Hideki Okajima
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese professional baseball
pitcher
with the Boston Red Sox
organization in the United States
, currently with their AAA affiliate, the Pawtucket Red Sox
. He played with the Yomiuri Giants and Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan
's Nippon Professional Baseball league from 1994-2006. He was elected to the 2007 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
as a first time All-Star via the Monster All-Star Final Vote.
National High School Tournament
. He was drafted in the third round in 1993 by the Yomiuri Giants
of the Nippon Professional Baseball League. Okajima pitched mostly as a setup man, but sometimes played the role of a starter until 1999. 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. Okajima's entrance song with the Giants was the Dixie Chicks
' version of The Supremes
' hit, "You Can't Hurry Love."
Okajima became the team's closer in 2000–2001, before returning to his setup role in 2002. 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 Fighters won the championship that year. In Japan, Okajima had a career record of 34–32 with a 3.36 ERA.
in 2006, and signed a two-year, $2,500,000 deal with the Boston Red Sox
. The deal included a $1.75m club option for a third year. 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. Okajima stated, "I'm willing to be a hero in the dark."
Okajima allowed a home run to John Buck on his very first pitch in the major leagues. It was the 7th time in MLB history a pitcher gave up a home run on his first pitch. 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. 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
. Okajima stepped into the role of primary setup man for closer Jonathan Papelbon
and quickly became one of the most dominant relievers in the major leagues. Through the first two months of the season, Okajima cemented himself as the top setup man in the Red Sox bullpen, garnering the American League Rookie of the Month for April. Okajima's scoreless streak from April to May 2007 was the longest by a Red Sox left-hander since Bruce Hurst
20 years prior.
Okajima earned his first MLB save on April 20, 2007 against the New York Yankees
. After getting a save in his first appearance during a Red Sox–Yankees series, Okajima compared the experience to winning the pennant.
For all of his early success, Okajima remained relatively anonymous in his forays around Boston. 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.
In Japan, Okajima was even known as a gloomy man. However, Okajima has revealed more of his humorous side in the United States. Okajima faced the heart of the Detroit Tigers
order for the second time in one day to earn his second major league save. When Japanese reporters asked him about facing the same three batters in both games of the doubleheader
, he answered with a smile, "I did?"
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.
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
. 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 into a career-high four-run meltdown in a game against the Yankees on September 14, 2007. 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. On his return during the final stages of the regular season, Okajima regained his sharp early season form, pitching scoreless frames to establish himself again as an integral part of the dominant Red Sox bullpen as they headed into the post-season.
He was selected to the 2007 Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team
. The selection was the result of the 49th annual Topps balloting of Major League managers.
Okajima returned with his performance in Game 2 of the World Series
against the Colorado Rockies
, in which he pitched 2⅓ perfect innings in relief of Curt Schilling
, striking out four at Fenway Park
. He became the first Japanese born pitcher to play in the World Series. He closed the 2007 post-season with a home run to Garrett Atkins
.
Okajima won the opening game in the MLB Japan Opening Series 2008
.
On December 3, he was non-tendered by the Red Sox, making him a free agent. However, both parties agreed on a one year deal on January 2.
Okajima did not make the 2011 Opening Day roster, starting the season in Triple-A Pawtucket. On April 18, he was called up to the Red Sox.
On May 20, 2011 Okajima was designated for assignment
. On May 24, 2011, Okajima cleared waivers, and he accepted his assignment to the Red Sox's AAA affiliate, the Pawtucket Red Sox
.
Okajima has a distinctive pitching form in which he turns his head downwards just before he releases the ball, and after release jerks it hard towards third base. These extra movements appear to give Okajima some added velocity to his pitches as it torques his body towards homeplate, and reportedly disguises his pitches and causes batters to swing early. Okajima is said to have mimicked his pitching form after a pitcher in Yoichi Takahashi
's manga
Ace! who torqued his head so much after every pitch that it always caused his hat to come flying off. Okajima admits, "I was trying to copy the motion. I believed it would make me throw harder."
A part of Japanese people dubbed this pitching form "Looking the Other Way", after a local version of the rock-paper-scissors
game. Initially, in Japan, numerous coaches such as Tsuneo Horiuchi
attempted to change Okajima's pitching form throughout his baseball career. This all stopped, however, when pitching coach Yoshitaka Katori of the Yomiuri Giants admitted his pitch. In the past, Okajima was prone to bouts of wildness—even being booed in his home park for his poor control. After 2005 season, Okajima was traded to the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters and then he changed his pitching form so that he re-established good control.
Okajima's pitches are of a lower velocity than average for most pitchers, forcing him to develop a more consistent release point to better control his pitches. Okajima’s fastball
is usually in the 85-89 mph range, rarely ever reaching 90 mph. His out pitch in Japan was his sharp rainbow curveball
in the 70-75 mph range, which left-handed hitters find hard to hit. He also occasionally throws a Circle changeup
, a forkball
in the 80-84 mph range and changeup
usually 82-84 mph.
After joining the Red Sox, Okajima has displayed such pinpoint accuracy that Hideki Matsui
, former teammate, of the New York Yankees was amazed that since his time with Okajima in Japan, he never believed Okajima could gain such "great control". Okajima's success in the major leagues against multiple batters was a departure from his time in Japan, where he was known as a situational lefty
brought in to face one left-handed batter in key late-game situations.
During an April 15 rainout in 2007, Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell tweaked Okajima's changeup delivery. The result was a changeup with screwball motion dubbed the "Okie-Dokie" by bullpen coach Gary Tuck
. As of May 10, 2007, the Okie-Dokie has been thrown for strikes 79% of the time with hitters swinging through the pitch 14 out of 30 times.
Detroit Tigers
slugger Gary Sheffield
declared Okajima "one of the most impressive lefties I've ever seen" with "stuff I have never seen before from anybody." Former Yankees manager Joe Torre
called Okajima "unhittable".
his "master". Okajima's wife is sports announcer , with whom he has a son and a daughter. He met his wife during a champagne/beer celebration after his Yomiuri Giants won the 2000 Japan Series
.
Okajima's favorite movies are romances including Ghost
, Pretty Woman
, and Autumn in New York
.
Okajima ran the Honolulu Marathon
on December 14, 2008, completing the run with a time of 6:10:26 (gun time).
Major Leagues
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese professional baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
with the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
organization in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, currently with their AAA affiliate, the Pawtucket Red Sox
Pawtucket Red Sox
The Pawtucket Red Sox are the minor league baseball Triple-A affiliates of the Boston Red Sox and belong to the International League...
. He played with the Yomiuri Giants and Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
's Nippon Professional Baseball league from 1994-2006. He was elected to the 2007 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
as a first time All-Star via the Monster All-Star Final Vote.
Career in Japan
Okajima attended Higashiyama High School and pitched in the 1994 KoshienKoshien Stadium
is a baseball park located near Kobe in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The stadium was built to host the national high school baseball tournaments, and opened on April 1, 1924. It was the largest stadium in Asia at the time it was completed, with a capacity of 55,000.The name Kōshien comes...
National High School Tournament
High school baseball in Japan
In Japan, high school baseball generally refers to the two annual baseball tournaments played by high schools nationwide culminating at a final showdown at Hanshin Kōshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Japan...
. He was drafted in the third round in 1993 by the Yomiuri Giants
Yomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
of the Nippon Professional Baseball League. Okajima pitched mostly as a setup man, but sometimes played the role of a starter until 1999. When he played with the Giants in Japan, Okajima chose to go by the nickname "Okaji" instead of "Hideki" because there was Hideki Matsui
Hideki Matsui
is a Japanese Major League Baseball designated hitter and outfielder. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed.After playing the first ten seasons of his career for the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, he played the next seven seasons, from 2003–2009, for the New York...
, who preceded him on the Giants. Okajima's entrance song with the Giants was the Dixie Chicks
Dixie Chicks
The Dixie Chicks are an American country band which has also successfully crossed over into other genres. The band is composed of founding members Martie Erwin Maguire and Emily Erwin Robison, and lead singer Natalie Maines...
' version of The Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
' hit, "You Can't Hurry Love."
Okajima became the team's closer in 2000–2001, before returning to his setup role in 2002. He was traded to the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters
Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters
The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Sapporo, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at the Sapporo Dome. The Fighters also host a select number of regional home games in cities across Hokkaidō,...
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 Fighters won the championship that year. In Japan, Okajima had a career record of 34–32 with a 3.36 ERA.
North American Major League career
Okajima became a free agentFree agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
in 2006, and signed a two-year, $2,500,000 deal with the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
. The deal included a $1.75m club option for a third year. During spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
in 2007, Okajima was asked what he felt about being relatively anonymous while his teammate and countryman Daisuke Matsuzaka
Daisuke Matsuzaka
is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball in the United States. He previously played for the Seibu Lions in Japan's Pacific League. He was selected the MVP of the inaugural and the second World Baseball Classic, and is an Olympic bronze...
's every move was scrutinized. Okajima stated, "I'm willing to be a hero in the dark."
Okajima allowed a home run to John Buck on his very first pitch in the major leagues. It was the 7th time in MLB history a pitcher gave up a home run on his first pitch. 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
Fielder's choice
In baseball, fielder's choice is a term used to refer to a variety of plays involving an offensive player reaching a base due to the defense's attempt to put out another baserunner, or the defensive team's indifference to his advance...
on May 22. At the start of the 2007 Red Sox season, injuries and poor performances limited the effectiveness of anticipated setup relievers Mike Timlin
Mike Timlin
-Early life:Timlin was born in Midland, Texas to Jerome Francis Timlin Sr. and Nancy Sharon Beyer. Timlin graduated from Midland High School in Midland, Texas. He then attended and pitched at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta.-Baseball career...
and Joel Piñeiro
Joel Piñeiro
Joel Alberto Piñeiro is a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball starting pitcher. He is 6'1" tall and weighs 200 pounds. He is right-handed and made his major league debut on August 8, .-Career:...
. Okajima stepped into the role of primary setup man for closer Jonathan Papelbon
Jonathan Papelbon
Jonathan Robert Papelbon is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball. Before joining the Phillies, Papelbon played with the Boston Red Sox from 2005-2011....
and quickly became one of the most dominant relievers in the major leagues. Through the first two months of the season, Okajima cemented himself as the top setup man in the Red Sox bullpen, garnering the American League Rookie of the Month for April. Okajima's scoreless streak from April to May 2007 was the longest by a Red Sox left-hander since Bruce Hurst
Bruce Hurst
Bruce Vee Hurst is a former Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher. He is best remembered for his brilliant performance for the Boston Red Sox in the postseason. He was even named World Series M.V.P...
20 years prior.
Okajima earned his first MLB save on April 20, 2007 against the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
. After getting a save in his first appearance during a Red Sox–Yankees series, Okajima compared the experience to winning the pennant.
For all of his early success, Okajima remained relatively anonymous in his forays around Boston. 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.
In Japan, Okajima was even known as a gloomy man. However, Okajima has revealed more of his humorous side in the United States. Okajima faced the heart of the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
order for the second time in one day to earn his second major league save. When Japanese reporters asked him about facing the same three batters in both games of the doubleheader
Doubleheader (baseball)
A doubleheader is a set of two baseball games played between the same two teams on the same day in front of the same crowd. In addition, the term is often used unofficially to refer to a pair of games played by a team in a single day, but in front of different crowds and not in immediate...
, he answered with a smile, "I did?"
Okajima made the All-Star team as the winner of the final vote
All-Star Final Vote
All-Star Final Vote is an annual Internet and text message ballot by Major League Baseball fans to elect the final player for each team that participates in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game after all other selections have been made and announced on national television. The first 33 players...
but did not play in the game; he is the third Red Sox player to make the team this way.
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
American League East
The American League Eastern Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions . This division was created before the start of the 1969 season along with the Western Division...
. 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 into a career-high four-run meltdown in a game against the Yankees on September 14, 2007. 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. On his return during the final stages of the regular season, Okajima regained his sharp early season form, pitching scoreless frames to establish himself again as an integral part of the dominant Red Sox bullpen as they headed into the post-season.
He was selected to the 2007 Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team
Topps All-Star Rookie Rosters
This is a year-by-year list of the Topps All-Star Rookie teams. Note that players selected for a particular team appear in the following year's set release...
. The selection was the result of the 49th annual Topps balloting of Major League managers.
Okajima returned with his performance in Game 2 of the World Series
2007 World Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at Fenway Park in Boston, MassachusettsThe Red Sox cruised to a blowout win in Game 1 behind ALCS MVP Josh Beckett, who struck out nine batters, including the first four he faced, en route to his fourth win of the 2007 postseason...
against the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
, in which he pitched 2⅓ perfect innings in relief of Curt Schilling
Curt Schilling
Curtis Montague "Curt" Schilling is a former American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He helped lead the Philadelphia Phillies to the World Series in and won World Series championships in with the Arizona Diamondbacks and in and with the Boston Red Sox. Schilling retired with a...
, striking out four at Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
. He became the first Japanese born pitcher to play in the World Series. He closed the 2007 post-season with a home run to Garrett Atkins
Garrett Atkins
Garrett Bernard Atkins is a Major League Baseball first baseman who is currently a Free Agent. He bats and throws right-handed....
.
Okajima won the opening game in the MLB Japan Opening Series 2008
MLB Japan Opening Series 2008
The Major League Baseball Opening Series Japan 2008 was played on March 25 and 26, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan. The 2007 World Series champion Boston Red Sox and the Oakland Athletics split the two-game series at the Tokyo Dome....
.
On December 3, he was non-tendered by the Red Sox, making him a free agent. However, both parties agreed on a one year deal on January 2.
Okajima did not make the 2011 Opening Day roster, starting the season in Triple-A Pawtucket. On April 18, he was called up to the Red Sox.
On May 20, 2011 Okajima was designated for assignment
Designated for assignment
Designated for assignment is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball. When a player is designated for assignment, he is immediately removed from the club's 40-man roster. This gives the club 10 days to decide what to do with the player while freeing up a roster spot for another...
. On May 24, 2011, Okajima cleared waivers, and he accepted his assignment to the Red Sox's AAA affiliate, the Pawtucket Red Sox
Pawtucket Red Sox
The Pawtucket Red Sox are the minor league baseball Triple-A affiliates of the Boston Red Sox and belong to the International League...
.
Pitching style
Yoichi Takahashi
is a Japanese cartoonist and manga artist, best known for his work Captain Tsubasa.-Works:Yoichi Takahashi has had many items published including art books, manga, novels, and guides, most of which are of about his manga Captain Tsubasa.-Manga:...
's manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
Ace! who torqued his head so much after every pitch that it always caused his hat to come flying off. Okajima admits, "I was trying to copy the motion. I believed it would make me throw harder."
A part of Japanese people dubbed this pitching form "Looking the Other Way", after a local version of the rock-paper-scissors
Rock-paper-scissors
Rock-paper-scissors is a hand game played by two people. The game is also known as roshambo, or another ordering of the three items ....
game. Initially, in Japan, numerous coaches such as Tsuneo Horiuchi
Tsuneo Horiuchi
is a former professional baseball pitcher in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. In he was voted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame. He stood as a candidate of the House of Councillors election, 2010 for the LDP but lost...
attempted to change Okajima's pitching form throughout his baseball career. This all stopped, however, when pitching coach Yoshitaka Katori of the Yomiuri Giants admitted his pitch. In the past, Okajima was prone to bouts of wildness—even being booed in his home park for his poor control. After 2005 season, Okajima was traded to the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters and then he changed his pitching form so that he re-established good control.
Okajima's pitches are of a lower velocity than average for most pitchers, forcing him to develop a more consistent release point to better control his pitches. Okajima’s fastball
Fastball
The fastball is the most common type of pitch in baseball. Some "power pitchers," such as Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, have thrown it at speeds of 95–106 mph and up to 108.1 mph , relying purely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit...
is usually in the 85-89 mph range, rarely ever reaching 90 mph. His out pitch in Japan was his sharp rainbow curveball
Curveball
The curveball is a type of pitch in baseball thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball causing it to dive in a downward path as it approaches the plate. Its close relatives are the slider and the slurve. The "curve" of the ball varies from pitcher to...
in the 70-75 mph range, which left-handed hitters find hard to hit. He also occasionally throws a Circle changeup
Circle changeup
In baseball, a circle changeup is a pitch thrown with a grip that includes a circle formation, hence the name. The circle is formed by making a circle with the index finger, holding the thumb at the bottom of the ball parallel to the middle finger and holding the ball far out in the hand...
, a forkball
Forkball
The forkball is a type of pitch in baseball. Related to the split-fingered fastball, the forkball is held between the first two fingers and thrown hard snapping the wrist....
in the 80-84 mph range and changeup
Changeup
A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball. Other names include change-of-pace, Bugs Bunny change-up, the dreaded equalizer, and simply change. The changeup is sometimes called an off-speed pitch, although that term can also be used simply to mean any pitch that is slower than a fastball...
usually 82-84 mph.
After joining the Red Sox, Okajima has displayed such pinpoint accuracy that Hideki Matsui
Hideki Matsui
is a Japanese Major League Baseball designated hitter and outfielder. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed.After playing the first ten seasons of his career for the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, he played the next seven seasons, from 2003–2009, for the New York...
, former teammate, of the New York Yankees was amazed that since his time with Okajima in Japan, he never believed Okajima could gain such "great control". Okajima's success in the major leagues against multiple batters was a departure from his time in Japan, where he was known as a situational lefty
Left-handed specialist
In baseball, a left-handed specialist is a left-handed relief pitcher who specializes in pitching to left-handed batters, or to switch-hitters who bat poorly right-handed...
brought in to face one left-handed batter in key late-game situations.
During an April 15 rainout in 2007, Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell tweaked Okajima's changeup delivery. The result was a changeup with screwball motion dubbed the "Okie-Dokie" by bullpen coach Gary Tuck
Gary Tuck
Gary Robert Tuck is currently the bullpen coach for the Boston Red Sox.A graduate of Indiana University, Tuck has 23 years of professional coaching experience. He started his baseball career as a catcher for the Montreal Expos organization and played for them during three minor league seasons...
. As of May 10, 2007, the Okie-Dokie has been thrown for strikes 79% of the time with hitters swinging through the pitch 14 out of 30 times.
Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
slugger Gary Sheffield
Gary Sheffield
Gary Antonian Sheffield , nicknamed "Sheff", is an American retired Major League Baseball outfielder. He played for eight major league ball clubs from 1988 to 2009, primarily as an outfielder.-Biography:...
declared Okajima "one of the most impressive lefties I've ever seen" with "stuff I have never seen before from anybody." Former Yankees manager Joe Torre
Joe Torre
Joseph Paul Torre is a former American professional baseball player and manager who currently serves as Major League Baseball’s Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations. A nine-time All-Star, he played in Major League Baseball as a catcher, first baseman and a third baseman for the...
called Okajima "unhittable".
Personal life
Okajima calls Masumi KuwataMasumi Kuwata
Masumi Kuwata is a former Japanese right-handed pitcher. He was formerly with the Yomiuri Giants of the Central League. He pitched 21 seasons with the Giants, beginning in 1986. In December 2006 Masumi signed a minor league deal with the Pirates...
his "master". Okajima's wife is sports announcer , with whom he has a son and a daughter. He met his wife during a champagne/beer celebration after his Yomiuri Giants won the 2000 Japan Series
Japan Series
, or is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a seven-game series between the winning clubs of the league's two circuits, the Central League and the Pacific League....
.
Okajima's favorite movies are romances including Ghost
Ghost (film)
Ghost is a 1990 romantic drama film starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg. It was written by Bruce Joel Rubin and directed by Jerry Zucker.-Plot:...
, Pretty Woman
Pretty Woman
Pretty Woman is a 1990 romantic comedy film set in Los Angeles, California. Written by J.F. Lawton and directed by Garry Marshall, this motion picture features Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, and also Hector Elizondo, Ralph Bellamy, and Jason Alexander in supporting roles. Roberts played the only...
, and Autumn in New York
Autumn in New York (film)
Autumn in New York is a 2000 romantic drama film directed by Joan Chen and starring Richard Gere, Winona Ryder, and Anthony LaPaglia.The movie focuses on Will Keane who falls in love with Charlotte Fielding , a sweet, but terminally ill young woman.-Plot:Will Keane, a 48-year old restaurant owner,...
.
Okajima ran the Honolulu Marathon
Honolulu Marathon
The Honolulu Marathon is one of the world's largest marathons. It takes place annually in Honolulu, Hawaii on the second Sunday in December. - History :...
on December 14, 2008, completing the run with a time of 6:10:26 (gun time).
Pitching stats
Japanese Professional Leagues- 439 Games
- 34 Wins
- 32 Losses
- 41 Saves
- 3.36 ERA
- 681 Strikeouts
Major Leagues
- 12 Wins, 4 Losses
- 6/16 On saves
- 192 Innings Pitched
- Hits Surrendered: 155
- Runs Surrendered: 58
- 176 Strikeouts
- 2.72 E.R.A.
Awards and recognition
- Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star Game 2000, 2001, 2002.
- Japan Series Champion (2000, 2002 Yomiuri Giants and 2006 Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters).
- Asia Series Champion (2006 Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters).
- Okajima was awarded Rookie of the Month of the American League for April 2007.
- American League All-Star (2007).
- World Series Champion (2007 Boston Red Sox).
See also
- List of Major League Baseball players from Japan