Micheal Nakamura
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Micheal Yoshihide Nakamura (マイケル中村, born September 6, 1976 in Nara, Japan) is a former Major League Baseball player who currently plays in the Japanese professional leagues. He pitches as the closer for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters.
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[edit] Biography
Nakamura was born with a Japanese father and a Japanese-Australian mother. He moved to Australia when he was 3 years old, and moved to the United States after signing with the Minnesota Twins in 1997. Nakamura went without success in the states, pitching in only 31 major league games from 1997 to 2004. He was given to the Toronto Blue Jays in 2004, and was dropped at the end of the season. He did not win a single game in the majors.
After being cut from the majors, Nakamura sought opportunities in the Japanese professional leagues, and was drafted in the 4th round of the 2004 draft by the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. Nakamura's name is written as MICHEAL on scoreboards and rosters (not "Michael" the conventional American spelling for the name), similar to Tsuyoshi Shinjo becoming SHINJO (instead of 新庄) after returning from the majors.
Nakamura made his debut immediately after joining the team, appearing in a game against the Seibu Lions on March 29, 2005. He was injured halfway through the year, but ended with a record of 3-0 and a 2.31 ERA over 32 games. He struck out more batters than innings pitched, and did not give up a single run in the second half of the season. Nakamura was even sharper his second year, making 39 saves, the new single-season record in the Pacific League, as his team won the Japanese championship series. Nakamura pitched in 4 Japanese championship series games, and did not give up a single hit.
[edit] Trivia
- Hideki Matsui's first pre-season game hit in his rookie year in the major leagues came off of Nakamura.
- His hobby is fishing.
- He cannot speak Japanese, and needs a translator to communicate with teammates.
- He was part of an extra inning no-hitter relay on April 15, 2006. The starter pitched 10 scoreless and hitless innings, and a reliever pitched a perfect 11th inning. Nakamura got the save, ending the 12th inning with no-hits, as his team scored in the top of the 12th to win; 1-0.
[edit] Pitching Style
Nakamura throws from the sidearm, and relies mostly on two types of curves, along with a fastball in the lower 90 mph range. One of his curves has movement resembling a slider (some commentators have called it a slurve), while the other has a wide break. He pitched in 64 games in 2006, and was consistent throughout the season; marking a 2.19 ERA. He has mediocre control for a reliever.
[edit] External links
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