Teruaki Sato, the kid who grew up a Hanshin Tigers fan in Nishinomiya, saw his childhood dream come true at the 2020 NPB Draft. But his first taste of the big leagues in 2021? That year took him on a wild ride, culminating in a record no player ever wants: 54 consecutive plate appearances without a hit. You read that right. Fifty-four.
From Undersized Kid to University Superstar
Sato’s path to professional baseball was anything but typical. Born and raised right there in Nishinomiya, home of Koshien Stadium and his beloved Hanshin Tigers, you’d think he was born with a bat in his hands. But nope, he actually lost interest in baseball as a teenager, preferring soccer instead. It was only because a friend pushed him that he even tried out for the baseball team at Incheon Gakuin Senior High School. He was a scrawny, undersized infielder on a team that never made it to Koshien during his three years there, so pro scouts weren’t exactly lining up. But Sato, man, he put in the work. Thanks to serious weight training, he transformed himself, cranking out 15 homers in his senior year after hitting only 5 in his previous two combined. Still, with his high school flying under the radar, NPB scouts missed him entirely. Luckily, Hidemasa Tanaka, the head coach at Kindai University, saw something special. He convinced Sato to enroll, and over the next four years, the outfielder/infielder cemented himself as the best player on the team.
Hometown Hero Hits a Wall
All that hard work paid off big time in the 2020 NPB Draft. Sato was a first-round pick, selected by the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, Orix Buffaloes, Yomiuri Giants, and yep, his hometown Hanshin Tigers. The Tigers won the lottery for his rights, making the Nishinomiya kid a member of his favorite team. What a story, right? He had a strong spring training in 2021 and made the Tigers’ opening day roster. But as the regular season wore on, things got tough. He showed flashes of that incredible power, but he wasn’t drawing many walks and his strikeout rate was staggeringly high. By late August, he was in a deep slump and got sent down to the ni-gun minor league team for a few weeks. When he came back in late September, the struggles continued, and that’s when he hit the infamous record: 54 straight plate appearances without a hit for a position player. Ouch. Ultimately, in 126 games for Hanshin in 2021, Sato finished with a .238/.284/.466 slash line, but he did lead the team with 24 home runs, swiped 6 bases, managed a 5.5% walk rate, and that wild 38.0% strikeout rate.
What’s Next for the Young Tiger?
Despite the roller-coaster rookie year and that brutal hitless streak, the Tigers clearly still believe in Sato. Heading into 2022, at just 23 years old, he became the youngest player in Hanshin Tigers history to be penciled into the opening day lineup as the team’s clean-up hitter. Talk about high stakes and big expectations! After a rookie year like that, you know he’s got something to prove. We’ll be watching to see how he builds on that, because you don’t get that kind of trust for nothing.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Amazin’ Avenue.
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