Masato Akamatsu, a speedy reserve outfielder for the Hiroshima Carp, revealed Wednesday that he has stomach cancer.
"It's not life threatening, but I have to have surgery," said the 34-year-old, who will have an operation early next month. "I want to recuperate quickly and get back to where I was."
The cancer was discovered on Dec. 15, when he was having a personal checkup with his first stomach examination using an endoscope. Akamatsu had not been suffering from any symptoms.
In August 2010, the spindly outfielder became known around the world for his "Spiderman catch" when a video of him scaling Mazda Stadium's center-field wall to rob then-Yokohama BayStars slugger Shuichi Murata of a home run went viral.