Yutaka Fukumoto

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Yutaka Fukumoto
福本 豊
Hankyu Braves
Career statistics
Batting average.291
Home runs208
Hits2,543
Stolen bases1,065
Teams
As player
  • Hankyu Braves
    (1969–1988)

As coach

Career highlights and awards
Member of the Japanese
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction2002

Yutaka Fukumoto (福本 豊, Fukumoto Yutaka, born November 7, 1947 in

Heisei 14), Fukumoto was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame.[1]

Playing career

After a brief career at the company team of

Matsushita,[1] he was drafted seventh overall by the Hankyu Braves (currently the Orix Buffaloes
) in 1968. In his second season, he stole 75 bases, setting the Japanese single-season record.

In 1972 (

Most Valuable Player
(MVP) and became the first Japanese MVP who had also led the league in steals.

In 1983, he stole his 939th career base,[1] passing Lou Brock and setting the all-world career steals mark (later passed by Rickey Henderson in 1993).[2][3] That year he also collected his 2000th career hit. He was contacted for a People's Honour Award, but declined.[citation needed]

Retirement

After the 1988 season, the Braves were slated to become the

Orix BlueWave. At the last game of the year, manager Toshiharu Ueda delivered a farewell address at the post-game ceremony. Ueda made the mistake of saying, "We bid farewell to Yamada
and Fukumoto (who will leave the team) ..." instead of "We bid farewell to Yamada but will have Fukumoto (for the new team) ...". Everyone was caught by surprise, including Fukumoto himself, since he had intended to play at least another year. Fukumoto shrugged to reporters and said, "Ueda said so, I'm retiring", and ended his career. He retired with 2,543 hits, 208 home runs, 449 doubles (2nd all-time), 115 triples, 884 runs batted in, 1,065 stolen bases, and a .291 batting average, in 2401 games.

Fukumoto felt no ill will towards Ueda and went on to coach for Orix in 1989 and 1990. From 1998 to 1999, he coached for the Hanshin Tigers.

He works as a baseball commentator for Asahi Broadcasting Corporation and an independent TV station, SUN-TV.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "デジタル版 日本人名大辞典+Plusの解説" (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Fitts, Robert K. (2005). Remembering Japanese baseball: an oral history of the game. SIU Press. pp. xxix–xxxi.
  3. ^ "Fukumoto blazed quite a trail on bases before Rickey came along". The Japan Times. January 17, 2009. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
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