Veteran Yokohama BayStars infielder Norihiro Komada said Thursday he is retiring from baseball after being released by the Central League club this offseason.
Komada, 38, failed to draw interest from any clubs despite his hopes to continue his playing career, which began with the Yomiuri Giants in 1981 as a second-round draft pick from Sakurai Shogyo high school in Nara.
"I thought I would be able to play longer, but now I think I need to convince myself that it's over and I'm thinking about my second career," Komada said.
Komada hit a grand slam in his first career at-bat, the first player to do so in Japanese professional baseball, when he made his debut for Yomiuri's top team in 1983. His 13 grand slams are second behind Sadaharu Oh's 15.
The Most Valuable Player of the 1989 Japan Series, Komada moved to Yokohama as a free agent after the 1993 season and became the 29th player to reach the 2,000-hit mark last September.
In his 20-year career, Komada hit .289 with 195 homers and 953 RBIs in 2,063 games.