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Shintaro Yokota

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Shintaro Yokota
Yokota with the Hanshin Tigers in 2014
Outfielder
Born: (1995-06-09)June 9, 1995
Hioki, Kagoshima, Japan
Died: July 18, 2023(2023-07-18) (aged 28)
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
NPB debut
March 25, 2016, for the Hanshin Tigers
NPB statistics
Batting average.191
Runs14
Stolen bases4
Teams

Shintaro Yokota (横田 慎太郎, Yokota Shintarō, June 9, 1995 – July 18, 2023) was a Japanese professional baseball outfielder for the Hanshin Tigers Nippon Professional Baseball. He played for the Tigers from 2014 to 2019.[1]

Early baseball career

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Born in Hioki, Kagoshima, Shintaro was the son of Masashi Yokota, a former outfielder for the Lotte Orions (now Chiba Lotte Marines).[1][2] His family migrated to Kagoshima when he was 3,[3] and he started playing softball in third grade all the way to junior high.[4]

Yokota entered Kagoshima Jitsugyō High School, and batted fourth in his first year. From his third year onwards, he doubled as a pitcher and, with a fastball that surpassed 140 km/h, became the school's ace.[3] Unfortunately, his team always got eliminated during the prefectural tournament.[1] He recorded a total of 29 home runs during his high school career.[1][4]

Professional career

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Yokota was the 2nd pick of the Hanshin Tigers in the 2013 Nippon Professional Baseball draft. He inherited Shinjiro Hiyama's former jersey number, 24. He spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons with Hanshin's Western League affiliate.[5] Yokota made his debut with the Tigers on Opening Day of the 2016 season in centerfield.[6] He would play 38 games in the Central League in 2016, again spending the bulk of the season in the Western League.[5] After a lost 2017 season due to treatment for a brain tumor, Yokota returned to Hanshin on a development player contract for the 2018 season.[6] However, Yokota continued to be plagued by after-effects from his cancer treatment, forcing him to retire at the end of the season.[6]

Playing style

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Yokota's physical prowess was highly praised, and even likened to that of Yoshio Itoi's, earning him the moniker "Itoi junior".[7] He employed solid batting techniques, was also known to have a good sense for the ball.[8][9] He possessed arm strength worthy of a pitcher, and his speed (6.1 seconds for a 50-meter dash) was also one of his better selling points.[7][8]

Illness and death

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In February 2017, Yokota experienced headaches; he was later diagnosed with a brain tumor.[6] He underwent treatment over the following six months.[6] On September 3, 2017, he announced that he was in remission.[10] Yokota made an attempt at returning to baseball after treatment, but due to dealing with the after-effects of his treatment, including blurred and double vision, his comeback attempt was short-lived.[6] Yokota later cited fellow teammate Fumihito Haraguchi, who also dealt with cancer, as an inspiration for his recovery.[6]

Yokota died of brain cancer on July 18, 2023, at age 28.[11][12]

After the Tigers won the 2023 Central League pennant and the 2023 Japan Series, the team celebrated by throwing closer Suguru Iwazaki in the air, with Iwazaki holding Yokota's #24 jersey. Iwazaki and Yokota joined the Tigers at the same time: the Tigers drafted Iwazaki sixth in 2013.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "阪神Ｄ２・横田"糸井級"証明！木製バットで１３０メートル弾". Sankei Sports. 2013-10-26. Archived from the original on 2013-10-30. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
  2. ^ "阪神２位横田は父子でプロ野球選手に". Nikkan Sports. 2013-10-24. Archived from the original on 2013-11-03. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  3. ^ a b "【阪神】和田監督、ドラ２横田に掛布塾入門指令！". Sports Hochi. 2013-10-27. Archived from the original on 2013-11-03. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  4. ^ a b "阪神ドラ２横田 大先輩・杉内と対決熱望". Nikkan Sports. 2013-10-30. Archived from the original on 2013-11-03. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  5. ^ a b "Shintaro Yokota Japanese Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g "Yokota Retires at Age 24". Hanshin Tigers. Hanshin Tigers English News. 23 September 2019. Archived from the original on 19 July 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  7. ^ a b "昨年の阪神２位・横田の開花に期待". Daily Sports. Archived from the original on 2014-10-24. Retrieved 2014-10-24.
  8. ^ a b "ホーム>野球>ドラフト会議2013>阪神タイガース". Nikkan Sports. Archived from the original on 2013-11-03. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  9. ^ 「週間ベースボール」(Weekly Baseball) November 11, 2013 edition
  10. ^ "Yokota Had Brain Tumor; In Remission". Hanshin Tigers. Hanshin Tigers English News. 4 September 2017. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  11. ^ "横田慎太郎さんが死去、28歳 阪神で14年から6年間プレーし19年に現役引退" (in Japanese). Livedoor News. 18 July 2023. Archived from the original on 19 July 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  12. ^ "元阪神・横田慎太郎さん死去、28歳 昨年3月に脳腫瘍が再々発 家族に見守られて旅立つ - スポニチ Sponichi Annex 野球". スポニチ Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2023-07-18. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
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