Today we wish a very happy 36th Birthday to former Red Sox reliever Hideki Okajima!
I’ve already talked about Okajima here. Most of it is still true. I’m still absolutely baffled by his delivery. Not so much that it works, but that nobody over the last 36 years has told him to stop doing it. How did a high school coach not bench him for not looking at the target? I’m also still in love with his entrance song. It is on a regular rotation in my ipod. It always wakes me up a little bit whenever it comes on.
Unfortunately, age eventually caught up with Okajima. He became less and less effective until he was finally cast off. But he was a favorite of many in a way few relievers ever were. That and his ring in 2007 have earned him a permanent place in Red Sox lore.
Happy 36th Birthday Hideki Okajima!
I wonder if he celebrated in New York...
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