Hideki Okajima is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher.
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34 Facts About Hideki Okajima
2.
Hideki Okajima was elected to the 2007 Major League Baseball All-Star Game as a first time All-Star via the All-Star Final Vote.
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3.
Hideki Okajima became the first Japanese-born pitcher to play in the World Series in Game 2 of the 2007 World Series.
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4.
Hideki Okajima attended Higashiyama High School and pitched in the 1994 Koshien National High School Tournament.
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5.
Hideki Okajima was drafted in the third round in 1993 by the Yomiuri Giants of the Nippon Professional Baseball League.
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6.
Hideki Okajima pitched mostly as a setup man, but sometimes played the role of a starter until 1999.
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7.
Hideki Okajima 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.
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8.
Hideki Okajima became a free agent in 2006, and signed a two-year, $2.
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9.
Hideki Okajima allowed a home run to John Buck on his very first pitch in the major leagues.
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10.
Hideki 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.
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11.
Hideki Okajima earned his first MLB save on April 20,2007, against the New York Yankees.
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12.
All of his early success, Hideki Okajima remained relatively anonymous in his forays around Boston.
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13.
However, Hideki Okajima revealed more of his humorous side in the United States.
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14.
On May 17,2007, Hideki Okajima faced the heart of the Detroit Tigers order for the second time in one day to earn his second major league save.
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15.
Hideki 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.
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16.
Red Sox management decided to shut him down following this outing to allow Hideki Okajima to relieve the physical and mental fatigue of the longer American season.
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17.
On his return during the final stages of the regular season, Hideki 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 postseason.
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18.
Hideki Okajima was selected to the 2007 Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team.
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19.
Hideki Okajima became the first Japanese born pitcher to play in the World Series.
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20.
Hideki Okajima closed the 2007 postseason with a home run to Garrett Atkins.
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22.
Hideki Okajima did not make the 2011 Opening Day roster, starting the season in Triple-A Pawtucket.
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23.
However, Hideki Okajima failed his physical at the beginning of spring training resulting in his release.
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25.
Hideki Okajima was granted his release from this team on January 29,2013 to pursue opportunities in MLB.
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26.
Hideki Okajima inked a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training pending a physical on February 11,2013.
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27.
Hideki Okajima was called up to join the A's 25-man roster on May 17,2013.
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29.
Hideki Okajima signed a minor league deal with the Baltimore Orioles in February 2015.
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30.
Hideki Okajima had a distinctive pitching form in which he turned his head downwards just before he released the ball and after release jerked it hard towards third base.
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31.
Early on, Hideki Okajima was prone to bouts of wildness — even being booed in his home park for his poor control.
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32.
Hideki Okajima's pitches were of lower than average velocity, forcing him to develop a more consistent release point to better control them.
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33.
Hideki Okajima's success in the major leagues against more than one batter in an outing 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.
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