Yukihiko Sato

Yukihiko Sato (佐藤 幸彦)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 180 lb.

• High School Takushoku University Koryo High School

• Born April 16, 1968 in Chiba, Chiba Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Yukihiko Sato played in Nippon Pro Baseball for 18 years.

Sato was drafted by the Lotte Orions in the 4th round of the 1986 NPB draft, and he spent his first four seasons primarily in the NPB Farm Leagues; he only got 32 at-bats combined for the big club. He played 66 games with a .221/.281/.300 in 1991, and he shared the starting third base spot with Kiyoshi Hatsushiba. Sato was then moved to outfield, and he hit .219/.287/.398 in 1992. He tied the NPB record by completing 4 sacrifice bunts in a game on July 9, and he ended up hitting .261/.292/.342 in 1993. However, Sato slumped to .188/.188/.219 in 1994, and he went 17-for-67 in 1995.

The Chiba native had a .227/.304/.341 batting line in 1996, and he hit .231/.298/.519 in 39 games in 1997. Sato returned to the starting lineup in 1998, and he shared the spot with Iwao Omura. He recorded a solid .320/.394/.502 batting line that season, then he batted .230/.328/.425 in 1999. Sato went 17-for-54 in 2000, and he started a career-high 73 games in 2001 with a .279/.391/.430 batting line. He hit .243/.274/.346 in 2002, and he went 8-for-38 in 2003. Sato then had a 11-for-48 record in 2004, and he announced his retirement.

Overall, Sato hit .254/.325/.385 with 399 hits and 31 homers in 18 seasons in NPB.

Sources

• Wiki Japan