, nicknamed "Gita (ギータ)", is a professional

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

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

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. They compete in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) as a member of the Pacific League. The team was formerly known as the Nankai Hawks and was based in Osaka. ...

. He is an eight-time All-Star and a two-time Pacific League MVP, earning those honors in and . Yanagita has won six

Japan Series The Japan Series ( , officially the Japan Championship Series, ), also the Nippon Series, :File:2014_JS_logo.png is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a best-of-seven series ...

championships with the Hawks.

Career

Amateur career

After graduating from high school, Yanagita attended the

Hiroshima University of Economics is a private university in Hiroshima city, 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 Japa ...

. He hit .428 with 8 home runs, 60 RBIs in 82 games during his university career, winning the league batting title in four seasons. Yanagita was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2010 Nippon Professional Baseball draft, selected by the

Professional career

2011-2015 season

2011 Yanagita appeared in 6 NPB games in 2011, going 0-for-5 with 3 strikeouts. He appeared in 77 games for the Hawks'

farm team In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

, with a batting average of .291, an on-base percentage of .375, and a slugging percentage of .518, leading the Western League with 13 home runs. 2012 On June 23, 2012, Yanagita recorded his first career hit, a single against

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at ES CON Field Hokkaido. The Fighters also host a ...

' Mitsuo Yoshikawa in a 7–6 win. Two months later, on August 5, he hit his first NPB home run against

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 ...

' Hironori Matsunaga. He appeared in 68 NPB games in 2012, batting .246/.300/.385 with 5 home runs. 2013 Yanagita made the opening day roster in 2013, batting 7th and playing

center field A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the c ...

, going 1-for-4 in a 7–1 victory against the

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles The , often shortened as the , are a baseball team based in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. It has played in Nippon Professional Baseball's Pacific League since the team's formation in November 2004. The team is owned by the Internet shopping c ...

. On June 25, he suffered an injury while attempting to make a diving catch. Three days later, the Hawks announced that his right shoulder had a minor rotator cuff injury, ruling him out for three weeks. Yanagita returned to the team on July 15, unable to play defense until late September. In 104 games, Yanagita hit .295/.377/.483 with 11 home runs, 41 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases. 2014 In May, Yanagita batted .395 with 2 home runs and 8 RBIs and was named the Pacific League Player of the Month for the first time in his career. He was named for his first career NPB All-Star Series via manager selection, hitting a home run against

Chunichi Dragons The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chūbu region of Japan. The team plays in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. They have won the Central League pennant nine times (most recently in 2011) ...

Daisuke Yamai is a former Japanese professional baseball pitcher who played his entire career with the Chunichi Dragons. He is most noted for his combined perfect game with Hitoki Iwase in the 2007 Japan Series to clinch the title for the Dragons for the firs ...

in game 2. In 2014, Yanagita said that after his first professional season, he played in Puerto Rico and that one thing that helped him improve his game were tips he received from Hall-of-Famer

Iván Rodríguez Iván Rodríguez Torres (born November 27, 1971), nicknamed "Pudge" and "I-Rod", is a Puerto Rican former Major League Baseball catcher. He played for the Texas Rangers (in two separate stints, comprising the majority of his career), Florida ...

. Yanagita finished the season with a .317 batting average (3rd in the Pacific League), a .413 OBP (2nd), 33 stolen bases (2nd). With the Hawks going 78–60 with 6 ties, the team clinched the Pacific League pennant, and went on to win the

over 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 ...

. During the Japan Series, Yanagita hit 8-for-20 (.400) with 1 RBIs and 5 runs scored. After the season, he won his first Golden Glove Award and

Best Nine Award The Best Nine Award is awarded annually to the best player at each position in both the Central League and Pacific League of Japanese professional baseball as determined by a pool of journalists. History While the Best Nine Award was first present ...

. On December 1, the Hawks announced that Yanagita's uniform number would be changed to #9 from #44. 2015: MVP season In 2015, Yanagita won the Pacific League MVP award after ranking at or near the top of the league in several offensive categories. Yanagita led both leagues with a .363 batting average and led the

Pacific League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series. It currently consis ...

in runs (110), total bases (317), slugging percentage (.631), on base percentage (.469), and walks (88). He ranked second in hits (182) and stolen bases (32) and third in home runs (34, tied) and RBI (99). With the exception of stolen bases, all of these stats were career highs, and Yanagita became the just the 10th player in either league to join the "Triple 3" club (.300 average, 30 home runs, 30 stolen bases). The Hawks went 90–49 with 4 ties, winning the Pacific League pennant, and went on to win their second consecutive

over the

Tokyo Yakult Swallows The Tokyo Yakult Swallows () are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Yom ...

. After the season, Yanagita won his second consecutive Golden Glove Award and Best Nine Award. On November 13, he underwent a right elbow surgery, expected to recover in time for the 2016 season.

2016-2020 season

2016 On April 15, 2016, Yanagita drew a walk for the 16th consecutive game, breaking Teruo Tabe's Pacific League record in 1951. He eventually tied

Sadaharu Oh Sadaharu Oh (Japanese: , ''Ō Sadaharu''; born May 20, 1940), also known as Wang Chen-chih (), is a Japanese-born former baseball player and manager Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Ō Sadaharu"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 758. who ...

's NPB record in 1970 with 18 consecutive games with a walk. Yanagita was named for the 2016 NPB All-Star, receiving more votes than any other player in the league. The Hawks finished second in the Pacific League and moved on to the Pacific League Climax Series, but lost to the

in the Final Stage. Yanagita finished the season hitting .306/.446/.523 with 18 home runs, 73 RBIs, and 22 stolen bases, leading the Pacific League in OBP. 2017 On April 28, Yanagita was hit by a 142 km/h (88.2 MPH) fastball by

Orix Buffaloes The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team formed as a result of the 2004 Nippon Professional Baseball realignment by the merger of the Orix BlueWave of Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes of Osaka, Osaka Prefectur ...

pitcher Yuki Nishi on his left knee and left the game in the third inning, but returned to the lineup on May 2. He was named for the 2017 NPB All-Star, receiving the most votes in the NPB for the second consecutive year. On September 20, Yanagita suffered an injury on his right flank, ruling him out for three weeks. Yanagita returned to the lineup in game 5 of the 2017 Pacific League Climax Series Final Stage, hitting an RBI single in the 4th inning. The Hawks went on to win the Japan Series, with Yanagita hitting 8-for-25 (.320) and 4 RBIs during the series. Yanagita finished the season hitting .310/.426/.589 with 31 home runs (3rd in the Pacific League), 99 RBIs (2nd), with 14 stolen bases (8th). He won his third Golden Glove and Best Nine Award this season. 2018 In an April 22 game against the

, Yanagita became the 65th player in NPB history to

hit for the cycle In baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter who hits a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle". Cycles are rare in Major League B ...

. He was named for the 2018 NPB All-Star, receiving the most votes in the NPB for the third consecutive year. On September 16, he was hit by a batted ball during a pre-game batting practice, and was deactivated from the roster the following day. He returned to the team seven days later. During the 2018 Pacific League Climax Series Final Stage, Yanagita hit .450 with 2 home runs and 8 RBIs, and was named the 2018 PL Climax Series Most Valuable Player. He hit a

walk-off home run In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. For a home run to end the game, it must be hit in the bottom of the final inning of the game and generate enough runs to exceed the opponent's score. Because the opponent will not ...

in game 5 of the

2018 Japan Series The 2018 Japan Series (known as the ''SMBC Nippon Series 2018'' for sponsorship reasons) was the championship series of Nippon Professional Baseball's (NPB) 2018 season. The 69th edition of the Japan Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff betwee ...

against

Hiroshima Toyo Carp The is a professional baseball team based in Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan. They compete in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda ...

pitcher Shota Nakazaki, helping his team win their second consecutive Japan Series. Yanagita led the Pacific League in batting average (.352), on-base percentage (.431), slugging percentage (.661), OPS (1.092), with 36 home runs (2nd), 102 RBIs (4th), 21 stolen bases (7th). He became the 11th player in NPB history to record a batting average above .350 in multiple seasons, and won his fourth Golden Glove and Best Nine Award. 2019 On April 8, 2019, Yanagita left the game after injuring his left knee while attempting to steal third base. The following day, the Hawks announced that he had pulled a muscle, with an expected recovery period of three weeks. His injury was revealed to be more severe after its initial inspection, and he returned to the team on August 21. The Hawks swept the

Yomiuri Giants The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They ...

to win their third consecutive

, with Yanagita going 3–13 (.231) with a home run and 3 RBIs. He appeared in 38 games in 2019, hitting .289/.420/.516 with 7 home runs and 23 RBIs. After the season, Yanagita underwent a right elbow surgery, expected to recover in three months. On December 25, Yanagita held a press conference, announcing that he signed a seven-year contract with the Hawks that would begin from the 2020 season. He commented that he would "finish" after completing his final year on the contract. 2020 On July 28, 2020 Yanagita recorded a total of 1,000 hits. And he scored 32 runs a month, an equal to the current record at NPB, and won the July Monthly MVP. Yanagita finished the regular season hitting .342/.449/.623 (2nd in the Pacific League) with 29 home runs (3rd), 86 RBIs (3nd). And he won the Pacific League Hits Leader Award with 146 hits. In the 2020 Japan Series against the Yomiuri Giants, Yanagita won the 2020 Japan Series Outstanding Player Award with 6 hits in 14 at bats, batting average of .429, a one home run, and a RBI of 3 in 4 games, including reversal 2-run home run in the Game 4. And he contributed to the team's fourth consecutive Japan Series champion. December 17, Yanagita was honored for the 2nd Pacific League MVP for the first time in 5 years, the fifth Mitsui Golden Glove Award for the first time in 2 years, the fifth Pacific League Best Nine Award for the first time in 2 years, and the Pacific League Hitting Leader Award for the first time at the NPB AWARD 2020.

2021 season-present

2021 In the 2021 season, Yanagita hit .300 with 28 home runs and 80 RBIs in 141 games and was also a member of Japan’s gold-winning Olympic baseball team. However, the Hawks failed to make the

2021 Pacific League Climax Series The 2021 Pacific League Climax Series (PLCS) was a set of two consecutive playoff series in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). The First Stage began on November 6 and the Final Stage concluded on November 12. The First Stage was a best-of-three s ...

, finishing fourth in the Pacific League, missing the playoffs for the first time since Yanagita's sophomore season in 2013. Yanagita agreed to a ¥620 million ($5.46 million) annual salary for the 2022 season on December 17, which made him the highest-paid position player in NPB history. 2022 In the 2022 season, Yanagita was appointed to the position of Hawks' captain by new manager Hiroshi Fujimoto. On April 7, he was diagnosed with rotator cuff tendinitis in his left shoulder and was removed from the first team registration, later returning on April 26. He played as a designated hitter as he recovered from injury, but on May 22 he returned to the right fielder position. He was selected as an All-Star for the eighth time, his eighth consecutive appearance in the All-Star Series and won All-Star Game 2 MVP after hitting the game-winning home run on July 27. However, he tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

and was again removed from the first team registration by regulation on August 23. On September 2, he made his comeback against the Saitama Seibu Lions and was put back in the starting lineup. Despite being frequently hit by injuries and illness, Yanagita played a key role in carrying a beleaguered Hawks squad to nearly winning their 20th Pacific League pennant, only to lose on a head-to-head tiebreaker with the eventual 2022 Japan Series champions, the Orix Buffaloes. In spite of playing in only 117 games and finishing the season with a .275 batting average, 24 home runs, and 79 RBI, due to the weakened offensive climate of the NPB season, especially in the Pacific League, Yanagita was awarded with his seventh Pacific League Best Nine Award for his role as an outfielder on November 25. On December 6, Yanagita extended his existing contract with the Hawks by multiple years (length undisclosed) with an estimated average annual value of ¥620 million.

International career

Yanagita was a member of the

Japan national baseball team The is the national team representing Japan in international baseball competitions. It won the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and 2009, as well as WBSC Premier12 in 2019. The team is currently ranked 1st in the world by the World Baseball Sof ...

at the 2014 MLB Japan All-Star Series, and was named the series MVP. On August 20, 2018, he was selected to play in the 2018 MLB Japan All-Star Series. He hit a walk-off two-run home run off of

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

closer

Kirby Yates Kirby Kali Yates (born March 25, 1987) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Angels, New York Yankees, and San Di ...

in the first game of the series. On June 16, 2021, he was selected as the Japan national baseball team in the

Baseball at the 2020 Summer Olympics Baseball was featured at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in Tokyo, for the first time since the 2008 Summer Olympics. Six national teams competed in the tournament: Israel, Japan (host), Mexico, South Korea, the United States, and the Dominican Republ ...

. He played in all games and became a gold medalist.

References

External links

Career statistics - NPB.jp

- Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks Official site {{DEFAULTSORT:Yanagita, Yuki 1988 births Living people Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks players Nippon Professional Baseball MVP Award winners Nippon Professional Baseball outfielders Baseball people from Hiroshima Prefecture Baseball players at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic baseball players of Japan Olympic medalists in baseball Olympic gold medalists for Japan Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Criollos de Caguas players Japanese expatriate baseball players in Puerto Rico