Chunichi Dragons veteran outfielder Kazuhiro Wada will retire at the end of the season, he told reporters before a game against the Tokyo Yakult Swallows on Saturday afternoon at Nagoya Dome.

“Stay tuned for details,” the 43-year-old Wada said.

In his 19th year of pro baseball, Wada became the oldest player to reach 2,000 hits when he registered the mark at 42 years, 11 months, in June. He also is only the third player in Japanese baseball to reach 1,000 hits in both the Central and Pacific leagues.

Wada got off to slow start this season after having surgery on his right knee last fall.

Originally a catcher, Wada joined the Seibu Lions as a fourth-round pick in the 1996 draft. He won the batting title and led the PL in hits in 2005. Wada joined Chunichi as a free agent in 2007 and won the league MVP in 2010.