Hayato Sakamoto
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese shortstop
with the Yomiuri Giants
.
In , Sakamoto became the first player in Giants franchise history to start a season
opener while under the age of 20 since Hideki Matsui
. He is widely regarded as one of the most promising young stars in all of Japanese professional baseball today.
, and began playing baseball while in the first grade
at Koyanosato Elementary School for the Koyanosato Tigers (a Little League team) alongside current Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
pitcher
Masahiro Tanaka
. Ironically, Sakamoto was the team's ace pitcher
, and Tanaka his batterymate
on the team. Both Sakamoto and Tanaka went on to attend Itami Municipal
Matsuzaki Junior High School, but Sakamoto opted to join Itami Senior, while Tanaka chose to play for the Takarazuka
Boys.
Upon graduating from junior high
, Sakamoto decided to attend Kosei Gakuin High School in northern Aomori Prefecture
, a baseball powerhouse in the Tohoku region
. He became the team's starting shortstop by the fall of his first year (the equivalent of tenth grade
in the United States) at Kosei Gakuin High. Sakamoto was hitting cleanup
by the summer of his second year (eleventh grade
), and led his team to runners-up
in the Tohoku Regional Tournament that fall, earning a berth in the 78th National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament
that would be held at Koshien Stadium
the following spring. He attracted the attention of scouts
when he hit .813 (13-for-16) with four home run
s in the Tohoku Regional Tournament later that spring and hit a total of 39 home runs during his high school career.
The Yomiuri Giants picked Sakamoto in the compensatory first round of the NPB high school player draft
after losing to the Chunichi Dragons
in the lottery that was held for fellow shortstop Naomichi Donoue, the most coveted high school position player
, and presented Sakamoto the uniform number
61.
season with the Giants' nigun team (Japanese for "minor league
" or "farm team"). He played 77 games in the Western League
, hitting .268 with five homers and 28 RBI
. Sakamoto saw his first call-up to the ichigun (major league
) team in July and made his professional
debut as a pinch runner
on July 12. He recorded his first career base hit
and RBI on September 6, knocking in the game-winning run
in a game against the Dragons.
Tatsunori Hara
had high hopes for Sakamoto in the season, playing him in all 15 pre-season (Spring Training) games at either shortstop or second base
. Although Tomohiro Nioka
, then the Giants' starting shortstop, returned from injury just before their season opener, Sakamoto's quick adjustment to second base, accompanied by left-hander Masanori Ishikawa's taking the mound for the opposing Tokyo Yakult Swallows
, prompted Hara to start him in the season opener as the No. 8 hitter on March 28. Sakamoto became the first Giant to start a season opener while under the age of 20 since current New York Yankees
designated hitter
Hideki Matsui did so in 1994.
Although Sakamoto was expected to platoon
at second base with the likes of veteran journeyman
Kimura Takuya and speedster Ryota Wakiya
throughout the season, he returned to his natural position when Nioka tore his right calf muscle in that very game. Sakamoto started at shortstop from the second game onwards and never gave up the starting job. His first career home run came against the Hanshin Tigers
on April 6, a grand slam
off reliever
Kenta Abe
that made him the youngest player in Central League
history (19 years, 114 days) to hit a grand slam in a regular season game. He was also voted to the All-Star
team that year, getting his first hit in an All-Star game in Game 2 held at Yokohama Stadium
on August 1.
Sakamoto finished the season with a .257 batting average
, eight home runs, 43 RBI and 10 stolen base
s, contributing to the Giants' league title that year. He made his first appearance in the Japan Series
against the Saitama Seibu Lions on November 1, hitting a home run off veteran right-hander Fumiya Nishiguchi
in Game 7 and becoming the first NPB player in 22 years to hit a home run in the Japan Series while being under the age of 20 (Kiyohara Kazuhiro last accomplished the feat while he was with the then-Seibu Lions). The Giants lost Game 7 3-2, coming up short in their run for a Japan Series
championship.
Sakamoto also started all 144 games, becoming just the third player (and first in the Central League) to start every game of the season in one's second year out of high school (along with Futoshi Nakanishi and Kiyohara). Perhaps even more impressive was that if one were to include pre-season, All-Star, Climax Series (playoffs) and Japan Series games, Sakamoto played a grand total of 172 total games that year. Although the Central League Most Valuable Rookie award was presented to teammate and left-handed reliever Tetsuya Yamaguchi
, who went
11-2 with a 2.32 ERA
in 67 appearances
, Sakamoto received a special award for his efforts. The Giants also rewarded him by giving him the uniform number 6.
and slugging .541 for the month of April. He continued his torrid streak into May, hitting multiple home runs (the second a game-winning solo shot off closer
Kyuji Fujikawa
) in a single game for the first time on May 2 against the Tigers and passing Tigers slugger Tomoaki Kanemoto
to take the league lead in batting average that week. He hit the first walk-off home run
of his career on May 6 off reliever Hiroki Sanada (who was a teammate of Sakamoto until he was traded midway through the 2008 season) in a game against the Yokohama BayStars
.
for a Japanese middle infielder. He is a spray hitter whose swing is characterized by a pronounced leg kick. Though the majority of his extra-base hits
tend to be line drive
s into the alleys (37 doubles in 653 career at-bats
as of May 13, 2009), many predict that Sakamoto will develop home run power as his body fills out.
Bold indicates league leader; statistics current as of July 23, 2011
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
with the Yomiuri Giants
Yomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
.
In , Sakamoto became the first player in Giants franchise history to start a season
Season (sports)
In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an...
opener while under the age of 20 since Hideki Matsui
Hideki Matsui
is a Japanese Major League Baseball designated hitter and outfielder. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed.After playing the first ten seasons of his career for the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, he played the next seven seasons, from 2003–2009, for the New York...
. He is widely regarded as one of the most promising young stars in all of Japanese professional baseball today.
Early life and high school career
Sakamoto was born in Itami, HyōgoItami, Hyogo
is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.As of 2008, the city had an estimated population of 194,488 and a population density of 7,790 persons per km². The total area is 24.97 km².The center of Itami became a wealthy town by the middle of Sengoku period...
, and began playing baseball while in the first grade
First grade
First grade is a year of primary education in schools in the United States and English-speaking provinces of Canada. It is the first school year after kindergarten...
at Koyanosato Elementary School for the Koyanosato Tigers (a Little League team) alongside current Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
The is a baseball team founded in 2004; it played its first season in the Japanese Pacific League in 2005. It is simply called Rakuten . The team was created to fill the void left by the merger of the Orix Blue Wave and the Kintetsu Buffaloes, after the 2004 season due to financial difficulties,...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Masahiro Tanaka
Masahiro Tanaka
is a Japanese starting pitcher for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.Tanaka led his team to a championship in the National High School Baseball tournament as a junior for Komazawa University Tomakomai High School in and a runner-up berth in the same tournament as a senior in...
. Ironically, Sakamoto was the team's ace pitcher
Ace (baseball)
In baseball, an ace is the best starting pitcher of any team and nearly always the first pitcher in his starting rotation. Barring injury or exceptional circumstances, an ace usually always starts on Opening Day...
, and Tanaka his batterymate
Battery (baseball)
In baseball, the term battery refers collectively to the pitcher and the catcher, who may also be called batterymen or batterymates of one another.- History :...
on the team. Both Sakamoto and Tanaka went on to attend Itami Municipal
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
Matsuzaki Junior High School, but Sakamoto opted to join Itami Senior, while Tanaka chose to play for the Takarazuka
Takarazuka, Hyogo
is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.- Geography :Takarazuka is nestled between the Rokko Range to the west and Nagao Range to the north with the Muko River running through the center of the city....
Boys.
Upon graduating from junior high
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
, Sakamoto decided to attend Kosei Gakuin High School in northern Aomori Prefecture
Aomori Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region. The capital is the city of Aomori.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Aomori prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....
, a baseball powerhouse in the Tohoku region
Tohoku region
The is a geographical area of Japan. The region occupies the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region consists of six prefectures : Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi and Yamagata....
. He became the team's starting shortstop by the fall of his first year (the equivalent of tenth grade
Tenth grade
In majority of the world,Tenth grade is the tenth year of school post-kindergarten. The variants of "10th grade" in various nations is described below.-Australia:...
in the United States) at Kosei Gakuin High. Sakamoto was hitting cleanup
Cleanup hitter
In baseball, the cleanup hitter is the hitter who bats fourth in the lineup. Although the third man up is generally the hitter with the highest batting average, cleanup hitters often have the most power on the team and are typically the team's best power hitter; their job is to "clean up the...
by the summer of his second year (eleventh grade
Eleventh grade
Eleventh Grade is the eleventh, and for some countries final, grade of secondary schools. Students are typically 16 or 17 years of age, depending on the country and the students' birthdays.-Brazil:...
), and led his team to runners-up
Runner-up
Runner-up is a term used to denote a participant which finishes in second place in any of a variety of competitive endeavors, most notably sporting events and beauty pageants; in the latter instance, the term is applied to more than one of the highest-ranked non-winning contestants, the...
in the Tohoku Regional Tournament that fall, earning a berth in the 78th National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament
National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament
The National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament of Japan, commonly known as "Spring Kōshien" or "Senbatsu" , is an annual high school baseball tournament....
that would be held at Koshien Stadium
Koshien Stadium
is a baseball park located near Kobe in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The stadium was built to host the national high school baseball tournaments, and opened on April 1, 1924. It was the largest stadium in Asia at the time it was completed, with a capacity of 55,000.The name Kōshien comes...
the following spring. He attracted the attention of scouts
Scout (sport)
In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...
when he hit .813 (13-for-16) with four home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s in the Tohoku Regional Tournament later that spring and hit a total of 39 home runs during his high school career.
The Yomiuri Giants picked Sakamoto in the compensatory first round of the NPB high school player draft
Draft (sports)
A draft is a process used in the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, Russia and the Philippines to allocate certain players to sports teams. In a draft, teams take turns selecting from a pool of eligible players...
after losing to the Chunichi Dragons
Chunichi Dragons
The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chubu region of Japan. The team is in the Central League. They won the 2007 Japan Series and 2007 Asia Series.-History:...
in the lottery that was held for fellow shortstop Naomichi Donoue, the most coveted high school position player
Position player
In baseball, a position player is a player who on defense plays as an infielder, outfielder, or catcher. This is generally all players on a team except for the pitcher, who is considered separate from the position players; in the American League, there is also a designated hitter, who bats but...
, and presented Sakamoto the uniform number
Squad number
In team sports, the squad number, shirt number, jersey number, sweater number, uniform number or simply a number is the number worn on a player's uniform, to identify and distinguish each player from others wearing the same or similar uniforms...
61.
2007
Sakamoto spent most of his rookieRookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
season with the Giants' nigun team (Japanese for "minor league
Minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in...
" or "farm team"). He played 77 games in the Western League
Western League (Japanese baseball)
The is one of the two minor leagues of Japanese professional baseball. The league is owned and managed by the Pacific League.-History:The league was created in 1952 as the Kansai Farm League, and contained the minor league teams of the seven professional teams that had their homefields in the...
, hitting .268 with five homers and 28 RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
. Sakamoto saw his first call-up to the ichigun (major league
Sports league
League is a term commonly used to describe a group of sports teams or individual athletes that compete against each other in a specific sport. At its simplest, it may be a local group of amateur athletes who form teams among themselves and compete on weekends; at its most complex, it can be an...
) team in July and made his professional
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
debut as a pinch runner
Pinch runner
A pinch runner is a baseball player substituted for the specific purpose of replacing a player on base. In the typical case, the pinch runner is faster or otherwise more skilled at base-running than the player for whom the pinch runner has been substituted...
on July 12. He recorded his first career base hit
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
and RBI on September 6, knocking in the game-winning run
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
in a game against the Dragons.
2008
ManagerManager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
Tatsunori Hara
Tatsunori Hara
is the current manager for the Yomiuri Giants baseball team in Nippon Professional Baseball. He also played for the Yomiuri Giants during his professional baseball career from to . Hara led the Japan national baseball team to victory in the final of the 2009 World Baseball Classic.- External links :...
had high hopes for Sakamoto in the season, playing him in all 15 pre-season (Spring Training) games at either shortstop or second base
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
. Although Tomohiro Nioka
Tomohiro Nioka
Tomohiro Nioka is a Japanese professional baseball player for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. Nioka bats and throws right-handed.-Early career:...
, then the Giants' starting shortstop, returned from injury just before their season opener, Sakamoto's quick adjustment to second base, accompanied by left-hander Masanori Ishikawa's taking the mound for the opposing Tokyo Yakult Swallows
Tokyo Yakult Swallows
is a professional baseball team in Japan's Central League.The Swallows are named after their corporate owners, the Yakult Corporation. From 1950 to 1965, the team was owned by the former Japanese National Railways and called the Kokutetsu Swallows; the team was then owned by the newspaper Sankei...
, prompted Hara to start him in the season opener as the No. 8 hitter on March 28. Sakamoto became the first Giant to start a season opener while under the age of 20 since current New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
designated hitter
Designated hitter
In baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
Hideki Matsui did so in 1994.
Although Sakamoto was expected to platoon
Platoon system
The platoon system in baseball is a method of designating two players to a single defensive position—usually one right-handed and one left-handed. Typically the right-handed half of the platoon is played on days when the opposing pitcher is left-handed and the left-handed player is played otherwise...
at second base with the likes of veteran journeyman
Journeyman (sports)
A journeyman or journeywoman is an athlete or professional sports player who is technically competent, but unable to excel. In certain parts of the world the term has less negative connotations and the inability to excel is not needed for a player to be labelled thus.-Definitions:Alexandra Allred...
Kimura Takuya and speedster Ryota Wakiya
Ryota Wakiya
is a Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball player for the Yomiuri Giants in Japan's Central League.-Career statistics:Statistics current as of July 22, 2011-External links:*...
throughout the season, he returned to his natural position when Nioka tore his right calf muscle in that very game. Sakamoto started at shortstop from the second game onwards and never gave up the starting job. His first career home run came against the Hanshin Tigers
Hanshin Tigers
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly...
on April 6, a grand slam
Grand slam (baseball)
In the sport of baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with all three bases occupied by baserunners , thereby scoring four runs—the most possible in one play. According to The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, the term originated in the card game of contract bridge, in which a grand slam involves...
off reliever
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
Kenta Abe
Kenta Abe
is a right-handed professional baseball pitcher for the Hanshin Tigers in Nippon Professional Baseball. He was the number 4 draft pick for the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes in 2003. During his high school days, he played at Koshien Stadium.-External links:*...
that made him the youngest player in Central League
Central League
The or is one the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consists of six teams from around the country,The Central League...
history (19 years, 114 days) to hit a grand slam in a regular season game. He was also voted to the All-Star
Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star Game
The Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star Game is an annual baseball game between players from the Central League and the Pacific League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
team that year, getting his first hit in an All-Star game in Game 2 held at Yokohama Stadium
Yokohama Stadium
is a stadium in Naka Ward, Yokohama, Japan. It opened in 1978 and holds 30,000 people.It is primarily used for baseball and is the home field of the Yokohama BayStars. The stadium is unique, because it features dirt around the bases and pitcher's mound, but with dirt colored turf infield and base...
on August 1.
Sakamoto finished the season with a .257 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
, eight home runs, 43 RBI and 10 stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
s, contributing to the Giants' league title that year. He made his first appearance in the Japan Series
2008 Japan Series
The 2008 Japan Series was the 59th edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's championship series. The best-of-seven playoff between the respective champions of the Central League's and the Pacific League's Climax Series . The Series began on Saturday, November 1, 2008, and went the full seven games...
against the Saitama Seibu Lions on November 1, hitting a home run off veteran right-hander Fumiya Nishiguchi
Fumiya Nishiguchi
, born September 26, 1972 in Wakayama, Japan) is a Japanese baseball player. He is a right-handed pitcher in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball for the Seibu Lions.-External links:...
in Game 7 and becoming the first NPB player in 22 years to hit a home run in the Japan Series while being under the age of 20 (Kiyohara Kazuhiro last accomplished the feat while he was with the then-Seibu Lions). The Giants lost Game 7 3-2, coming up short in their run for a Japan Series
Japan Series
, or is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a seven-game series between the winning clubs of the league's two circuits, the Central League and the Pacific League....
championship.
Sakamoto also started all 144 games, becoming just the third player (and first in the Central League) to start every game of the season in one's second year out of high school (along with Futoshi Nakanishi and Kiyohara). Perhaps even more impressive was that if one were to include pre-season, All-Star, Climax Series (playoffs) and Japan Series games, Sakamoto played a grand total of 172 total games that year. Although the Central League Most Valuable Rookie award was presented to teammate and left-handed reliever Tetsuya Yamaguchi
Tetsuya Yamaguchi
is a Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball player with the Yomiuri Giants in Japan's Central League. He was playing in the Missoula Osprey before he was drafted by Giants in 2005....
, who went
Pitchers of record
Pitcher of record is a baseball term that refers to a pitcher who is credited with the win or charged with the loss in a particular game. These pitchers are known respectively as the winning and losing pitchers and collectively as the pitchers of record; thus, there are always two pitchers of...
11-2 with a 2.32 ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
in 67 appearances
Games pitched
In baseball statistics, games pitched is the number of games in which a player appears as a pitcher; a player who is announced as the pitcher must face at least one batter, although exceptions are made if the pitcher announced in the starting lineup is injured before facing a batter, perhaps while...
, Sakamoto received a special award for his efforts. The Giants also rewarded him by giving him the uniform number 6.
2009
Sakamoto got off to a good start to the season (his third in the pros and second at the major league level), hitting .376 with a league-leading 11 doublesDouble (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
and slugging .541 for the month of April. He continued his torrid streak into May, hitting multiple home runs (the second a game-winning solo shot off closer
Closer (baseball)
In baseball, a closing pitcher, more frequently referred to as a closer , is a relief pitcher who specializes in closing out games, i.e., getting the final outs in a close game. Closers often appear when the score is close, and the role is often assigned to a team's best reliever. A small number of...
Kyuji Fujikawa
Kyuji Fujikawa
is a closer for the Hanshin Tigers.Fujikawa pitched in the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classics as well as the 2008 Beijing Olympics. A prototypical power pitcher, Fujikawa is said to have one of the most explosive fastballs in all of Japanese professional baseball and is one of Japan's premier...
) in a single game for the first time on May 2 against the Tigers and passing Tigers slugger Tomoaki Kanemoto
Tomoaki Kanemoto
is a Japanese professional baseball outfielder with the Hanshin Tigers in Nippon Professional Baseball.The Tigers' current cleanup hitter, Kanemoto is regarded as one of the most accomplished hitters in Japanese professional baseball history and has hit more home runs in his career than any other...
to take the league lead in batting average that week. He hit the first walk-off home run
Walk-off home run
In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. It must be a home run that gives the home team the lead in the bottom of the final inning of the game—either the ninth inning, or any extra inning, or any other regularly scheduled final inning...
of his career on May 6 off reliever Hiroki Sanada (who was a teammate of Sakamoto until he was traded midway through the 2008 season) in a game against the Yokohama BayStars
Yokohama BayStars
The are a professional baseball team in the Japanese Central League. Home field is the Yokohama Stadium, located in central Yokohama. The clubhouse is located near the stadium....
.
Hitting
Listed at 184 cm (72.4 in) and 78 kg (172 lb), Sakamoto has a relatively large frameHuman body
The human body is the entire structure of a human organism, and consists of a head, neck, torso, two arms and two legs.By the time the human reaches adulthood, the body consists of close to 100 trillion cells, the basic unit of life...
for a Japanese middle infielder. He is a spray hitter whose swing is characterized by a pronounced leg kick. Though the majority of his extra-base hits
Extra base hit
In baseball, an extra base hit , also known as a long hit, is any base hit on which the batter is able to advance past first base without the benefit of a fielder either committing an error or opting to make a throw to retire another base runner...
tend to be line drive
Line drive
In baseball, a line drive is a type of batted ball, sharply hit, and on a level trajectory. The threshold between a line drive and a fly ball can be subjective....
s into the alleys (37 doubles in 653 career at-bats
At bat
In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...
as of May 13, 2009), many predict that Sakamoto will develop home run power as his body fills out.
Fielding
Sakamoto puts his superb athleticism (he was clocked at 6.0 seconds in the 50-meter dash and 110 meters in the long toss in high school) to good use in the field. Though he committed 15 errors in the field in his first season in the majors in 2008, he has very good range and has improved on his throwing tremendously since coming into the pros.Career statistics
| Nippon Professional Baseball | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Age | Team | G Games played Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,... |
AB At bat In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance... |
R Run (baseball) In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured... |
H Hit (baseball) In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice.... |
2B Double (baseball) In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice.... |
3B Triple (baseball) In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice.... |
HR Home run In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process... |
TB Total bases In baseball statistics, total bases refers to the number of bases a player has gained with hits, i.e., the sum of his hits weighted by 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run.Only bases attained from hits count toward this total.... |
RBI Run batted in Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI... |
SB Stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate... |
AVG Batting average Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :... |
OBP | SLG | OPS On-base plus slugging On-base plus slugging is a sabermetric baseball statistic calculated as the sum of a player's on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The ability of a player to both get on base and to hit for power, two important hitting skills, are represented. An OPS of .900 or higher in Major League... |
| 18 | Yomiuri Yomiuri Giants The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the... |
4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | .333 | .333 | .333 | .666 | |
| 19 | 144 | 521 | 59 | 134 | 24 | 1 | 8 | 184 | 43 | 10 | .257 | .297 | .353 | .650 | ||
| 20 | 141 | 581 | 87 | 178 | 33 | 3 | 18 | 271 | 62 | 5 | .306 | .357 | .466 | .823 | ||
| 21 | 144 | 609 | 107 | 171 | 35 | 4 | 31 | 307 | 85 | 14 | .281 | .332 | .504 | .836 | ||
| 22 | 144 | 568 | 69 | 149 | 27 | 2 | 16 | 228 | 59 | 8 | .262 | .313 | .401 | .714 | ||
| Career | 577 | 2282 | 323 | 633 | 119 | 10 | 73 | 991 | 251 | 38 | .277 | .326 | .434 | .760 | ||
Bold indicates league leader; statistics current as of July 23, 2011
External links
- Hayato Sakamoto Official Blog (Japanese)