This is a site about Pro Yakyu (Japanese Baseball), not about who the next player to go over to MLB is. It's a community of Pro Yakyu fans who have come together to share their knowledge and opinions with the world. It's a place to follow teams and individuals playing baseball in Japan (and Asia), and to learn about Japanese (and Asian) culture through baseball.
It is my sincere hope that once you learn a bit about what we're about here that you will join the community of contributors.
Michael Westbay
(aka westbaystars)
Founder
Johjima finished his first season in Major League Baseball in 2006, after playing 11 seasons in the Japanese leagues. the 6-foot, 200-pound catcher played in 144 games for Seattle, hitting .291 with 18 home runs and 76 RBI. In the 2006 American League Rookie of the Year voting, Johjima earned a fourth-placed finished, behind three pitchers - Justin Verlander (the winner), Jonathan Papelbon and Francisco Liriano.
In his 11 years in Japan, Johjima hit .299 with 211 HRs and 699 RBI. He was the No. 1 draft pick by the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks in 1995 and he played his entire Japanese career with Fukuoka. His best season came in 2003 when he hit .330 with 34 HRs and 119 RBI.
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Read on for SportsNation's Q & A with Johjima, fielding questions from all over North America.
[Full Article: http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=14780]