Former Major League outfielder Karl “Tuffy” Rhodes swatted the 444th home run of his career in Japanese baseball Wednesday, April 8, tying him with Yomiuri Giants legend Shigeo Nagashima for 12th place on Japan’s all-time homer list. Rhodes’ three-run bomb helped propel the Orix Buffaloes to a 10-2 pounding of the defending Pacific League champion Seibu Lions.
Rhodes is beginning his 13th season in Nippon Professional Baseball after spending all or part of six seasons in MLB between 1990 and 1995. Prior to heading across the Pacific, the 40-year-old outfielder played for the Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox. He is best remembered among American baseball fans for hitting three homers for the Cubs on Opening Day in 1994 off New York Mets ace Dwight Gooden.
Rhodes is currently the active leader in career home runs in Japan, but has a long way to go to catch Sadaharu Oh’s world record total of 868. Rhodes did tie Oh’s single season record of 55 homers while playing for the Kintetsu Buffaloes in 2001.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
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