Okajima became the team's closer in 2000–2001, before returning to his setup role in 2002.
Oakland Athletics signed free agent LHP Hideki Okajima to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction?
Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Red Sox management decided to shut him down following this outing to allow Okajima to relieve the physical and mental fatigue of the longer American season. Do you have a sports website? [14], In Japan, Okajima was known as a gloomy man. The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball, Salaries may not be complete (especially pre-1985) and may not include some earned bonuses, Note, this is done in an automated way, so we apologize for any errors, & please. The Flyby - Favorite Players of Then and Now, The most unlikely All-Stars in Red Sox history, Offseason Choose Your Own Adventure - A Thanksgiving Day Call, Wednesday Bird Droppings: Where Aubrey Huff is on the Hall of Fame ballot, Remembering the 2007 Red Sox: The Rookies, The Chris Johnson signing might actually matter, Thursday Bird Droppings: Okajima, you're OK.
[17] Following the All-Star break, Okajima continued to pitch solid and reliable relief innings occasionally closing games for the Sox as they held their place at the top of the AL East.
Join our linker program. He was drafted in the third round in 1993 by the Yomiuri Giants of the Nippon Professional Baseball League. We answer the biggest questions so far in this Fall Classic. LHP Hideki Okajima assigned to Norfolk Tides.
Win Expectancy, Run Expectancy, and Leverage Index calculations provided by Tom Tango of InsideTheBook.com, and co-author of The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. He also occasionally threw a circle changeup, a forkball in the 80–84 mph range and a changeup usually around 82–84 mph. [8] However, Okajima then proceeded to hold opponents scoreless for nearly two months until the Yankees scored a run off of him via a fielder's choice on May 22.
Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 1 June 2020, at 22:18.
May 24, 2011: Boston Red Sox sent LHP Hideki Okajima outright to Pawtucket Red Sox. He became the first Japanese-born pitche… New York Yankees signed free agent LHP Hideki Okajima to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training. Someone on Facebook asked why the JJ Hardy picture on Bird Droppings when there is no Hardy content.
[21] Okajima helped win the opening game in the MLB Japan Opening Series 2008.
[2], Okajima was drafted in the third round in 1993 by the Yomiuri Giants of the Nippon Professional Baseball League.
Tampa Bay's best hitter has been a mess most of the postseason, but getting in touch with his personal hitting coach changed everything. Get the latest news, stats, videos, highlights and more about relief pitcher Hideki Okajima on ESPN.
World Series 2020: How Brandon Lowe got his swing straightened out at exactly the right time. [44], 2007 Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team, List of Major League Baseball players from Japan, "The Official Site of Boston Red Sox: Team: Player Information: Biography and Career Highlights: Hideki Okajima", "Okajima: Hardly a dicey deal for the Red Sox", "BoSox reach deal with Japanese lefty; Matsuzaka talks continue", "Hideki Okajima Probably Wishes He Could Have That First Pitch Back", MLB - Boston Red Sox/New York Yankees Box Score Tuesday May 22, 2007, "BoSox's Okajima shelved several days with tired arm", "Topps announces the 49th annual Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team", "Dice-K gets no-decision as Red Sox hang on to beat A's in extras", "Okajima Clears Waivers, Assigned To Pawtucket", "Hideki Okajima released by Japanese team so he can return to MLB", "Former Red Sox reliever Okajima retires", "Okajima is 'Oka-Doke' with Sox: 31-year-old rookie lefty emerges from Matsuzaka's shadow", "Okajima gives Red Sox bullpen decided edge", "栗原 由佳のプロフィール - Cent FORCE Co., Ltd. (Kurihara Yuka's Profile)", "Okajima completes 6-hour Honolulu Marathon", GIBBY/This Year in Baseball Setup Man of the Year Award, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hideki_Okajima&oldid=960243916, Japanese expatriate baseball players in the United States, Articles with dead external links from October 2010, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing Japanese-language text, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. The latest stats, facts, news and notes on Hideki Okajima of the Oakland On July 18, 2016, Okajima announced his retirement. "[6], Okajima allowed a home run to John Buck on his very first pitch in the major leagues.
Hideki Okajima World Series Stats. Clay Buchholz held the Blue Jays to a run and three hits in 8 1/3 innings Saturday in Boston's 3-2 win over Toronto. Juan Miranda drew a bases-loaded walk from Hideki Okajima in the 10th inning Sunday, handing the New York Yankees a 4-3 win over Boston.
[15] However, Okajima revealed more of his humorous side in the United States. Senate panel votes to confirm Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, Supreme Court rejects COVID-19-related curbside voting in Alabama, Netflix: What's coming and going in November 2020, Gallup: Most U.S. voters say Trump doesn't deserve 2nd term, Cybersecurity firm: Millions of voter, consumer records for sale on 'dark web'. [22], On December 3, 2010, he was non-tendered by the Red Sox, making him a free agent.
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Hideki Okajima (岡島 秀樹, Okajima Hideki?, born December 25, 1975 in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher with the Boston Red Sox in the United States. Or write about sports? "[16], Okajima made the All-Star team as the winner of the final vote, but did not play in the game; he is the third Red Sox player to make the team this way. The 10 greatest performers in World Series history. A 7 vote difference means Alexander Henry closed shop and went home for Thanksgiving.
[34] This all stopped, however, when pitching coach Yoshitaka Katori of the Yomiuri Giants accepted his pitching approach. Okajima is said to have mimicked the pitching form of a pitcher in Yoichi Takahashi's manga Ace! (Age 37-170d)
Hideki Okajima was born on December 25, 1975, in Fushimi-Ku, Kyoto, Japan.
After the 2014 season Okajima considered returning to the MLB but instead chose to stay in Japan, signing with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in December 2014. Hideki Okajima (岡島 秀樹, Okajima Hideki, born December 25, 1975) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher.
Born: David Ortiz had a homer, three RBI and three runs scored Tuesday to help the Boston Red Sox outslug the Toronto Blue Jays 10-9.
World Series Champion (2007 Boston Red Sox). The result was a changeup with screwball motion dubbed the "Okie-Dokie" by bullpen coach Gary Tuck.
Okajima was elected to the 2007 Major League Baseball All-Star Game as a first time All-Star via the All-Star Final Vote. Okajima pitched for the Yomiuri Giants, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, and Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball, and … vs. NYY 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 SO, 1 BB, 0 ER, Rookie Status:
Copyright © 2020 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. In Japan, Okajima had a career record of 34–32 with a 3.36 ERA.
(Age 31-098d, Okajima was elected to the 2007 Major League Baseball All-Star Game as a first time All-Star via the All-Star Final Vote. vs. KCR 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 SO, 0 BB, 1 ER, Last Game: Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. He retired on July 18, 2016. His fastball was usually in the 85–89 mph range, rarely ever reaching 90 mph. Boston Red Sox designated Hideki Okajima for assignment. Okajima is known for his distinctive pitching style, in which he turns his head downwards and jerks it toward third base as he delivers the ball. Washington Nationals re-signing Josh Harrison to one-year contract.
When he played with the Giants in Japan, Okajima chose to go by the nickname "Okaji" instead of "Hideki" because there was Hideki Matsui, who preceded him on the Giants. [12] After getting a save in his first appearance during a Red Sox–Yankees series, Okajima compared the experience to winning the pennant. When Japanese reporters asked him about facing the same three batters in both games of the doubleheader, he answered with a smile, "I did?
The 2007 team got a tremendous amount of help from first-year players. Are you a Stathead, too?
Exceeded rookie limits during 2007 season, Agents: Joe Rosen • Previously: Anthony Nakanishi, Pronunciation: \hih-DECK-ee oh-kuh-JEE-muh\, More Hideki Okajima Pages at Baseball Reference, Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Thursday, October 22, 12:56AM. Asia Series Champion (2006 Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters). Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports.
Hideki Okajima (岡島 秀樹 , Okajima Hideki, born December 25, 1975) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. [10] Okajima's scoreless streak from April to May 2007 was the longest by a Red Sox left-hander since Bruce Hurst 20 years prior.
In Japan, Okajima had a career record of 34–32 with a 3.36 ERA. [25], The New York Yankees signed Okajima to a minor league contract on December 28, 2011. He became the first Japanese born pitcher to play in the World Series. He was granted his release from this team on January 29, 2013 to pursue opportunities in MLB.[27]. He had a 2.16 ERA with 18 strikeouts and two walks in 16 2/3 innings during his tenure in Triple-A. June 13, 2013 Okajima returned to Japan in 2014, signing a one-year contract with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
Hideki Okajima contract details, salary breakdowns, payroll salaries, bonuses, career earnings, market value, transactions and statistics.
I believed it would make me throw harder. Boston Red Sox recalled Hideki Okajima from Pawtucket Red Sox. However, the rigors of the MLB season began to catch up with Okajima in the later stages of the season and he began to struggle culminating in a career-high four-run meltdown in a game against the Yankees on September 14, 2007. He was traded to the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters right before the start of the 2006 season for two position players, and was a valuable lefty setup man for the team, pitching in 55 games, with a 2.14 ERA. The series is staying in Arlington, but the Dodgers and Rays have 24 hours to catch their breath. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC.
However, both parties agreed on a one-year deal on January 2.
Hideki Okajima (岡島 秀樹, Okajima Hideki, born December 25, 1975) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher.
Career: 17-8, 3.09 ERA, 216 SO, P, AllStar, RedSox/Athletics 2007-2013, t:L, born in Japan 1975 [9] At the start of the 2007 Red Sox season, injuries and poor performances limited the effectiveness of anticipated setup relievers Mike Timlin and Joel Piñeiro. During spring training in 2007, Okajima was asked what he felt about being relatively anonymous while his teammate and countryman Daisuke Matsuzaka's every move was scrutinized.
The selection was the result of the 49th annual Topps balloting of Major League managers.
While Okajima was taking a cab ride with his wife to a local restaurant, his cab driver gushed about the amazing performance of the Red Sox's newly acquired lefty without knowing that the reliever was in the cab with him. Okajima's entrance song with the Giants was the Dixie Chicks' version of The Supremes' hit, "You Can't Hurry Love.". Find out more.