Furuta gets 2,000th hit
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Furuta gets 2,000th hit
Yakult Swallows' catcher Atsuya Furuta got his career 2,000th hit against the Hiroshima Carp on Sunday. Furuta hit a double off of Kan Otake for his 2,000th hit. Furuta became the 32nd NPB player to reach the 2,000 hit milestone. [Link - Japan Ball]
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Re: Furuta gets 2,000th hit
[ Author: himself | Posted: Apr 25, 2005 10:50 AM
| FSH Fan
]
A side note, Furuta is the first player to reach 2,000 who played in the corporate league after graduating. Congratulation to the great catcher.
Re: Furuta Gets 2,000th Hit
[ Author: Guest: jballfan | Posted: Apr 25, 2005 3:00 PM
]
As a Swallows fan for over 10 years, I just want to congratulate Furuta for this feat. He is only the second catcher to reach 2,000 hits, the other being his former kantoku, Katsuya Nomura.
The Swallows came out of nowhere in the early 1990s to become arguably the best team in Japan during the decade. The one constant during most of those years was Furuta. When Furuta's on fire, the Swallows are on fire. When Furuta's not at his best, the Swallows barely contend. It's safe to say that the recent Swallows wouldn't be the Swallows without Furuta. He's the face of the team. In fact, if there were an MVP award to be given out to the best overall player in Swallows' history, it would probably be him.
Furuta may end up retiring this year, and it doesn't seem like the Swallows will contend. But all we Swallows fans, and all other baseball fans, owe him a thanks for what he has brought to the game.
Although he'll surely be retiring soon, it won't be the last we see of him. With his understanding of the game and being a natural leader on and off the field, he'll definitely be back some time soon as a manager. As a Swallows fan, all I can hope for is that he sticks with us.
The Swallows came out of nowhere in the early 1990s to become arguably the best team in Japan during the decade. The one constant during most of those years was Furuta. When Furuta's on fire, the Swallows are on fire. When Furuta's not at his best, the Swallows barely contend. It's safe to say that the recent Swallows wouldn't be the Swallows without Furuta. He's the face of the team. In fact, if there were an MVP award to be given out to the best overall player in Swallows' history, it would probably be him.
Furuta may end up retiring this year, and it doesn't seem like the Swallows will contend. But all we Swallows fans, and all other baseball fans, owe him a thanks for what he has brought to the game.
Although he'll surely be retiring soon, it won't be the last we see of him. With his understanding of the game and being a natural leader on and off the field, he'll definitely be back some time soon as a manager. As a Swallows fan, all I can hope for is that he sticks with us.
Re: Furuta Gets 2,000th Hit
[ Author: mijow | Posted: Apr 25, 2005 9:49 PM
| HT Fan
]
- It's safe to say that the recent Swallows wouldn't be the Swallows without Furuta.
And to think that Furuta could well have been a Tiger if the club hadn't had their "no glasses" rule.
And to think that Furuta could well have been a Tiger if the club hadn't had their "no glasses" rule.
Re: Furuta Gets 2,000th Hit
[ Author: Yakulto | Posted: Apr 26, 2005 2:08 PM
| TYS Fan
]
Yes, congratulations to Furuta - a great feat and all the more remarkable for his time in the corporate league.
I watched it live on Fuji Channel 739 on Sky Perfect and must admit to having a few tears in my eyes. And it was all the more enjoyable watching it on a Yakult biased station (for those that don't know, they cover all Yakult home games with extensive coverage - usually 6 hours for each home game - much better than previous J-Sports coverage and, it goes without saying, better than terrestrial "efforts").
It was quite a sight to see the whole stadium (including the Carp fans) rise as one and chant his name.
- [...] he'll definitely be back some time soon as a manager. As a Swallows fan, all I can hope for is that he sticks with us.
The future without him is altogether more worrying for us Yakult fans. I was told about an interview he gave recently (maybe the night of his 2,000th hit) where he said that, although he would like to move into management after his playing days, he couldn't say for sure which team he would consider managing. This is contrary to popular belief on the Jingu bleachers that he is certain to succeed Wakamatsu at the Swallow's helm. He even said that, as he is from the Kansai area. If the Tigers should come calling for his services, he would have to consider it. Heaven forbid.
Let's all pray that Yakult make moves early to secure his presence after he hangs up his glove.
I watched it live on Fuji Channel 739 on Sky Perfect and must admit to having a few tears in my eyes. And it was all the more enjoyable watching it on a Yakult biased station (for those that don't know, they cover all Yakult home games with extensive coverage - usually 6 hours for each home game - much better than previous J-Sports coverage and, it goes without saying, better than terrestrial "efforts").
It was quite a sight to see the whole stadium (including the Carp fans) rise as one and chant his name.
- [...] he'll definitely be back some time soon as a manager. As a Swallows fan, all I can hope for is that he sticks with us.
The future without him is altogether more worrying for us Yakult fans. I was told about an interview he gave recently (maybe the night of his 2,000th hit) where he said that, although he would like to move into management after his playing days, he couldn't say for sure which team he would consider managing. This is contrary to popular belief on the Jingu bleachers that he is certain to succeed Wakamatsu at the Swallow's helm. He even said that, as he is from the Kansai area. If the Tigers should come calling for his services, he would have to consider it. Heaven forbid.
Let's all pray that Yakult make moves early to secure his presence after he hangs up his glove.
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