Yoshio Itoi became the oldest player to lead a Japanese pro league in stolen bases on Wednesday, the final day of the Pacific League season.

It was the first stolen base crown for the 35-year-old Orix Buffaloes outfielder, who swiped 53 to share the title with Seibu Lions shortstop Yuji Kaneko. Previously, the oldest base-stealing king was Daijiro Oishi, who stole 31 for the PL's Kintetsu Buffaloes just prior to his 35th birthday in 1993.

Itoi is also the oldest player in Japan to steal 50 or more bases in a season, surpassing Japan's all-time stolen base king Yutaka Fukumoto who stole 54 bases a year from the ages of 32 to 34.