Yasuhiko Yabuta, Japanese baseball player
Yasuhiko Yabuta (薮田 安彦, Yabuta Yasuhiko, born June 19, 1973) is a Japanese former baseball pitcher.
Yabuta made his professional debut with the Marines in 1996, and spent 12 years with the organization. He competed in the 2006 World Baseball Classic and struck out Alex Rodriguez, Johnny Damon, and Derrek Lee. He served as a setup man for the Marines in 2007 recording a 4–6 record with a 2.73 ERA in 58 games. After the season, he declared his free agency and came to America to pursue a Major League Baseball career. On November 22, 2007, the Kansas City Star reported that the Kansas City Royals agreed with Yabuta on a two-year contract with a club option for 2010.Yabuta officially signed with the Royals on November 28, 2007. He signed a two-year, $6 million deal with the Kansas City Royals. The deal included a $4 million club option for a third year. Yabuta was sent down to Triple-A Omaha Royals on June 25, 2008. He was designated for assignment on August 2 and was eventually sent outright to the minors. He was brought back to the Royals when the rosters expanded on September 1.
His teammates on the Royals have given him the nickname "Shake."On November 24, 2009, he signed a one-year deal with his old team Chiba Lotte, and he has remained with the team since.
1973Jun, 19
Yasuhiko Yabuta
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Events on 1973
- 20Jul
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee, the famous Chinese actor and martial-arts expert, dies in Los Angeles at age 32 from a brain edema possibly caused by a reaction to a prescription painkiller. - 15Aug
Cambodia
Vietnam War: The United States bombing of Cambodia ends. - 22Aug
Salvador Allende
The Congress of Chile votes in favour of a resolution condemning President Salvador Allende's government and demands that he resign or else be unseated through force and new elections. - 17Oct
1973 oil crisis
OPEC imposes an oil embargo against a number of Western countries, considered to have helped Israel in its war against Egypt and Syria. - 4Nov
1973 oil crisis
The Netherlands experiences the first Car-Free Sunday caused by the 1973 oil crisis. Highways are used only by cyclists and roller skaters.