Kazuyoshi Tatsunami went 3-for-3 and notched his 2,000th career hit with an RBI single in the eighth inning as the Chunichi Dragons defeated the Yomiuri Giants 4-2 at Tokyo Dome on Saturday.
The 1988 top draft pick for the Nagoya club, also a nine-time All-Star and a four-time Golden Glove award winner, became the 30th overall player and at age 33 and 320 days the fourth youngest in Japanese baseball history to reach the milestone.
With 1,997 hits coming into Saturday's game, Tatsunami hit an RBI double in the first inning, ripped a double into right field in the sixth before connecting for an RBI single in the eighth inning for his 2,000th career hit.