Nagasaka blossoms into No. 1 for Pride
When you think about it, the Little Hideki That Could is pitching for the perfect franchise, The Franchise That Keeps Trying.
Yes, 5-foot, 6-inch right-hander Hideki Nagasaka and the Nashua Pride are a perfect fit.
Team management never came out and said it, but basically Nagasaka was brought in last year as an interpreter for former Japanese major league star hurler Akira Okamoto. Whatever he did for the team on the mound, whether as a starter or reliever, was a bonus.
What a bonus. Without Nagasaka, the Pride wouldn't have won the Can-Am League title last year.
"Without a doubt," Pride general manager Chris Hall said. "He carried us through August."
Not just August, but in the playoffs. He basically shut down the New Jersey Jackals attack in the deciding Game 5 of the Can-Am Divisional series, one of the best clutch pitching performances in the history of the franchise. And he pitched the final game in Lynn, where they won the whole deal.
He went 10-1 in the regular season, but the big key was the fact he cut his walks down to just 61 in 113-1/3 innings. While that total led the team in the wrong way, it was one of the better control years of his career.
"It's quite simple how his ERA went down (from 4.00-plus to 2.94)," Hall said. "He walked less people, his ERA went down. If he can do that, then we're gong to be fine."
He figured it out – with the help of his homeland idol, Okamoto.
Now? It's a new year and he's the ace, and it's pretty certain after a scheduled couple of innings in Saturday's exhibition game he'll get the ball come Thursday for Opening Night. Who could have predicted that?
"I came in last year as a translator," he joked. "But this year . . . I don't feel anything (different), just do my job. Fans, coaches, players, they look different than last year, you know what I mean? I was a translator – but now it's a little different. I don't want to change anything. I just want to do my job."
Imagine what Pride manager Rick Miller thought last week when he first saw a 5-foot-6 Japanese pitcher and everyone was telling him, "That's your ace."
"I don't look at size," Miller said. "When you're looking at pitchers, everyone looks at velocity. But for me – I've faced a lot of Hall of Fame pitchers in my time, when I played, and they didn't throw as hard as some of these guys here. It's not all about speed, like a Tom Glavine or a guy like (Greg) Maddux. You don't have to throw hard to be a winner. It's all about location and ball movement. That's what I'm looking at."
"It used to be five innings, 100 pitches," he said. "Four innings, 100 pitches. But I learned a lot from Okamoto. A change in lifestyle. Come here early, practice a lot."
Indeed, there's much to be said for the work ethic of the Japanese players. Last year, Okamoto, Nagasaka, and later on Eiji Yano, were the first to arrive to Holman Stadium and the last to leave. They could be see stretching on the outfield grass early to mid-afternoon, and doing the same after 11 p.m. after games. How did it help?
"Conditioning," Nagasaka said. "I learned last year, so I'll just keep doing it. It wasn't hard. I just didn't know how to do it. (The now retired Okamoto) is a veteran. He knows how to make a conditioning (schedule), how to pitch. I didn't know, I was, 'just throw it.'
"I had a program the last three or four years that gave me better speed. But I didn't have location. I'd go 3-2 count, walk."
Now it's seven, eight innings, 100 pitches. But without that mentor, how will it be?
"I'll look at myself," he said.
Well, maybe not. Hall said the return of Rich Garces will help, along with Miller and Pride pitching coach John Roper. Nagasaka is very good about seeking advice.
"He got everything he could out of Akira, El Guapo (Rich Garces) and Jimmy Mann," Hall said. "Obviously, he's a very bright kid – speaks three languages, English, Spanish, Japanese. Such a great outgoing kid, always smiling. He works his tail off."
Nagasaka, who now wears a full head of flowing hair compared to the short cut he had last season, is probably in better shape this year than he was when he reported last year. He worked out all offseason in Japan with Yano, as the two lived just 20 minutes apart.
Nagasaka still feels the thrill of his best year as a professional. He has his own Web site with pictures from last year. People in Japan were amazed when he told them of his year.
He's a lot more than a "translator" now. He'll be the Pride's best and a recognizable face for the fans who remember his exploits from a season ago.
"The talent was always there," Hall said. "How many scouts, if he were six feet, 6-1, would sign him that day (that they'd come to see him). The height doesn't help him. But he overcomes a lot of that. When he gets on the mound, he's like he's 6-foot-10. He comes right after people."
The Pride will need that second pitcher, as they had last year with Okamoto, who won nine. But the return of Nagasaka is huge.
"He's the ace of the staff right now," Hall said. "He took it over. It was his job. We know that . . . He was the ace the last month-and-a-half (of last year). He wanted that, and he's got it . . . He's the man."
That's why he's the Little Hideki That Could. For a franchise that says it still can. We've got a fun pitcher and hopefully a fun team to watch for the next three-plus months starting Thursday night.
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