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12/07/2002 Archived Entry: "Japanese Baseball News: Contradictory Matsui, Nakamura Media Reports"
Hot Shots....
Congratulations to Nomar Garciaparra, who just got engaged to soccer star Mia Hamm....Seattle Mariners GM Pat Gillick reiterated that the team has no intention of making any offers to Hideki Matsui during a conference call with local reporters....The NY Post is saying that reliever Ramiro Mendoza is unlikely to re-sign with the Yankees, which would leave Matsui's number 55 open for him to take should he go to them. But a rival
New York Times Article asserted that the Yanks would attempt to hold on to Mendoza....Bobby Rose has formally signed with Lotte. It is a one year pact for $650,000. He will wear number 4.....Hideki Irabu has apparenly passed a medical checkup and signed with Hanshin. I can hardly wait for the fireworks between manager Senichi Hoshino and the big jellyfish....Yakult Swallows catcher Atsuya Furuta was re-elected as head of the Japanese players' association. He then called on team owners to implement interleague play as well as shorten the period in which a player can qualify for free agency from the current 9-10 to seven. However, to prevent players from leaving for MLB under that scheme, the seven year option would only be available to those who intend to sign with a Japanese club....So far, no response from the owners on Furuta's demands....The Yokohama Bay Stars will be advertised on buses in that city starting in late March. Details over what the ads will look like are still being ironed out, though....Upon arriving in L.A., Norihiro Nakamura was surrounded by 20 members of the press. He will apparently be on the west coast for a few days and it is expected that both the SF Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks will contact him. Then on the eighth, he will go to New York. However, a Hochi Sports story says that the Mets are going to try to retain Edgardo Alfonso and that may cool their interest in the Buffs third sacker. On the other hand, a Newark Star-Ledger Article quotes Alfonso's agent as saying that his client is "resigned to going elsewhere"....The formal engagement of Sydney Olympics judo gold medalist Ryoko "Yawara" Tamura and Orix outfielder Yoshitomo Tani has been postponed due to the death of Tani's grandmother, who passed away at age 85 earlier today.... Daiei Hawks southpaw Toshiya Sugiuchi will go into his second pro year making the same $120,000 he made last season, the club announced....Swallows leftthander Masanori Ishikawa may start the first ever pro night game played in his native Akita Prefecture in July against Yokohama, as the city of Akita is opening a new ballpark there.... At that elementary school where a tragic incident took place last year in Ikeda, Osaka, Lotte ace Tomohiro "Johnny" Kuroki played dodge ball with the school's first graders. This was Kuroki's second visit to the school in as many years. Pictures of the Japanese pros playing with the kids at: Sankei Sports photos. Also, Yomiuri ace Koji Uehara repeated his interest in one day playing in MLB....The Oakland A's have been added to the list of those expected to bid for Kintetsu closer Akinori Otsuka when he is posted, possibly as soon as the end of next week. Other said to be looking at him are the Dodgers, Cardinals, Rangers, Braves, Red Sox and Yankees ....Daiei reliever Kazuhiko Iijima was given $104,000 for next season....Hanshin infielder Kentaro Sekimoto earned an $88,000 raise to $128,000....Seibu outfielder Susumu Otomo will be $56,000 poorer in 2003, as he will bring in $440,000....Has Hanshin shot itself in the foot again? Apparently negotiations to retain George Arias, who lead the team in homers and RBIs last season, aren't going well. Moreover, Arias has been made an offer by another unnamed Central League outfit, which may result in a tampering investigation since the Tigers still hold his negotiating rights.
Is Starbuck's Next Catch for Ichiro?
See story at: Seattle Times Article
Ex-Hankyu Brave Windhorn Talks About His Career
Talk about getting buried in the minors. See story at: Danville Register-Bee Article
Note: In six seasons between 1964-1969 playing leftfield with Hankyu and wearing number 27 while batting mostly leadoff, he hit a composite .255 with 86 homers as well as 97 doubles and three triples, stealing 45 bases in 65 attempts. His OBP was .306 and his SLG was .438 for an OPS of .744. He wasn't selected to any Best Nines nor did he win any other awards there, so his claim of being one of the best players in the Pacific League at the time is false.
His total line read:
G 641 AB 1966 R 284 H 501 2B 97 3B 3 HR 86 TB 862 RBI 217 SB 34 CS 20 Sac 16 SF 15
GIDP 31 BB 144 IBB 9 HBP 7 K 280 AVG .255 OBP .306 SLG .438
He averaged a homer once every 22.9 AB.
On his individual seasons, here is how they stacked up:
1964: AVG .231 HR 19 RBI 40 SB 7
1965: AVG .251 HR 17 RBI 34 SB 8
1966: AVG .256 HR 11 RBI 44 SB 8
1967: AVG .285 HR 25 RBI 60 SB 15
1968: AVG .239 HR 10 RBI 27 SB 3
1969: AVG .236 HR 4 RBI 12 SB 4 (at age 36).
In three Japan Series, he acquitted himself well, batting .314 (16-51).
Windhorn also broke up a perfect game bid by the Tokyo Orions great hurler Masaaki Koyama (an eventual 320 game winner) with two outs in the ninth on July 15, 1965 with a basehit. Tokyo won that game, 1-0. He is the only foreign player in Japanese history to so frustrate a no no with two gone in his team's final at bat.
His registered name was "Windy" while he was in Japan. "Windhorn" isn't easy for Japanese to pronounce, so they gave him a nickname (which isn't uncommon for foreign players there).
Scouts Watch KBO's Lim in Puerto Rico
See story at: Puerto Rico Herald Article
