Eagles’ Asamura Joins 2,000-Hit Club

The Yomiuri Shimbun

18:19 JST, May 24, 2025

SENDAI — Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles infielder Hideto Asamura became the 56th player in Japan pro baseball history to compile 2,000 hits in his career when he reached the milestone against the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters on Saturday in Sendai.

Asamura delivered an RBI single to right off Fighters starter Sachiya Yamasaki in a two-run first inning for the 2,000th hit of his 17-year career. The game was temporarily halted as he was awarded a plaque commemorating the feat.

Asamura singled in his next at-bat and finished 2 for 4 in the game won 2-1 by the Eagles, giving him 2,001 career hits in 1,991 games.

The 34-year-old Asamura was a third-round pick by the Saitama Seibu Lions in the 2008 draft out of Osaka Toin High School, and got his first hit as a pro on March 31, 2010, against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. He moved to Rakuten as a free agent in 2019.

Asamura led the Pacific League in home runs in 2020 and 2023 and is a seven-time Best IX selection.