Osamu Hoshino

Osamu Hoshino (星野 修)

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 171 lb.

• High School Fukuoka High School

• Born May 4, 1970 in Omiya, Saitama Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Osamu Hoshino played in Nippon Pro Baseball for 13 years.

Hoshino signed with the Hanshin Tigers after he went undrafted in the 1988 NPB draft, but he spent most of his first six seasons in the NPB Farm Leagues; he only got 21 at-bats combined for the top team. He hit .339/.393/.425 in 67 games in 1995, then he had a .232/.261/.321 batting line in 1996. Hoshino played 117 games as Hanshin's main infield utility man in 1997, and he collected 3 triples with a .252/.305/.359 batting line. However, he slumped to .180/.250/.242 in 1998, then he soon bounced back with a .276/.344/.405 batting line in 1999.

The Saitama native struggled again in 2000, and he was 11-for-51 in 37 appearances. He hit .217/.314/.317 in 2001, and the Tigers released him. The Kintetsu Buffaloes signed him, but Hoshino only got 9 at-bats for the big club in 2002. He came back in 2003, and he crushed a career-high 12 homers with a .274/.351/.428 batting line despite still not being a starter; he also went 10-for-11 in steal attempts. He then batted .250/.343/.372 in 73 games in 2004, and the Buffaloes merged with the Orix BlueWave. Hoshino hit a walk-off double against Shinji Mori on September 24, and it was Kintetsu's last win. He also appeared in their last game on September 27, but he was retired by Kazuo Yamaguchi in the 9th inning, and he became the last Kintetsu batter in their history. Hoshino was assigned to the Rakuten Golden Eagles in 2005, and he was 4-for-28 then he announced his retirement. He later became Rakuten's assistant batting coach in 2007, and he coached their minors team from 2008 to 2010. He then managed the Ehime Mandarin Pirates from 2011 to 2013.

Overall, Hoshino hit .252/.318/.361 with 387 hits and 24 homers in 13 seasons in NPB.

Sources

• Wiki Japan