Johjima's game expected to translate well

Originally Published: November 21, 2005
By Jerry Crasnick | ESPN Insider
Kenji Johjima is enough of a mystery in the United States that he was two weeks into his free-agent tour before American media outlets began spelling his surname correctly. Somewhere between Fukuoka and Seattle, the "h" in the middle accidentally took a hike.

Now that Johjima is signed, spelled and delivered -- having agreed to terms on a three-year, $16.5 million deal with the Mariners -- here's a mini-primer on baseball's newest Japanese import:

Johjima is 29 years old and comes from the Japanese coastal town of Sasebo, located between Fukuoka and Nagasaki on the map. He's married with two children and is a "country boy" at heart, in the words of agent Alan Nero. After baseball, Johjima's second-favorite pursuit is fishing.


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Jerry Crasnick | email

ESPN.com MLB Sr. Writer
  • ESPN.com senior writer
  • Author of "License to Deal"
  • Former Denver Post national baseball writer

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