Sakata spent 10 years as a reserve infielder in the majors. From 1977-1987 he played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Baltimore Orioles, Oakland A’s and New York Yankees. In 564 games, Sakata hit .230 with 25 home runs. He was a starter for Baltimore in 1982, appearing in 135 games and hitting .259 with a career-high six home runs. It was the only year of his career that he played in over 100 games.
Sakata was a member of the 1983 Orioles’ team that won the World Series. He played in one game of the series against the Philadelphia Phillies and had one at bat, but did not get a hit.
Sakata is a member of the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame as well as the California League Hall of Fame. He was the last Baltimore shortstop before Cal Ripken took over the position in 1982 and began his record-setting games played streak.
Lenn Sakata – career stats
