Seibu's Takeya Nakamura, who won the Pacific League home run crown for the second consecutive year, will undergo surgery on his injured left knee to repair his anterior cruciate ligament and a damaged meniscus, the Lions said Tuesday.
The 29-year-old Nakamura, who spent the majority of the second half of the season in the designated hitter's spot after suffering the injury in June, hit 27 homers this season, a significant drop from the 48 he blasted in 2011.
He had the knee examined and made the decision to have surgery after the second-place Lions were eliminated in the first stage of the PL Climax Series on Oct. 15.
The club said it is unclear how long it will take for Nakamura to recover, but his appearance in the 2013 World Baseball Classic next March might be in jeopardy.
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