Tomo Ohka

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Tomo Ohka

Chicago White Sox — No. 54
Starting pitcher
Born: March 18, 1976 (1976-03-18) (age 32)
Kyoto, Japan
Bats: Switch Throws: Right 
Major League Baseball debut
July 19, 1999 for the Boston Red Sox
Selected MLB statistics
(through 2007)
Win-Loss     50-62
Earned run average     4.14
Strikeouts     559
Teams

Tomokazu Ohka (大家友和 Ōka Tomokazu?, IPA: [oːka tomokazɯ]) (Commonly referred as Tomo Ohka), born March 18, 1976 in Kyoto, Japan) is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher in the Chicago White Sox organization. Previously, Ohka played with the Boston Red Sox (1999-2001), Montreal Expos (2001-2004), Washington Nationals (2005), Milwaukee Brewers (2005-2006), and Toronto Blue Jays (2007). He throws right-handed and is a switch hitter.

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[edit] Coming to America

On November 20, 1998, Ohka was purchased by the Boston Red Sox from the Yokohama BayStars (Japan's Central League). Ohka's statistics in Japan were less than flattering, but his ability to control his pitches sparked the interest of the Red Sox.

[edit] Early success

In 1999, Ohka began his MLB career with the Red Sox' Double-A affiliate at that time, the Trenton Thunder. In 12 starts he went 8-0 with a 3.00 era. He was promoted to the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox where he had a 1.92 era and a 7-0 record. The parent club noted the success and on July 19, 1999 he made his major league debut. Ohka found himself in the minors again in 2000. With Pawtucket, he went 9-6 in 19 starts with a 2.96 era, with 3 complete games, one being a perfect game. In both 1999 and 2000, The Red Sox named Ohka their minor league player of the year. Ohka was in the All-Star Futures Game in 1999 and 2000 and in 2000 he was the Triple-A All-Star Game starting pitcher.

[edit] Major League career

During the middle of the 2001 season, Ohka was sent to Montreal for the veteran closer Ugueth Urbina. Ohka had a mildly successful run with the Expos. His most productive season came with the Expos in 2002, when he posted 13-8 with 118 strikeouts and a 3.18 ERA.

In June 2004, Ohka broke his right forearm when he was hit by a line drive off Carlos Beltrán's bat in Kansas City. Ohka underwent major surgery and was out until mid-September. He finished 3-7 with a 3.40 ERA in 15 starts.

As the Expos moved to Washington, D.C. for the 2005 season, Ohka was part of a starting rotation that included Liván Hernández, Esteban Loaiza and Tony Armas, Jr.. Ohka was involved in an incident with Washington manager Frank Robinson. Ohka protested being removed from a game, a move which resulted in an undisclosed fine from the team.[1] This disagreement, along with an injury to Nationals second baseman Jose Vidro, was reason enough to deal Ohka. On June 10, 2005, the Washington Nationals traded the righty to the Milwaukee Brewers for second baseman Junior Spivey. The trade is widely believed to have benefited the Milwaukee Brewers more because it allowed them to open the door for highly-touted second baseman Rickie Weeks and get a quality pitcher at almost no cost. In Tomo's first game with his new club on June 14, 2005, he threw a complete game shut out against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays during interleague play.

Ohka was the Brewers' fourth starting pitcher behind Ben Sheets, Doug Davis and Chris Capuano. However, on December 1, 2006, the Brewers declined to offer Ohka salary arbritration, making him a free agent.

On January 23, 2007, the right-hander reached a tentative agreement with the Toronto Blue Jays on a one year contract. The agreement was made official on January 25, 2007, and the contract was announced to be worth $1,500,000. Ohka could earn an additional $1,500,000 in incentives. Incentives are usually based upon innings pitched or game appearances.

On June 7, after compiling a 2-5 record in 10 starts, the Toronto Blue Jays designated Ohka for assignment and subsequently released him on June 18. On June 19, 2007, he signed a minor league contract with the St. Louis Cardinals. He was released by the Cardinals on July 3, 2007, after going 0-2 with a 6.87 ERA in 3 starts for their Triple A team, the Memphis Redbirds. Ohka then signed a minor league contract on July 13, 2007, with the Seattle Mariners.

Ohka was released by Seattle on August 5, 2007, after going 0-3 with a 10.32 ERA in four outings, allowing 26 runs in 22 2/3 innings with the Tacoma Rainiers, Seattle's AAA affiliate.

On February 21, 2008, Ohka signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox.

In an eight-year career, Ohka has compiled a 48-57 record with 538 strikeouts and a 4.04 ERA in 943 innings.

Ohka has an average --and sometimes a shade above-- fastball, a decent curve, a slider and change-up, all of which can be effective when he is focused. Ohka's success lies in his ability to change speeds and location effectively, keeping the hitter off balance.

[edit] Milestone

[edit] Pop Culture

  • Ohka is the first and only member of the Montreal Expos to be named on The Simpsons. In the March 16, 2003 episode entitled C. E. D'oh!, Bart Simpson exclaims "Look at me! I'm Tomokazu Ohka of the Montreal Expos!" while playing baseball with Milhouse.

[edit] External links

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