Alex Ramirez, the first foreign-born player to reach 2,000 hits in Japanese professional baseball, was one of 123 who have been released by their teams, the commissioner's office said Monday.

The 39-year-old Ramirez, whom the Yokohama BayStars indicated they would cut ties with on Sept. 27, was not among a protected list of players the Central League club retained negotiating rights to for next year.

This season, Ramirez became the 42nd player to have 2,000 career hits when he homered against his old team, the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, on April 6.