Shogo Akiyama
Shogo Akiyama | |||||||||||||||
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Hiroshima Toyo Carp – No. 9 | |||||||||||||||
Outfielder | |||||||||||||||
Born: Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan | April 16, 1988|||||||||||||||
Bats: Left Throws: Right | |||||||||||||||
Professional debut | |||||||||||||||
NPB: April 12, 2011, for the Saitama Seibu Lions | |||||||||||||||
MLB: July 24, 2020, for the Cincinnati Reds | |||||||||||||||
NPB statistics (through 2024 season) | |||||||||||||||
Batting average | .297 | ||||||||||||||
Hits | 1,723 | ||||||||||||||
Home runs | 129 | ||||||||||||||
Runs batted in | 607 | ||||||||||||||
MLB statistics (through 2021 season) | |||||||||||||||
Batting average | .224 | ||||||||||||||
Hits | 71 | ||||||||||||||
Home runs | 0 | ||||||||||||||
Runs batted in | 21 | ||||||||||||||
Teams | |||||||||||||||
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Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
NPB Records
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Medals
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Shogo Akiyama (
Career
[edit]Saitama Seibu Lions
[edit]The Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) selected Akiyama with the third selection in the 2010 NPB draft.[1]
In 2015, Akiyama set the NPB record for hits in a single season with 216,[2] surpassing the 214 collected by Matt Murton of the Hanshin Tigers in 2010. He also batted a career-best .359 average for the year. In 2017, he led the NPB with a .322 average. Over the last 5 seasons of his career in NPB (2015–2019), Akiyama batted a .321 average[3] and appeared in 5 consecutive NPB All-Star games.
On October 29, 2019, Akiyama held a press conference to announce that he had filed for free agency for the rights to play overseas in Major League Baseball (MLB).[4]
Cincinnati Reds
[edit]On January 6, 2020, Akiyama signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the Cincinnati Reds. At the time, the Reds were the last team to have never had a Japanese-born player play for them.[5] On July 24, 2020, Akiyama made his MLB debut.[6] During the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Akiyama hit .245/.357/.297 and made no defensive errors in 54 games. He was released by the Reds on April 5, 2022.[7]
San Diego Padres
[edit]On April 30, 2022, Akiyama signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres. In 16 games for the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas, he batted .343/.378/.529 with three home runs and 21 runs batted in (RBIs). On June 16, Akiyama opted out of his contract and was released by the Padres organization.[8]
Hiroshima Toyo Carp
[edit]On June 27, 2022, Akiyama signed a three-year contract with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of NPB.[9] Akiyama was given uniform number 9, which was once worn by the legendary player and former manager of the Carp, Koichi Ogata. In 2022, Akiyama played in 44 games as an outfielder and batted .265 with five home runs and 26 RBIs.[10]
On April 15, 2023, Akiyama hit a game-ending home run (Sayonara home run) in the ninth inning, giving the Carp a 5–4 win over Yakult Swallows. It was the first game-ending home run for Akiyama in almost 11 years.[11] He played in 115 games for the Carp in 2023, hitting .274/.333/.376 with four home runs, 38 RBI, and eight stolen bases. Following the season on October 31, Akiyama underwent surgery to remove part of the lateral meniscus in his right knee.[12]
International career
[edit]Akiyama represented the Japan national baseball team in the 2012 exhibition games against Cuba, 2013 exhibition games against Chinese Taipei, 2015 WBSC Premier12, 2016 exhibition games against Chinese Taipei, 2016 exhibition games against Mexico and Netherlands, 2017 World Baseball Classic and 2018 MLB Japan All-Star Series.[13]
On October 1, 2019, Akiyama was selected to the 2019 WBSC Premier12.[14] But on October 31, he broke his right toe due to a hit by pitch (HBP) in a practice game with Canada,[15] and he withdrew from the 2019 WBSC Premier12.[16]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "
埼玉 西武 ライオンズ選択 選手 一覧 ". NPB.jp日本 野球 機構 (in Japanese). Retrieved October 12, 2018. - ^ http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2015/10/01/baseball/japanese-baseball/lions-akiyama-sets-single-season-hit-record/#.VrrIB1ZlxA9 Japan Times. Lions' Akiyama Sets Single Season Hits Mark. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
- ^ "Report: Reds sign Japanese star Shogo Akiyama". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
- ^ "
秋山 選手 フリーエージェント(FA)権利 行使 についての会見 ".埼玉 西武 ライオンズ公式 サイト (in Japanese). October 29, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019. - ^ "Reds sign Japan's Shogo Akiyama to 3-year, $21M deal". www.espn.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. January 6, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
- ^ "
秋山 翔 吾 、メジャーデビュー初 安打 に同僚 から祝福 続々 シェービングクリームの洗礼 ". Full-Count (in Japanese). July 25, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020. - ^ "Reds Release Shogo Akiyama; Expected to Select Drury, Garcia, Farmer".
- ^ "Shogo Akiyama: Opts out of deal with Padres". cbssports.com. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ "Former Reds outfielder Shogo Akiyama to return to NPB with Carp". June 27, 2022.
- ^
一般 社団 法人 日本 野球 機構 . "秋山 翔 吾 (広島東洋 カープ) |個人 年度 別 成績 ". NPB.jp日本 野球 機構 (in Japanese). Retrieved March 31, 2023. - ^ "Baseball: Carp's Shogo Akiyama smacks down Swallows with sayonara homer". Mainichi Daily News. April 15, 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
- ^ "Partial resection of the outer meniscus of the right knee Shogo Akiyama (35) Today's surgery The time of return is undecided Hiroshima Carp". news.yahoo.co.jp. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
- ^ "「2018
日米 野球 」出場 選手 6名 、コーチングスタッフが決定 ".野球 日本 代表 侍 ジャパン オフィシャルサイト (in Japanese). August 20, 2018. Retrieved October 12, 2018. - ^ "「ENEOS
侍 ジャパンシリーズ2019」出場 選手 決定 について".野球 日本 代表 侍 ジャパン オフィシャルサイト (in Japanese). October 1, 2019. Retrieved October 12, 2019. - ^ "Nikkan Sports baseball news (Japanese)
侍 ジャパン秋山 が右足 に死球 、5回 守備 で交代 ". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). October 31, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2019. - ^ "Japan national baseball team news (Japanese) 「ENEOS
侍 ジャパンシリーズ2019」、「第 2回 WBSC プレミア12」の日本 チーム出場 選手 変更 について". Japan national baseball team Official site (in Japanese). November 1, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Shogo Akiyama at NPB.com
- 1988 births
- Living people
- Baseball people from Kanagawa Prefecture
- Cincinnati Reds players
- Japanese expatriate baseball players in the United States
- Major League Baseball outfielders
- Major League Baseball players from Japan
- National baseball team players
- Nippon Professional Baseball outfielders
- Saitama Seibu Lions players
- Hiroshima Toyo Carp players
- 2015 WBSC Premier12 players
- 2017 World Baseball Classic players
- Louisville Bats players
- El Paso Chihuahuas players
- Sportspeople from Yokosuka, Kanagawa
- World Baseball Classic players of Japan