The tallest Japanese professional baseball player in history — standing at just over 2 metres tall — has joined the Adelaide Giants as the club aims to win a third straight Australian Baseball League championship.
Yuto Akihiro stands at 6 feet 8 inches, or just over 2 metres, and is known in Japan as 'Godzilla 2.0'.The Adelaide Giants will take on the Sydney Blue Sox in the opening round of the Australian Baseball League this week.The 22-year-old is the tallest Japan ese professional baseball player in history, and is used to being noticed.
The power-hitter — who is 6 feet 8 inches, or just over 2 metres tall — is known in Japan as 'Godzilla 2.0', and joins Adelaide from the Yomiuri Giants."I'm excited and truly honoured to be here.The Yomiuri Giants, a Nippon Professional Baseball League team based out of Tokyo, have won a record 31 Japan Series or JBL Championships since being founded in 1934.
Right-handed pitcher Makoto Kyomoto and left-handed pitcher Ryusei Yamada have also joined the team for the upcoming season.Adelaide's general manager Nathan Davison said the relationship built with the Japanese team showed how far his club has come in the past few years."It was a few years in the making … we had to prove to them that it was worthwhile," Davison said.
"Just the fact that they've invested with a translator here, a trainer, a data and statistician, it means that they're all in and they also want to learn our way of baseball."Eight players from Major League Baseball's Philadelphia Phillies will also play for the Giants this year, and a further nine Australian players have World Baseball Classic experience.
Baseball Australian Baseball League Tokyo Giants Yomiuri Giants Japan Adelaide Giants
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
One dead, eight injured after truck collides with three cars south of AdelaideA person has died and eight others have been injured after a truck and three cars collided on the Fleurieu Peninsula, south of Adelaide.
Read more »
Tobacco stores firebombed in Adelaide as organised crime networks battle to control illicit tradeSam and Miral lost their office in the recent spate of arson attacks across Adelaide, which police say are part of a war being waged by interstate organised crime syndicates trying to control the state's illicit tobacco trade.
Read more »
Heroic Adelaide woman saves ex-husband living with disability from burning home moments before explosion7NEWS brings you the latest local news from Australia and around the world. Stay up to date with all of the breaking sport, politics, entertainment, finance, weather and business headlines. Today's news, live updates & all the latest breaking stories from 7NEWS.
Read more »
Two men arrested after grass fire in Adelaide's northern suburbsThe fire burnt approximately 33 hectares of grass and caused damage to a shed and several glass houses.
Read more »
Santa Claus receives warm welcome in Adelaide for Christmas PageantMore than 325,000 people cast their eyes to 170 theatrical sets and floats.
Read more »
Good Music Month to blast Adelaide with live music in bid to draw punters to venuesWith thousands of artists ranging from big acts to emerging bands, the second iteration of Good Music Month will blast Adelaide and its surrounds with a plethora of live acts, culminating in the Notestock festival.
Read more »