- Takuya Kimura (baseball)
Infobox NPB player
bgcolor1=#fd5a1e
bgcolor2=black
textcolor1=white
textcolor2=white
name=Takuya Kimura
position=Utility player
team=Yomiuri Giants
number=0
bats=Switch
throws=Right
debutyear=1992
debutteam=Nippon Ham Fighters
statyear=2006
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.260
stat2label=Home run s
stat2value=42
stat3label=RBI
stat3value=204
teams=
*Nippon Ham Fighters (1992–1994)
*Hiroshima Toyo Carp (1995–2005)
*Yomiuri Giants (2006–present)Takuya Kimura (木村 拓也, born
April 15 ,1972 inMiyazaki, Miyazaki ,Japan ) is a professionalbaseball player for theYomiuri Giants . He previously played for theHiroshima Toyo Carp before being traded to the Giants in 2006.Kimura joined the
Nippon Ham Fighters from outside the amateur draft in 1990 after graduating from high school, and has become the leading utility player in Japanese baseball. His solid hitting, speed and strong arm have made him a valuable offensive and defensive player. He has played games at every single position except pitcher, catching four games in the 1999 season. He played first base for one game in 1998. He is currently registered as an outfielder, but has played more games in the infield in recent years. Kimura is the only active Japanese baseball player to have played in all field positions (excluding pitcher). In 2004, he was recruited for the Athens Olympics for his skills as a utility player.He bears the same name as Takuya Kimura of the popular Japanese pop group,
SMAP . He has made an appearance on the television show SMAPxSMAP, hosted by the singer Takuya Kimura.External links
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