Takashi Toritani
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese shortstop
with the Hanshin Tigers
.
Toritani was one of the most highly coveted position player
s in years as a senior
for Waseda University
in 2003. He holds the current Nippon Professional Baseball record for most consecutive games played without missing an inning (398) as a shortstop.
, the eldest of three brothers. He played for the Higashimurayama Junior Mets, Ozakudai Little League Club in his elementary school
days in Higashimurayama and Hamura
, and Mizuho
Senior in his junior high school
days in Hamura.
He played both shortstop
and pitcher
at Seibō Gakuen Senior High School in Saitama. He played in the 81st National High School Baseball Championship
in 1999, coming on in relief
in Seibō Gakuen's first game against Hita
-Rinkō High School (the Ōita
champions) and clocking 143 km/h (89 mph), but his team lost 5-3.
s major
. There, he was surrounded by an impressive collection of talent: his year included then-right fielder
Norichika Aoki
(Tokyo Yakult Swallows
), third baseman
Toshimitsu Higa (Hiroshima Carp
) and center fielder
Shintaro Yoshida (Orix Buffaloes
), all three of whom would later go on to the pros
. Left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada
(Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
) was in the year above him, and second baseman
Hiroyasu Tanaka
and first baseman
Shinichi Takeuchi (both currently with the Swallows) would join the team one and two years later, respectively.
In the spring of 2001, then-sophomore Toritani led the Tokyo Big6 Baseball League
in all three Triple Crown
categories (batting average
, home run
s, runs batted in
), tying current Saitama Seibu Lions third baseman
Taketoshi Gotoh
as the fastest player (by academic year) to win Triple Crown honors in the history of the league
. Toritani drew 19 combined walks
and hit-batters
in the spring 2003 season
as a senior, a Tokyo Big6 record (later broken by then-Rikkyo University
outfielder
Yuichi Tabata in 2004). He won his second batting title that fall.
He won five Tokyo Big6 Best Nine awards during his eight seasons (spring and fall) at Waseda, playing in 96 games and hitting .333 with 11 home runs and 71 RBI for his college career and leading Waseda to an unprecedented four consecutive league titles along with the likes of Aoki, Higa and Yoshida. He was one of the most highly touted position players in recent years in the months preceding the 2003 NPB amateur draft
and was said to be a complete five-tool player
. The Hanshin Tigers signed him as a pre-draft pick in early November.
and members of the media, Toritani was named the Tigers' starting shortstop and No. 7 hitter in the Tigers' season opener as a rookie
despite the presence of 26-year-old Atsushi Fujimoto
, who had hit .301 at the same position the year before. He got the first base hit
of his career off left-hander Yukinaga Maeda in the eighth inning of the opener against the Yomiuri Giants
on April 2. However, struggling to make contact with the ball on a consistent basis, Toritani was replaced by Fujimoto in the sixth game of the season and saw most of his playing time at third base
until Fujimoto left the team to play for Japan
in the 2004 Athens Olympics
, hitting his first career home run off then-Yokohama BayStars
right-hander Kazumasa Azuma
on May 27 and recording his first career stolen base
against the BayStars on July 19. As luck would have it, Fujimoto struggled with his hitting upon rejoining the Tigers after the Olympic Games, and Toritani got most of the starts at shortstop for the remainder of the season. He hit just .251 with three home runs and 17 RBI in 235 at-bats
, slugging a mere .345 in a disappointing rookie campaign.
, and he and Toritani manned the Tigers' middle infield to begin the season. Toritani became the team's No. 2 hitter after Fujimoto and Kentaro Sekimoto, who had platooned
in the 2-hole, struggled with their hitting. He played in all 146 games, hitting .278 with nine home runs and 52 RBI and even hitting two walk-off home run
s in contributing to the Tigers' league championship.
It was reported that he had married his high school sweetheart, who had been a year older than he was and the baseball team's team manager, on December 20 during the off-season.
home run to give his team the lead in the first game against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
, a solo home run and an RBI double
against Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
ace Kazumi Saito
in the second, and a walk-off hit against Hawks right-hander Yoshiaki Fujioka in the third. He struggled on the defensive end, however, leading all of Japanese professional baseball with 21 errors.
His wife gave birth to their first child (a boy
) in September.
as the team's leadoff hitter
in 2007, but struggled with this new role, hitting .273 with 10 home runs and seeing declines in almost every offensive category. Despite this, he established a new NPB record for consecutive games played without missing an inning with 340 on July 24 in a game against the Chunichi Dragons
. He extended this record to 398, but was taken out of the game early on September 29 to heal an injury he had suffered when hit by a pitch
several days earlier. Toritani also made headlines when a Japanese tabloid reported that he had invited three women over to his hotel
room while the team was staying in Tokyo during one away game stretch in September. The Tigers organization issued him a warning for his actions.
was recovering from an injury
. He returned to the No. 6 spot after Makoto Imaoka
was promoted to the ichigun (Japanese equivalent of "major league") level. Toritani was one of only three players in either of the Japanese leagues (along with teammate and left fielder
Tomoaki Kanemoto
and Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters
second baseman Kensuke Tanaka) to play all 144 games without missing an inning. He finished the year with a .281 batting average, 13 home runs and a career-high 80 RBI, winning his first Best Nine Award
. His wife gave birth to their second child on September 13.
Akinobu Mayumi, hitting .333 with three home runs and 14 RBI and scoring a league-leading 20 runs in front of cleanup hitter
Kanemoto (who himself hit .379 with eight homers and 30 RBI) in the month of April.
were to the opposite field earlier in his career, he has gradually shown an ability to pull the ball for extra bases as well. He is a fast runner (his six triples
in 2008 were the third-most in the league) and rarely makes mistakes on the basepaths, but is generally passive and does not look to steal unless given the sign to do so.
record for assists
as a shortstop with 490 in 2006) and one of the strongest throwing arms of any NPB player at his position, routinely making plays from deep in the 5-6 hole (the area between third and short). However, he is somewhat error
-prone, particularly on the throwing end of plays. His 15 errors in the 2008 season tied for most among Central League shortstops (Yomiuri Giants
shortstop Hayato Sakamoto
also committed 15).
Bold indicates league leader; statistics current as of 2010
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
with the Hanshin Tigers
Hanshin Tigers
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly...
.
Toritani was one of the most highly coveted position player
Position player
In baseball, a position player is a player who on defense plays as an infielder, outfielder, or catcher. This is generally all players on a team except for the pitcher, who is considered separate from the position players; in the American League, there is also a designated hitter, who bats but...
s in years as a senior
Senior (education)
Senior is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the 4th year of study .-High school:...
for Waseda University
Waseda University
, abbreviated as , is one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan and Asia. Its main campuses are located in the northern part of Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as Tokyo Senmon Gakko, the institution was renamed "Waseda University" in 1902. It is known for its liberal climate...
in 2003. He holds the current Nippon Professional Baseball record for most consecutive games played without missing an inning (398) as a shortstop.
Early life and high school career
Toritani was born in Higashimurayama, TokyoHigashimurayama, Tokyo
is a city located in the western end of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 151,279 and a population density of 8,810 persons per km²...
, the eldest of three brothers. He played for the Higashimurayama Junior Mets, Ozakudai Little League Club in his elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
days in Higashimurayama and Hamura
Hamura, Tokyo
is a city located in the western end of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 57,145 and a population density of 5,770 persons per km². The total area was 9.91 km². The J-Pop singing duet Cazacy calls Hamura home....
, and Mizuho
Mizuho, Tokyo
is a town in Nishitama District, Tokyo, Japan. It was established on November 10, 1940, resulting from the merger of four villages and acquired additional land in 1958....
Senior in his junior high school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
days in Hamura.
He played both shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
and pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
at Seibō Gakuen Senior High School in Saitama. He played in the 81st National High School Baseball Championship
National High School Baseball Championship
The National High School Baseball Championship of Japan, commonly known as "Summer Kōshien" , is an annual nationwide high school baseball tournament...
in 1999, coming on in relief
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
in Seibō Gakuen's first game against Hita
Hita, Oita
is a city in Ōita Prefecture, Japan, that was founded on December 11, 1940. It is an agricultural and industrial centre that primarily produces lumber, furniture, and pottery...
-Rinkō High School (the Ōita
Oita Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan on Kyūshū Island. The prefectural capital is the city of Ōita.- History :Around the 6th century Kyushu consisted of four regions: Tsukushi-no-kuni 筑紫国, Hi-no-kuni 肥国, and Toyo no kuni...
champions) and clocking 143 km/h (89 mph), but his team lost 5-3.
College career
Toritani went on to enroll at Waseda University as a human scienceHuman Science
Human science refers to the investigation of human life and activities via a phenomenological methodology that acknowledges the validity of both sensory and psychological experience...
s major
Academic major
In the United States and Canada, an academic major or major concentration is the academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits....
. There, he was surrounded by an impressive collection of talent: his year included then-right fielder
Right fielder
A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
Norichika Aoki
Norichika Aoki
is a Japanese professional baseball player. He is currently an outfielder for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows.Aoki is one of only four players to amass 200 or more hits in a single season in Japanese professional baseball...
(Tokyo Yakult Swallows
Tokyo Yakult Swallows
is a professional baseball team in Japan's Central League.The Swallows are named after their corporate owners, the Yakult Corporation. From 1950 to 1965, the team was owned by the former Japanese National Railways and called the Kokutetsu Swallows; the team was then owned by the newspaper Sankei...
), third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
Toshimitsu Higa (Hiroshima Carp
Hiroshima Toyo Carp
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Central League. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Matsuda. Mazda is the largest single shareholder , which is less than the portion owned by the Matsuda family . Because of that,...
) and center fielder
Center fielder
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball fielding position between left field and right field...
Shintaro Yoshida (Orix Buffaloes
Orix Buffaloes
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Osaka and Kobe, Japan. They play in the Pacific League. The team is owned by the Orix Group, a leading diversified financial services company based in Tokyo....
), all three of whom would later go on to the pros
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
. Left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada
Tsuyoshi Wada
is a left-handed starting pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.Wada pitched in the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Olympics as well as the 2006 World Baseball Classic for the Japanese national team...
(Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
The are a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. The team was bought on January 28, 2005 by the SoftBank Corporation.The team was formerly known as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. In 1988, Daiei bought the team from Osaka's Nankai Electric Railway Co., and its headquarters were...
) was in the year above him, and second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
Hiroyasu Tanaka
Hiroyasu Tanaka
Hiroyasu Tanaka is a Japanese professional baseballer for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. He was the number 1 draft pick for the Swallows in . In he was leader in triples for the Central League.-References:...
and first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
Shinichi Takeuchi (both currently with the Swallows) would join the team one and two years later, respectively.
In the spring of 2001, then-sophomore Toritani led the Tokyo Big6 Baseball League
Tokyo Big6 Baseball League
Tokyo Big6 Baseball League is an intercollegiate baseball league that features six prominent universities in the Tokyo area...
in all three Triple Crown
Triple crown (baseball)
In Major League Baseball, a player earns the Triple Crown when he leads a league in three specific statistical categories. For batters, a player must lead the league in home runs, run batted in , and batting average; pitchers must lead the league in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average...
categories (batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
, home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s, runs batted in
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
), tying current Saitama Seibu Lions third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
Taketoshi Gotoh
Taketoshi Gotoh
is a Nippon Professional Baseball player for the Saitama Seibu Lions in Japan's Pacific League.-External links:...
as the fastest player (by academic year) to win Triple Crown honors in the history of the league
Sports league
League is a term commonly used to describe a group of sports teams or individual athletes that compete against each other in a specific sport. At its simplest, it may be a local group of amateur athletes who form teams among themselves and compete on weekends; at its most complex, it can be an...
. Toritani drew 19 combined walks
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
and hit-batters
Hit by pitch
In baseball, hit by pitch , or hit batsman , is a batter or his equipment being hit in some part of his body by a pitch from the pitcher.-Official rule:...
in the spring 2003 season
Season (sports)
In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an...
as a senior, a Tokyo Big6 record (later broken by then-Rikkyo University
Rikkyo University
, also known as Saint Paul's University, is a private university, based on Christian precepts, in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. There is a suburban campus in Niiza in nearby Saitama.It is known for its liberal climate symbolized by the motto -History:...
outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
Yuichi Tabata in 2004). He won his second batting title that fall.
He won five Tokyo Big6 Best Nine awards during his eight seasons (spring and fall) at Waseda, playing in 96 games and hitting .333 with 11 home runs and 71 RBI for his college career and leading Waseda to an unprecedented four consecutive league titles along with the likes of Aoki, Higa and Yoshida. He was one of the most highly touted position players in recent years in the months preceding the 2003 NPB amateur draft
Draft (sports)
A draft is a process used in the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, Russia and the Philippines to allocate certain players to sports teams. In a draft, teams take turns selecting from a pool of eligible players...
and was said to be a complete five-tool player
Five-tool player
In baseball, a five-tool player is one who excels at hitting for average, hitting for power, baserunning skills and speed, throwing ability, and fielding abilities....
. The Hanshin Tigers signed him as a pre-draft pick in early November.
2004
In 2004, amid much hype from both fansFan (person)
A Fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something, such as a band or a sports team. Fans of a particular thing or person constitute its fanbase or fandom...
and members of the media, Toritani was named the Tigers' starting shortstop and No. 7 hitter in the Tigers' season opener as a rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
despite the presence of 26-year-old Atsushi Fujimoto
Atsushi Fujimoto
Atsushi Fujimoto is a professional baseball player from Akashi, Hyōgo, Japan.He joined the Japanese olympic baseball team for the 2004 Summer Olympics, and won a bronze medal. He played in every inning of every game in the olympic tournament for the Japanese team.-External links:...
, who had hit .301 at the same position the year before. He got the first base hit
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
of his career off left-hander Yukinaga Maeda in the eighth inning of the opener against the Yomiuri Giants
Yomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
on April 2. However, struggling to make contact with the ball on a consistent basis, Toritani was replaced by Fujimoto in the sixth game of the season and saw most of his playing time at third base
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
until Fujimoto left the team to play for Japan
Japan national baseball team
The Japan national baseball team is the national baseball team representing Japan in international competitions. They are one of the more successful baseball teams in the world, having won the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and 2009...
in the 2004 Athens Olympics
Baseball at the 2004 Summer Olympics
-Preliminary round:The top four teams advanced to the semifinals. To determine the seed ranking of teams tied in the standings, the result of the two teams' game against each other was used. Japan therefore received first place due to the win over Cuba. In the semi-finals, Japan played...
, hitting his first career home run off then-Yokohama BayStars
Yokohama BayStars
The are a professional baseball team in the Japanese Central League. Home field is the Yokohama Stadium, located in central Yokohama. The clubhouse is located near the stadium....
right-hander Kazumasa Azuma
Kazumasa Azuma
is a retired Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher with the Saitama Seibu Lions in Japan's Pacific League.-External links:...
on May 27 and recording his first career stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
against the BayStars on July 19. As luck would have it, Fujimoto struggled with his hitting upon rejoining the Tigers after the Olympic Games, and Toritani got most of the starts at shortstop for the remainder of the season. He hit just .251 with three home runs and 17 RBI in 235 at-bats
At bat
In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...
, slugging a mere .345 in a disappointing rookie campaign.
2005
In 2005, Fujimoto was permanently moved to second baseSecond baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
, and he and Toritani manned the Tigers' middle infield to begin the season. Toritani became the team's No. 2 hitter after Fujimoto and Kentaro Sekimoto, who had platooned
Platoon system
The platoon system in baseball is a method of designating two players to a single defensive position—usually one right-handed and one left-handed. Typically the right-handed half of the platoon is played on days when the opposing pitcher is left-handed and the left-handed player is played otherwise...
in the 2-hole, struggled with their hitting. He played in all 146 games, hitting .278 with nine home runs and 52 RBI and even hitting two walk-off home run
Walk-off home run
In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. It must be a home run that gives the home team the lead in the bottom of the final inning of the game—either the ninth inning, or any extra inning, or any other regularly scheduled final inning...
s in contributing to the Tigers' league championship.
It was reported that he had married his high school sweetheart, who had been a year older than he was and the baseball team's team manager, on December 20 during the off-season.
2006
Toritani continued to make strides offensively, hitting .289 with 15 home runs and 58 RBI for the season in 2006. During one stretch from June 1 to June 3, he hit a two-runRun (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
home run to give his team the lead in the first game against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
The is a baseball team founded in 2004; it played its first season in the Japanese Pacific League in 2005. It is simply called Rakuten . The team was created to fill the void left by the merger of the Orix Blue Wave and the Kintetsu Buffaloes, after the 2004 season due to financial difficulties,...
, a solo home run and an RBI double
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
against Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
The are a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. The team was bought on January 28, 2005 by the SoftBank Corporation.The team was formerly known as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. In 1988, Daiei bought the team from Osaka's Nankai Electric Railway Co., and its headquarters were...
ace Kazumi Saito
Kazumi Saito
is a Japanese professional baseball player. starting pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. He is a two-time winner of the Eiji Sawamura Award , but has not pitched in a regular season game since October 2007 due to various shoulder injuries.-Professional career:...
in the second, and a walk-off hit against Hawks right-hander Yoshiaki Fujioka in the third. He struggled on the defensive end, however, leading all of Japanese professional baseball with 21 errors.
His wife gave birth to their first child (a boy
Son
A son is a male offspring; a boy or man in relation to his parents. The female analogue is a daughter.-Social issues regarding sons:In pre-industrial societies and some current countries with agriculture-based economies, a higher value was, and still is, assigned to sons rather than daughters,...
) in September.
2007
Toritani replaced center fielder Norihiro AkahoshiNorihiro Akahoshi
is a retired Nippon Professional Baseball player from Kariya, Aichi, Japan. He played as an outfielder for the Hanshin Tigers.Akahoshi announced his retirement on December 9, 2009. During the 2009 season, he was first deactivated in early July after sustaining a neck injury...
as the team's leadoff hitter
Leadoff hitter
In baseball, a leadoff hitter is a batter who bats first in the lineup. It can also refer to any batter who bats first in an inning.- Strategy :...
in 2007, but struggled with this new role, hitting .273 with 10 home runs and seeing declines in almost every offensive category. Despite this, he established a new NPB record for consecutive games played without missing an inning with 340 on July 24 in a game against the Chunichi Dragons
Chunichi Dragons
The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chubu region of Japan. The team is in the Central League. They won the 2007 Japan Series and 2007 Asia Series.-History:...
. He extended this record to 398, but was taken out of the game early on September 29 to heal an injury he had suffered when hit by a pitch
Pitch (baseball)
In baseball, a pitch is the act of throwing a baseball toward home plate to start a play. The term comes from the Knickerbocker Rules. Originally, the ball had to be literally "pitched" underhand, as with pitching horseshoes. Overhand throwing was not allowed until 1884.The biomechanics of...
several days earlier. Toritani also made headlines when a Japanese tabloid reported that he had invited three women over to his hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
room while the team was staying in Tokyo during one away game stretch in September. The Tigers organization issued him a warning for his actions.
2008
In 2008, Toritani became the Tigers' No. 6 hitter, hitting over .300 for most of the year and even seeing time at the 3- and 5-hole (along with Sekimoto) while slugger Takahiro AraiTakahiro Arai
Takahiro Arai is a Japanese professional baseball player of Korean descent for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.-External links:...
was recovering from an injury
Injury
-By cause:*Traumatic injury, a body wound or shock produced by sudden physical injury, as from violence or accident*Other injuries from external physical causes, such as radiation injury, burn injury or frostbite*Injury from infection...
. He returned to the No. 6 spot after Makoto Imaoka
Makoto Imaoka
Makoto Imaoka is a Japanese professional baseball player from Takarazuka, Hyōgo, Japan.Imaoka spent several uneventful seasons in the Japanese professional leagues before being chosen as the lead-off batter by Senichi Hoshino, who managed the Hanshin Tigers from 2002-2004...
was promoted to the ichigun (Japanese equivalent of "major league") level. Toritani was one of only three players in either of the Japanese leagues (along with teammate and left fielder
Left fielder
In baseball, a left fielder is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
Tomoaki Kanemoto
Tomoaki Kanemoto
is a Japanese professional baseball outfielder with the Hanshin Tigers in Nippon Professional Baseball.The Tigers' current cleanup hitter, Kanemoto is regarded as one of the most accomplished hitters in Japanese professional baseball history and has hit more home runs in his career than any other...
and Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters
Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters
The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Sapporo, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at the Sapporo Dome. The Fighters also host a select number of regional home games in cities across Hokkaidō,...
second baseman Kensuke Tanaka) to play all 144 games without missing an inning. He finished the year with a .281 batting average, 13 home runs and a career-high 80 RBI, winning his first Best Nine Award
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:...
. His wife gave birth to their second child on September 13.
2009
For 2009, Toritani was named the Tigers' No. 3 hitter by newly appointed managerManager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
Akinobu Mayumi, hitting .333 with three home runs and 14 RBI and scoring a league-leading 20 runs in front of cleanup hitter
Cleanup hitter
In baseball, the cleanup hitter is the hitter who bats fourth in the lineup. Although the third man up is generally the hitter with the highest batting average, cleanup hitters often have the most power on the team and are typically the team's best power hitter; their job is to "clean up the...
Kanemoto (who himself hit .379 with eight homers and 30 RBI) in the month of April.
Hitting
Toritani is a left-handed spray hitter listed at 179 cm (70.5 in) and 82 kg (180.8 lb). He stands upright in the batter's box, employing an exaggerated open stance with his hands held shoulder-high away from his body. Toritani has gap power and can hit fairly evenly to all fields; though the majority of his extra-base hitsExtra base hit
In baseball, an extra base hit , also known as a long hit, is any base hit on which the batter is able to advance past first base without the benefit of a fielder either committing an error or opting to make a throw to retire another base runner...
were to the opposite field earlier in his career, he has gradually shown an ability to pull the ball for extra bases as well. He is a fast runner (his six triples
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
in 2008 were the third-most in the league) and rarely makes mistakes on the basepaths, but is generally passive and does not look to steal unless given the sign to do so.
Fielding
Toritani has good range on the defensive end (he set a single-season Central LeagueCentral League
The or is one the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consists of six teams from around the country,The Central League...
record for assists
Assist (baseball)
In baseball, an assist is a defensive statistic, baseball being one of the few sports in which the defensive team controls the ball. An assist is awarded to every defensive player who fields or touches the ball prior to the recording of a putout, even if the contact was unintentional...
as a shortstop with 490 in 2006) and one of the strongest throwing arms of any NPB player at his position, routinely making plays from deep in the 5-6 hole (the area between third and short). However, he is somewhat error
Error (baseball)
In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...
-prone, particularly on the throwing end of plays. His 15 errors in the 2008 season tied for most among Central League shortstops (Yomiuri Giants
Yomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
shortstop Hayato Sakamoto
Hayato Sakamoto
is a Japanese shortstop with the Yomiuri Giants.In , Sakamoto became the first player in Giants franchise history to start a season opener while under the age of 20 since Hideki Matsui...
also committed 15).
Career statistics
| Nippon Professional Baseball | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Age | Team | G Games played Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,... |
AB At bat In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance... |
R Run (baseball) In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured... |
H Hit (baseball) In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice.... |
2B Double (baseball) In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice.... |
3B Triple (baseball) In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice.... |
HR Home run In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process... |
TB Total bases In baseball statistics, total bases refers to the number of bases a player has gained with hits, i.e., the sum of his hits weighted by 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run.Only bases attained from hits count toward this total.... |
RBI Run batted in Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI... |
SB Stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate... |
AVG Batting average Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :... |
OBP | SLG | OPS On-base plus slugging On-base plus slugging is a sabermetric baseball statistic calculated as the sum of a player's on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The ability of a player to both get on base and to hit for power, two important hitting skills, are represented. An OPS of .900 or higher in Major League... |
| 22 | Hanshin Hanshin Tigers The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly... |
101 | 235 | 28 | 59 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 81 | 17 | 2 | .251 | .320 | .345 | .665 | |
| 23 | 146 | 572 | 82 | 159 | 27 | 1 | 9 | 215 | 52 | 5 | .278 | .343 | .376 | .719 | ||
| 24 | 146 | 543 | 65 | 157 | 28 | 2 | 15 | 234 | 58 | 5 | .289 | .362 | .431 | .793 | ||
| 25 | 144 | 565 | 67 | 154 | 19 | 4 | 10 | 211 | 43 | 7 | .273 | .350 | .373 | .724 | ||
| 26 | 144 | 523 | 66 | 147 | 17 | 6 | 13 | 215 | 80 | 4 | .281 | .365 | .411 | .776 | ||
| 27 | 144 | 538 | 84 | 155 | 31 | 2 | 20 | 250 | 75 | 7 | .288 | .368 | .465 | .819 | ||
| 28 | 144 | 575 | 98 | 173 | 31 | 6 | 19 | 273 | 104 | 13 | .301 | .373 | .475 | .848 | ||
| Career | 969 | 3551 | 490 | 1004 | 166 | 21 | 89 | 1479 | 429 | 43 | .283 | .358 | .417 | .776 | ||
Bold indicates league leader; statistics current as of 2010