Hideki Okajima — 37 | RP

Fast Facts about Hideki Okajima

Hideki Okajima

Date of Birth: 25 December 1975

Place of Birth: Kyoto, Japan

Height: 6-1 Weight: 194

College: Koshien

Signed: 2006 (Boston Red Sox)

Years Pro: 13

Years with Red Sox: 1

Bats: L

Throws: L

SEASON W L SV IP H ER SO ERA

1995 — YG 0 0 0 5.0 5 1 9 1.80

1996 — YG 1 0 0 12.7 13 1 8 0.71

1997 — YG 4 9 0 109.3 92 42 102 3.46

1998 — YG 3 6 0 62.3 61 30 54 4.33

1999 — YG 4 1 0 69.7 42 23 77 2.97

2000 — YG 5 4 7 72.3 53 25 102 3.11

2001 — YG 2 1 25 62.0 62 19 70 2.76

2002 — YG 6 3 0 55.7 42 21 58 3.39

2003 — YG 2 3 0 38.7 45 21 29 4.88

2004 — YG 4 3 5 46.7 33 16 53 3.08

2005 — YG 1 0 0 53.0 55 28 56 4.75

2006 — HNHF 2 2 4 54.7 46 13 63 2.14

2007 — BOS 3 2 5 69.0 50 17 63 2.22

TOTAL 37 34 46 711.0 599 257 744 3.25

Okajima was merely suppose to provide Red Sox teammate Daisuke Matsuzaka with the comfort of knowing another Japanese player on the Red Sox roster; instead, he led the Boston staff and all American League rookies with 66 appearances, the most in his 13-year professional career. He also saved five games and was voted by the fans to the American League All-Star Game.
After giving up a first-pitch home run on Opening Day in Kansas City, Okajima went 19 straight appearances without yielding a run until giving up a run to the Yankees in New York on 22 May.
The southpaw owns the distinction of being the first Japanese-born pitcher to play in the World Series when he entered Game Two against the Rockies at Fenway Park, going 2-1/3 innings of scoreless relief while striking out four. His teammate, Daisuke Matsuzaka, then became the first Japanese pitcher to start and win a World Series game when he started Game Three in Colorado.
Okajima was the winning pitcher in Boston's opener over the Oakland Athletics at the Tokyo Dome in March 2008, the first Japanese-born pitcher to win a game for an MLB club playing in Japan. He won the game in relief of fellow countryman Daisuke Matsuzaka.