Leadoff hitter for the Hankyu Braves, Yutaka Fukumoto used his blazing speed to run away with 13 consecutive stolen base crowns. His .781 stolen base percentage is higher than notable MLB thieves Ty Cobb, Maury Wills, and Lou Brock. Only Rickey Henderson has more career stolen bases than Fukumoto's 1065.

Also an outstanding center fielder, Fukumoto won 12 consecutive Golden Gloves. He also batted over .300 seven times over his 20 year career (1970-90), compiling a lifetime batting average of .291, with 1656 runs scored, 449 doubles, 115 triples, and 208 home runs.