is a retired

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

player from

Kariya, Aichi is a city in central Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 153,162 in 66,751 households, and a population density of 3,040 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Kariya is situated in central A ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. He played as an

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

for the

Hanshin Tigers The Hanshin Tigers (Japanese: 阪神タイガース ''Hanshin Taigāsu'') are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. The team is based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and is owned by Hanshin Electric Railwa ...

. Akahoshi announced his retirement on December 9, 2009. During the 2009 season, he was first deactivated in early July after sustaining a neck injury. Then, on September 12, his last game, Akahoshi aggravated a

spinal disc herniation Spinal disc herniation is an injury to the cushioning and connective tissue between vertebrae, usually caused by excessive strain or trauma to the spine. It may result in back pain, pain or sensation in different parts of the body, and physical ...

when he dove headfirst in an attempt to catch a ball. He was diagnosed with spinal damage and has experienced pain in his neck and lower back as well as numbness in his hands and feet since.

References

External links

* * Living people 1976 births People from Kariya, Aichi Baseball people from Aichi Prefecture Asia University (Japan) alumni Japanese baseball players Nippon Professional Baseball outfielders Hanshin Tigers players Nippon Professional Baseball Rookie of the Year Award winners {{japan-baseball-outfielder-stub