<figure id="attachment_429647" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-429647"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="30e981b7"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/06/aa1cf073d82d2e5aec3dd9b5732ce43a.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-429647" class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Born in November 1990 in Osaka Prefecture. Joined the bench at Osaka Toin High School from the fall of his first year. Selected in the 3rd round of the 2009 draft and joined Seibu. Transferred to Rakuten as a free agent in the 2018 offseason. As of last year, holds a career batting average of .278 with 297 home runs and 1,132 RBIs.</span></figcaption></figure>
<h2><b>“I was hit by a ball with protective gear on.”</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">About a month has passed since his remarkable milestone. Just after 9 a.m., with only a few players around, Rakuten’s Hideto Asamura (34) appeared at the indoor practice field, wearing a calm expression. He spoke for himself:</span></p>
<p><b>“The road to 2,000 hits was anything but smooth. I feel relieved that I won’t be asked, ‘How many more hits to go?’ anymore,” </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">he laughed.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Asamura became the 56th player in history to reach 2,000 hits on May 24 in a game against the Nippon-Ham Fighters. This season, he endured a long slump, including a personal worst of 35 consecutive hitless at-bats. On the postgame hero podium, he tearfully confessed, “It got harder the closer I got (to the record).” True to his words, his life and career have been anything but a straight path—and here, we hear it from him directly.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite his talent, Asamura was often scolded by his high school coach at Osaka Toin for being late or playing carelessly. Drafted in the third round, he joined Seibu in 2009 but didn’t make a single first-team appearance as a rookie. A major turning point came in his third year, when he met hitting coach and former player Masahiro Doi.</span></p>
<p><b>“I remember training with protective gear on my left side, getting hit by balls to keep my left shoulder from opening up too early. Coach Doi once told me, ‘Don’t flinch from the ball—watch it as long as you can. If you know how to let pitches go, your swing will naturally improve.’</b></p>
<p><b>Not only would I get hit, but occasionally he’d throw easy pitches. When I managed to keep my shoulder closed, I started hitting hard line drives to the right. Eventually, I learned to adjust my hitting depending on the pitch location and spray the ball across the field.”</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">His defense was just as rigorously trained. Though originally a shortstop or third baseman, Seibu already had stars like Hiroyuki Nakajima and Takeya Nakamura, so Asamura had to train at first and second base as well.</span></p>
<p><b>“I took brutal fielding drills every day at all four infield positions. We called it ‘four-times-the-norm’ fielding—it felt endless. After special drills, I’d be completely wiped out. All I could think about was getting home to rest. But thanks to that, my lower body got a lot stronger. That strength gave me more stability in my stance, helping me shift my weight properly onto my back leg when batting.”</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The foundation for his 2,000 hits was laid during those intense training days with Seibu.</span></p>
<figure id="attachment_429686" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2164px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-429686"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="2291e19d"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/06/e88a2097d3610757bda9aaa6a87ee623.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-429686" class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-weight: 400;">He smiles as he holds a sponge cake with supplements, a gift from Nakajima, whom he respects, in celebration of his 2,000-hit milestone. He is wearing a T-shirt commemorating his 2000-hit game.</span></figcaption></figure>
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<p>In the June 26 issue of &#8220;FRIDAY July 11&#8221; and the pay-per-view &#8220;FRIDAY GOLD,&#8221; he talks in detail about his struggles since joining Rakuten, including why he continues to play in games even with a fever of 41°C and how he hit rock bottom and &#8220;became afraid of baseball.</p>
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<p>For more details and multiple photos, please click here.</p>
<div data-friday-gold-link-url="https://friday.gold/article/347148" data-friday-gold-link-title="Eito Asamura, Rakuten, overcoming rock bottom: &quot;I no longer have to ask, 'How many more? I can stop asking, &quot;How many more?" data-friday-gold-link-excerpt="About a month after achieving this feat, Eito Asamura, who had suffered his worst 35 consecutive at-bats without a hit and was so afraid of baseball, appeared at an indoor practice field just after 9:00 in the morning, when the players were sparse. About a month after achieving this feat, Eito Asamura, 34, of the Rakuten baseball team, appeared at the indoor practice field a little after 9:00 a.m., when the players were still sparse. He said, &quot;I don't know..." data-friday-gold-link-thumbnail-wide="https://assets.friday.gold/friday-wp-production-assets/app/uploads/2025/06/250615_tsuy_0058-25110839037134.jpg/v/crop-faces:width=256,height=144/format:type=webp?Expires=4102444800&amp;Key-Pair-Id=K2H5GZZHVJCN4V&amp;Signature=R7P3twEfSdMHDxnG1wtyol9XNi1nNcwhfdhaO7S~wnAaaV-Tk3ONOU5O-ueJVPxWvvO2e56dEJe4P4nqnPxxsFSkDDOphgAC~UNOfstv-XJniQ6DgfGXM5TVacG11j3cDx-S6VHYZ8QiXIqrUgWVrTn6Wrr95hTmAR7twX0GmohIdJPoDtkUO-Tj4DwBIgBblE8~KeKrSFV7MZLZvaGpvj9Nlf70KC7AILoC5n9r-NFx68Touw8ELOrbfZsfn7WwAvUku6vS7sOT5li07IQ4uGG2gOYa2Obbrffqm1LkXwMscRxUNht9kWzUOkpJ0dZwUTw7bgSnYUNT9bhBqnazng__" data-friday-gold-link-thumbnail-square="https://assets.friday.gold/friday-wp-production-assets/app/uploads/2025/06/250615_tsuy_0058-25110839037134.jpg/v/crop-faces:width=105,height=105/format:type=webp?Expires=4102444800&amp;Key-Pair-Id=K2H5GZZHVJCN4V&amp;Signature=RNIe~wPwCjbZKRRzKlRIdT01AL0fc3fSwbctjOvPB8mcIzOD5mf87J8v8L31rb9FSR-5PKY~y5BCmJr0H6AMQiHNxxvcjES7VUWb-EFVIlCsuT30azAmsMN5XmPDAn~dmxI8PYOS0wEZh59p0E13wra4LJFmzIXrRYTirFowgjZ1yt-aLAvxo04bTe75-IzJhCaeNsH0XQS44q4NqoKgKdDWz3ic5bNosbZqfwAkIzEEDZLfPFfT2X6xRz28Vi2T-j9EYjL6LadFQ2Bp2msbBFZohQNNx-ymrhy2~uObAK5K7IlLU6CAp8~gEvz9jvGhBHQzmnrJ8Lk8CNVhsniHlg__"></div>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">From the July 11, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY”</span></p>


 Ken Tanaka

 Eito Asamura of Rakuten, who achieved the feat of 2,000 hits, said in an interview with FRIDAY, "I don't have to be asked, 'How many more hits? I'm relieved that I don't have to ask 'How many more? (Laughs)" The road to this point has not been smooth. He reveals his struggles.

 Celebrating 2000 Hits: Interview with Eito Asamura... "I was hitless in 35 consecutive at-bats, my worst streak, and I suffered so much that I became afraid of baseball.

Rakuten’s Hideto Asamura Reflects on 2,000 Hits and Surviving Daily Fielding Drills Four Times Harder Than Normal

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