Yokohama BayStars infielder Takuro Ishii got his 2,000th career hit in an interleague game against the Rakuten Eagles on Thursday.
Yokohama BayStars infielder Takuro Ishii reacts after hitting a single for his 2,000th career hit during the first inning of Thursday's interleague game against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
Ishii singled to center in the first inning off Hisashi Aikyo at Yokohama Stadium to become the 34th player in Japanese baseball to reach the milestone.
The 35-year-old leadoff man also became only the second player to achieve the feat with the experience of recording a win as a pitcher, following in the footsteps of Yomiuri Giants legend Tetsuharu Kawakami, who is 11th on the career list with 2,351 hits he had between 1938 and 1958.
Ishii joined the Taiyo Whales, the forerunner of the BayStars, in 1989 from Ashikaga Kogyo high school as a pitcher. He was converted into an infielder in 1992 after compiling a 1-4 record with a 5.69 ERA in 28 mound appearances.
He led the Central League in stolen bases in 1993, 1998, 1999 and 2000 and won the Golden Glove in 1993-1995 as a third baseman and 1998 as a shortstop.
Before Thursday's games, Ishii had a .284 career average with 90 homers, 571 RBIs and 341 stolen bases.