Books and articles about Yutaka Fukumoto

Japanese baseball emphasizes power rather than speed; only 10 or 12 players steal more than 20 bases in any given year. Fukumoto, however, stole 106 bases in 1972, a Japanese record. His 95 stolen bases the following year have been the only serious challenge to the mark. At age 33, in 1979, he again led Japanese baseball in stolen bases, with 60. A centerfielder and leadoff hitter, he typically batted about .290. (MC)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » October 5, 1972: Yutaka Fukumoto of the Hankyu Braves sets a Japanese single-season record of 113 stolen bases in a 130-game season. » June 16, 1993: Oakland OF Rickey Henderson steals his 24th base of the year in the Athletics' 4-0 loss to the White Sox. The SB is the 1,066th of his career, making him the world's all-time leader, surpassing the total of 1,065 of Yutaka Fukumoto, who played in Japan from 1970 to 1988.