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Tuesday, 9th April 2013
In Sports,
Praise for Ramirez continues after 2,000th Japanese baseball hit
Alex Ramirez is still revelling in the praise of making his 2,000th hit in the Nippon Professional Baseball league and is setting his sights on becoming the greatest foreign import of all time.
The Yokohama BayStars hitter reached the landmark when he scored his 379th home run of his career against Tokyo Yakult Swallows last weekend at the Jingu Stadium.
Speaking after the game he told reporters that he will no longer have to say that he was a good player anymore as his statistics speak for themselves.
He has now achieved a career average of .303, which puts him 22nd on the all-time home run list. Since moving to Japan from the US, the Venezuelan has played for Yakult Swallows, Yomiuri Giants and now the BayStars.
Speaking to the Japan Times, pitcher at the Giants DJ Houlton said that it was great to see a foreign player come to the country and enjoy the success that he has had.
"He plays every day, and he's not the youngest guy. He goes out there every day and works hard. He's a good guy to model yourself after," he added.
In reaching 2,000 hits Ramirez has become the 42nd player in Japan to achieve the landmark, while he also sits 20th on the all-time RBIs list, with 1,262 throughout his career.
There is no doubt that Ramirez's figures stack up with the very best, building on his earl y promise Major League Baseball where he was voted the Central League most valuable player ( MVP ) on two different occasions.
Ramirez's BayStars side currently sit third in the Nippon Pr ofessional Baseball league, behind Yakult and Yomiuri who top the table having won seven of their eight matches so far.
The Venezuelan will be looking to add to his tally today when the BayStars welcome basement boys Hiroshima to Yokohama.
Written by Graham McPherson
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