"Hello, hello. My name is Hideki Okajima and I like Boston," were the first words he uttered as a Red Sox reliever.
Okajima will be paid $1.25 million each of the next two seasons and has a $1.75 million club option for 2009.
Here are Okajima's righty/lefty splits:
vs. RH (130 AB) .254 BA, 6 BB, 36 K, 5 HR
vs. LH ( 70 AB) .186 BA, 8 BB, 27 K, 0 HR
Okajima's big-game experience was something Sox Director of International Scouting Craig Shipley felt would come in handy in Boston.
"Two thousand five for me was the first time I saw him," he said. "[International scout] John Deeble has seen him for a number of years before that. He has a very good overhand curveball and has good command. He can use his fastball on both sides of the plate. He throws two types of splits, one he throws for a strike and another when he's trying to get a strikeout or a swing and a miss.
"He has a lot of experience in big games in Japan. He's pitched in a number of roles in Japan, as well, as a starter and a closer. He's more than a situational left-hander."
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