Ukyo Shuto set a new Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) milestone as he successfully stole a base in 12 consecutive games. He broke a record set by Yutaka Fukumoto in the early 1970s.
A left-handed outfielder, Fukumoto stole 1,065 bases during a career that covered three decades: from 1969 to 1988. His record season was 1972 when he stole 106 bases and was caught stealing only 25 times.
Fukumoto, 72, is working as a baseball analyst today. He commented: "It's fun to watch Shuto run. Sometimes he makes me feel I'm on the field again."
Shuto never had an at-bat during the Premier12 2019, but appeared in seven games, either as pinch-runner or defensive substitute. He scored three runs and stole four bases.
He had previously represented Japan at the WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup 2018. He started all the games that the silver-medal Samurai Japan played, including the final against Mexico.
Shuto, born in 1996, was drafted by the NPB Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in 2017 and made his debut with the top club on 7 April 2019.
He contributed to the Japan Series Title appearing in 102 games, mainly as a substitute. He had only 102 at-bats but managed to steal 25 bases. He was caught stealing five times. He has appeared in 97 games during the 2020 season, having 283 at-bats. He stole 48 bases and was caught stealing only five times.
