Yokohama DeNA BayStars’ slugger José López made history on Oct 31 when he became the first non-Japanese baseball player to record 1000 hits in both Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and Major League Baseball (MLB). López hit the record-breaking knock in style, with a fourth inning home run against the Hanshin Tigers, and celebrated with his teammates and fans after rounding the bases.
With the achievement, “El Chamo” joins an exclusive club of only three members: Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui and López himself. López is unique however, as Ichiro and Matsui started in NPB and transitioned to MLB; López did the opposite, starting his career with the Seattle Mariners and now achieving this feat with the BayStars.
“Getting 2000 hits is to get a stamp to your career: ‘I was a good player,'” said BayStars manager Alex Ramirez, a former long-term foreign NPB player himself.
Signed out of Venezuela, López was a hot prospect in the Mariners’ organization, turning heads for his ability to play solid defense at multiple positions (he played second, shortstop and third) and his prodigious bat. He was twice named the Mariners’ minor league player of the year – as a 17-year-old in 2001 and again in 2002; he was also named to the 2002 MLB All-Star Futures Game as an 18-year-old, the youngest participant that year.
He continued to excel and progress rapidly through the organization over the next two seasons and was called up for his MLB debut on July 31, 2004, still four months shy of his 21st birthday. He jumped between the minors and majors for the next two seasons, before becoming a permanent part of the roster in 2006, when he knocked in 79 RBIs with a .282 average. For his efforts, he was named an American League All-Star, replacing an injured Robinson Canó.
Unfortunately, hamstring injuries plagued López during this phase of his career, making him a liability for most MLB teams. After five years with the Mariners, he bounced around on different tryout contracts, including with the Rockies, Marlins, Indians and White Sox. Like a lot of players looking for a fresh start, López turned his attention overseas in 2013, and got a buyer in Japan’s most famous team: the Yomiuri Giants.
A note to make about López’s move overseas is his youth in doing so; when most former MLB All-Stars move over to Japan, they’re usually in their mid-to-late 30s and just want a little more playing time (and money!) before retiring. López was only 29 when he made the voyage overseas, similar to Ichiro’s and Matsui’s ages when they moved over. This guaranteed at least a few more years in the tank for the infielder.
Finally healthy, he became a star in Tokyo almost overnight, hitting 18 home runs and 55 RBIs while dazzling at first base with a .993 fielding percentage. He was awarded a Central League Gold Glove, and got attention from other teams in the region. After a less-exciting 2014 campaign, López left the bright lights of Yomiuri to join the Yokohama BayStars, where he has played for the past six years and has become a critical part of the BayStars’ recent success.
López became a dominant first baseman in 2016 at age 32, when he set career highs in home runs (34) and RBI (95); as usual, however, he excelled with the glove, as he set a new NPB record for consecutive defensive plays made without error, and made only two errors all year over 1106 plays, giving him a fielding percentage of .998.
“There are so many requirements [to getting 2000 hits,] but one requirement that is very, very important is the defense,” added Lopez’s manager, Ramirez. “If you have good defense, you are always going to be on the field. That helps you to get more at-bats and more hits.”
While he won a Gold Glove for his 2016 efforts, his true standout season came in 2017, when he led the Central League in RBI with 105, was named Best Nine, won another Gold Glove and was also named Central League Climax Series MVP, all while leading the BayStars to the pennant.
López’s career is fascinating to follow, as it highlights the growing bridge between NPB and MLB, showing that it goes both ways; neither league is a minor league for the other. López was humbled in MLB after a promising start, but became a star in Japan, highlighting the ability for any transplant to succeed with enough grit, determination and resolve. Yet López will not take all the credit, as he said in a statement for the BayStars:
“It is a great honor to be the first foreign player to record 1000 hits each in MLB and NPB,” López said. “First of all, I am very grateful to the Seattle Mariners, the director, [the] coach, and everyone involved for signing the first contract in my professional career. After that, I would like to thank the Yomiuri Giants for giving me the opportunity to play in Japan. And I would like to thank the Yokohama DeNA BayStars coaches, players, and everyone involved for letting me play for six years. Thank you to all the fans for visiting Yokohama Stadium.”
Here’s hoping “Chamo-san” will be the first of many to achieve the feat.
Here’s a tribute video made by the BayStars in honor of López’s accomplishments:
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