He entered Shonan High School and joined its baseball club as a shortstop, and participated in the Summer Koshien during his 1st and 3rd year, reaching the quarter final round in the latter.

For the second half of the season, Manager Wada opted for speed in his lead-off hitters by appointing Hiroki Uemoto as 1st, and Yamato as second.

[6] He returned in time for the 2nd game of the Climax Series first stage match with the Carps on October 13, but the Tigers were not able to advance any further after two consecutive defeats.

On May 5 however, following the injury of Nishioka and Uemoto in separate occasions, he was assigned to take charge of 2nd base for the first time in two years, while Shunsuke manned the outfield.

[12] He made a successful comeback as a pinch runner for Fukudome on the August 19 game against the Dragons, where he managed to steal 3rd base.

He put on a fielding clinic during the October Climax and Japan Series, chasing and catching the most difficult of hits with remarkable speed and agility, earning him his first ever Golden Glove Award during off-season.

[15] Even in his rookie years, Hanshin coaches placed high regard in his fielding skills, and were even quoted that he can qualify for the first squad based on defense alone.

[16] In terms of offense, however, his body's slight build didn't allow for much hitting power, as evidenced by his low batting average of .177 in 2009.

But he wasn't able to repeat his success when he began appearing in official games as 2nd batter, and at times, even incurred injuries during his attempts to bunt.