Hideki Okajima facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hideki Okajima岡島 秀樹 |
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Okajima with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
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| Pitcher | |||
| Born: December 25, 1975 Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Japan |
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| Professional debut | |||
| NPB: October 6, 1995, for the Yomiuri Giants | |||
| MLB: April 2, 2007, for the Boston Red Sox | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| MLB: June 13, 2013, for the Oakland Athletics | |||
| NPB: October 2, 2015, for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars | |||
| NPB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 38–40 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.19 | ||
| Strikeouts | 760 | ||
| Saves | 50 | ||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 17–8 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.09 | ||
| Strikeouts | 216 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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MLB
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Hideki Okajima (岡島 秀樹, Okajima Hideki, born December 25, 1975) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He was born on December 25, 1975. Okajima played for several teams in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in Japan. These teams included the Yomiuri Giants, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, and Yokohama DeNA BayStars. He also played in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States for the Boston Red Sox and Oakland Athletics.
In 2007, Okajima was chosen for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. He was picked by fans through a special "All-Star Final Vote." He also made history in the 2007 World Series. He was the first pitcher born in Japan to play in a World Series game. Hideki Okajima announced his retirement from baseball on July 18, 2016.
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Baseball Career Highlights
Okajima went to Higashiyama High School in Japan. He played baseball there and pitched in the big 1994 Koshien National High School Tournament.
Playing for the Yomiuri Giants
In 1993, the Yomiuri Giants picked Okajima in the third round of the NPB draft. For many years, he mostly played as a setup man. This means he would pitch in the middle innings to help the team keep its lead. Sometimes, before 1999, he would also start games. When he played for the Giants, Okajima was called "Okaji." He chose this nickname because another famous player, Hideki Matsui, was already on the team and also named Hideki.
From 2000 to 2001, Okajima became the team's closer. A closer is a pitcher who finishes the game, usually in the last inning, to secure a win. In 2002, he went back to being a setup pitcher.
Time with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters
Just before the 2006 season began, Okajima was traded to the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. He was a very good left-handed setup pitcher for them. He played in 55 games and had a low 2.14 ERA (Earned Run Average), which is a measure of how well a pitcher prevents runs. That year, the Fighters won the championship! In Japan, Okajima's career record was 34 wins and 32 losses, with a 3.36 ERA.
Joining the Boston Red Sox
After the 2006 season, Okajima became a free agent. This means he could sign with any team. He signed a two-year contract with the Boston Red Sox for $2.5 million. The contract also had an option for a third year.
During spring training in 2007, reporters asked Okajima about being less famous than his teammate, Daisuke Matsuzaka. Matsuzaka was a big star from Japan. Okajima said, "I'm willing to be a hero in the dark." This meant he was happy to do his job well without being the main focus.
Okajima's first pitch in the major leagues was a home run given up to John Buck. This was only the eleventh time in MLB history that a pitcher gave up a home run on their very first pitch. However, after that, Okajima pitched incredibly well. He didn't allow any runs for almost two months!
Because other Red Sox pitchers were injured or not playing well, Okajima became the main setup pitcher for the team's closer, Jonathan Papelbon. He quickly became one of the best relief pitchers in MLB. He was even named the American League Rookie of the Month for April. His streak of not allowing runs was the longest by a Red Sox left-handed pitcher in 20 years.
On April 20, 2007, Okajima earned his first MLB save against the New York Yankees. He said getting a save in a Red Sox-Yankees game felt like winning the championship!
Even with all his success, Okajima remained quite unknown in Boston. Once, a taxi driver was talking to Okajima and his wife about how amazing the Red Sox's new left-handed pitcher was. The driver didn't even realize that Okajima himself was in the cab!
In Japan, Okajima was known for being serious. But in the U.S., he showed a more humorous side. After pitching in both games of a doubleheader on May 17, 2007, Japanese reporters asked him about facing the same batters twice. He smiled and said, "I did?"
Okajima was chosen for the All-Star team through the "final vote" by fans. He was the third Red Sox player to make the team this way. After the All-Star break, he continued to pitch well. However, the long MLB season started to wear him out. On September 14, 2007, he had a tough game against the Yankees, giving up four runs. The Red Sox decided to give him a break to recover. When he returned, he pitched well again and was a key part of the Red Sox bullpen as they headed into the playoffs. He was also named to the 2007 Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team.
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Okajima pitched great in Game 2 of the 2007 World Series against the Colorado Rockies. He pitched 2⅓ perfect innings, striking out four batters. He became the first Japanese-born pitcher to play in the World Series. He helped the Red Sox win the World Series that year!
After the 2010 season, the Red Sox decided not to offer Okajima a new contract right away. But they later agreed on a one-year deal. In 2011, he started the season in Triple-A, a lower league. He was called up to the Red Sox in April but was later sent back down.
In December 2011, the New York Yankees signed Okajima to a minor league contract. However, he failed his physical exam during spring training and was released.
Return to Japan and MLB
Okajima signed a one-year contract with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in Japan in February 2012. He was released in January 2013 to try to play in MLB again.
He then signed a minor league deal with the Oakland Athletics in February 2013. He started the season in Triple-A but was called up to the A's main team in May. He was later released in September 2013.
Okajima returned to Japan in 2014, signing another contract with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. After the 2014 season, he thought about returning to MLB but decided to stay in Japan. He signed with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in December 2014.
In February 2015, Okajima signed a minor league deal with the Baltimore Orioles. He was released in March 2016 and officially retired from baseball on July 18, 2016.
Pitching Style and Techniques
Okajima had a very unique way of pitching. Just before he threw the ball, he would turn his head downwards. After releasing the ball, he would sharply jerk his head towards third base. These extra movements seemed to make his pitches faster. They also made it harder for batters to see the ball, causing them to swing too early.
Okajima said he copied this motion from a pitcher in a Japanese comic book (manga) called Ace!. In the comic, the pitcher turned his head so much that his hat would fly off! Okajima admitted, "I was trying to copy the motion. I believed it would make me throw harder."
Some Japanese people called his pitching style "Looking the Other Way." Many coaches in Japan tried to change his style at first. But then, Yoshitaka Katori, a pitching coach for the Yomiuri Giants, accepted his unique way of throwing. Early in his career, Okajima sometimes had trouble controlling his pitches. After the 2005 season, he changed his pitching form and got much better control.
Okajima's fastballs were usually not super fast, around 85–89 miles per hour. His best pitch in Japan was a sharp, looping curveball that was hard for left-handed batters to hit. He also sometimes threw a circle changeup and a forkball.
When he joined the Red Sox, Okajima showed amazing accuracy. His former teammate, Hideki Matsui, was surprised because he never thought Okajima could get such "great control." In Japan, Okajima was often used as a "situational lefty." This meant he would come into the game to face just one left-handed batter in important situations. But in MLB, he showed he could pitch well against many different batters.
In April 2007, a Red Sox coach helped Okajima improve his changeup pitch. This new changeup had a special "screwball" motion. The Red Sox bullpen coach, Gary Tuck, even nicknamed it the "Okie-Dokie." This pitch was very effective, with batters swinging and missing often.
Famous baseball player Gary Sheffield called Okajima "one of the most impressive lefties I've ever seen." He said Okajima had "stuff I have never seen before from anybody." Former Yankees manager Joe Torre even called Okajima "unhittable."
Personal Life
Okajima considers Masumi Kuwata his "master" or mentor in baseball. Okajima is married to sports announcer Yuka Kurihara (栗原 由佳, Kurihara Yuka). They have three sons and one daughter. He met his wife during a celebration after his Yomiuri Giants team won the 2000 Japan Series.
Okajima enjoys romantic movies. His favorite films include Ghost, Pretty Woman, and Autumn in New York.
On December 14, 2008, Okajima ran the Honolulu Marathon. He finished the race in 6 hours, 10 minutes, and 26 seconds.
Awards and Recognition
- NPB All-Star: 2000, 2001, 2002
- Japan Series Champion: 2000, 2002 (with Yomiuri Giants), 2006 (with Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters)
- Asia Series Champion: 2006 (with Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters)
- American League Rookie of the Month: April 2007
- American League All-Star: 2007
- World Series Champion: 2007 (with Boston Red Sox)
See also
- List of Major League Baseball players from Japan
