Hideki Okajima is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher who plays for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league. He played with the Boston Red Sox from 2007-2011, and was elected to the 2007 Major League Baseball All-Star Game as a first time All-Star via the Monster All-Star Final Vote. Okajima attended Higashiyama High School and pitched in the 1994 Koshien National High School Tournament. He was drafted in the third round in 1993 by the Yomiuri Giants of the Nippon Professional Baseball League. Okajima pitched mostly as a setup man, but sometimes played... the role of a starter until 1999. When he played with the Giants in Japan, Okajima chose to go by the nickname "Okaji" instead of "Hideki" because there was Hideki Matsui, who preceded him on the Giants. Okajima's entrance song with the Giants was the Dixie Chicks' version of The Supremes' hit, "You Can't Hurry Love." Okajima became the team's closer in 2000–2001, before returning to his setup role in 2002.
more
| Birthdate: | December 25, 1975 |
| Birthplace: | Fushimi-ku, Kyoto |
| Age: | 36 |
| Height: | 6' 1" |
| Weight: | 194 lbs. |
| All Positions Played: | Pitcher |