Shingo Takatsu (born November 25, 1968 in Hiroshima, Japan) is a pitcher in the Central League of Japanese Baseball. He currently plays for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows and is a middle reliever for the team. He had a short stint with the Chicago White Sox where he was the closer for two seasons until struggles closing games ultimately led to his demotion to the minors and his ticket out of Chicago. He was signed by the New York Mets during the 2005 season, and he pitched in nine games for New York. He is known by the nickname "Mr. Zero" because in 10 Japan Series championship games he did not surrender any runs. In the 2004 season his entrance in home games was accompanied by a video montage and a loud gong.
Shingo Takatsu, like many Japanese pitchers, has incorporated pauses into his pitching mechanics in order to throw off batters' timing. His arm angle varies from sidearm to submarine.
