, a game in which manager John Russell asked him to pitch one final time as a show of respect. But he declined.

"He told us he's pitched thousands of innings, that we should use that time to look at pitchers for our future," Russell said. "He's a class act, a true professional and a great human being. We wish him the best of luck in everything he does."

The ritual at the mound was meant to symbolize a farewell to the game. And, although Kuwata's impact in Pittsburgh was negligible, some in the assembled Japanese media were saying that this farewell would top their nation's news for the day.

"He's a legend in our country," said reporter Yasuko Yanagita, who broke the story of Kuwata's retirement for the Hochi Shimbun sports daily. "Everyone will want to know about this, and everyone will be surprised."

Kuwata, 40, pitched well this spring -- 1.80 ERA, five hits in five innings -- but he had not taken the mound since March 18, and it had become clear he would not make the 25-man roster. That being the case, he privately informed the Pirates' management of his decision earlier in the week.

He acknowledged yesterday, too, that he had made up his mind even before signing his minor-league contract with the Pirates this winter that he would retire if he could not make their opening-day roster.

"I wanted to try one more time," he said in his rapidly improving English. "I thought I was pitching with good results. But my heart was telling me to retire. Twenty-three years of baseball is a long time."

Kuwata, a 21-year veteran in the Japanese Central League and 1994 most valuable player, fulfilled his dream of pitching in Major League Baseball last year when the Pirates promoted him June 9 for a game at Yankee Stadium. He would make 19 appearances and have a 9.43 ERA.

His best memory?

"I still cannot believe that I was called up to the major leagues and pitched in Yankee Stadium," he said.

And his best memory as far as pitching?

"Well, you know," he replied.

That came June 21 in Seattle, when he whiffed four of the seven Mariners he faced over two innings, including a dazzling curveball in the dirt to get countryman Ichiro Suzuki.

Pirates general manager Neal Huntington offered Kuwata a pitching job with Class AAA Indianapolis, as well as a coaching job and a scouting job in Japan. He declined.

"I'm going to go home to Japan and spend some time with my family," Kuwata said. "I think I would like to be a pitching coach or a manager someday. But I just want to be with the family now."

When he was finished on the mound, the Japanese media followed him -- as they have throughout his career and even his personal life -- every step of the way, into his car and off the lot. Some of them were moved to tears, too.

First Published: March 26, 2008, 4:30 p.m.