Michihiro Ogasawara
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.jpg/250px-Tokyo_Dome_(Ogasawara_Swing).jpg) |
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|---|---|
| Yomiuri Giants — No. 2 | |
| Infielder | |
| Bats: Left | Throws: Right |
| Nippon Professional Baseball debut | |
| [[{{{debutdate}}}]], 1997 for the Nippon Ham Fighters | |
| Selected NPB statistics (through 2006) |
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| Batting average | .320 |
| Home runs | 239 |
| RBI | 730 |
| Teams | |
| Olympic medal record | |||
| Men's Baseball | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | Athens 2004 | Team Competition | |
Michihiro Ogasawara (小笠原 道大, born October 25, 1973 in Chiba, Chiba Prefecture, Japan) is a professional baseball player in the Japanese Central League. He currently plays first base for the Yomiuri Giants. He played with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters from 1997 to 2006.
[edit] Career
Ogasawara is one of the most consistent hitters in Japanese baseball. He won two consecutive batting titles from 2002-2003, and led the league in home runs and RBIs in 2006 to win the Pacific League MVP award. He led the league in hits from 2000-2001, and has won 6 Japanese Golden Glove awards at first base and third base. He participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics held in Athens, Greece, winning a bronze medal. He also played for the Japanese national team in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, where he hit a home run off Esteban Loaiza at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. In 2006, he helped the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters win their first Pacific League pennant since 1981, sweeping the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in the playoffs to reach the Japanese championship series against the Chunichi Dragons. The Fighters beat the Dragons in 5 games to win the Japanese championship series.
He became a free agent in 2006, and signed a four-year contract with the Yomiuri Giants during the off-season.
[edit] Trivia
He runs a sightseeing business for a village in the Ogasawara Islands during the off-season.
Known for his trademark "Guts Full Swing"
Many Hokkaido NipponHam fighters called him "Guts (ガッツ)" or Mr. Full Swing (ミスター・フルスイング).
Ogasawara's unofficial mascot is the dolphin, as his name matches that of an island off the coast of Japan known for its dolphins.
[edit] External links
- Japanesebaseball.com - Nippon Professional Baseball career statistics
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