, also known as G. G. Sato, is a former professional player for the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

organization,

Saitama Seibu Lions The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Seibu Railway, wh ...

Chiba Lotte Marines The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, in the Kantō region, and owned by Lotte Holdings Co., Ltd. History The Marines franchise began in 1950 as the Mainichi Orions, an inaugural ...

, and

Fortitudo Baseball Bologna Fortitudo Baseball 1953, commonly referred to as Fortitudo Bologna, also known as UnipolSai Bologna for sponsorship reasons, is a baseball club based in Bologna that competes in Serie A1 (baseball), Serie A1, Italy's professional baseball league. ...

Career

Sato began his professional career signing with the

organization in 2000 before making his on field debut for the

Batavia Muckdogs The Batavia Muckdogs are a collegiate summer baseball team in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL). They are located in Batavia, a city in Genesee County, New York, United States. Their home field is Dwyer Stadium in the city of Ba ...

of Minor League Baseball in 2001 hitting .261 with 4 home runs and 21 RBI's. In 2002 he played again in Batavia as well as the Gulf Coast League. He was promoted to the

Lakewood BlueClaws The Jersey Shore BlueClaws (formerly Lakewood BlueClaws) are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Lakewood, New Jersey, and are named for their locat ...

for the 2003 season and hit .247 with 6 home runs and 42 RBI's. Sato was selected in the seventh round by the

in 2003 draft upon returning to Japan, where he would play from 2004 until 2011. Sato briefly played in

in the

Italian Baseball League The Italian Baseball League (IBL; Italian: ') is a professional baseball league that is governed by FIBS (Italian Baseball & Softball Federation), which has its headquarters in Rome. The IBL is a wood bat league in which both composite and alumi ...

in 2012 as well as

in 2013.

International career

Sato played for

Japan at the 2008 Summer Olympics Japan competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, People's Republic of China. The delegation of athletes and officials were represented by the Japanese Olympic Committee. The list of qualified entries for Japan is shown. In some cases, the ...

Personal

Sato got his nickname G. G. while at

Hosei University is a private university based in Tokyo, Japan. The university originated in a school of law, Tōkyō Hōgakusha (, i.e. Tokyo association of law), established in 1880, and the following year renamed Tōkyō Hōgakkō (, i.e. Tokyo school of law ...

because it was thought he had the face of an old man, or ''jiji'' (爺). Sato worked as a security guard upon returning to Japan in 2003 before trying out for the Lions. He now works for his father's company, Travers, in Japan.

References

External links

Career statistics - NPB.jp
1978 births Living people Baseball catchers Baseball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Batavia Muckdogs players Chiba Lotte Marines players Florida Complex League Phillies players Hosei University alumni Japanese expatriate baseball players in Italy Japanese expatriate baseball players in the United States Lakewood BlueClaws players Nippon Professional Baseball first basemen Nippon Professional Baseball left fielders Olympic baseball players of Japan People from Ichikawa, Chiba Saitama Seibu Lions players Seibu Lions players {{Japan-baseball-outfielder-stub