Shinnosuke Abe, the longtime slugging catcher of the Yomiuri Giants, has decided to retire after the end of this season, it was learned Monday.
The 40-year-old has recently been playing first base and will enter the Central League Climax Series with determination to bring the Giants -- who won the league title for the first time in five years -- to the Japan Series and win the series.
A native of Chiba Prefecture, Abe joined Yomiuri in 2001 as the No. 1 draft pick from Chuo University. He started on opening day of the 2001 season at catcher and has contributed to the team since his rookie year. During his time on the Giants, the team has been league champions eight times and winners of the Japan Series three times.
After the 2006 season, he was appointed team captain, serving through 2014.
Abe had his best season in 2012, when he was named the league's MVP, winning the batting title with a .340 average and leading the league with 104 RBIs. The Giants won the Japan Series that year.
Among career milestones, Abe reached 2,000 hits in 2017 and 400 home runs this year on June 1.
As of Monday, Abe has played in 2,279 games, racking up 2,131 hits, 405 home runs and 1,284 RBIs.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
