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60-711: Norichika "Nori" Aoki ( 青木 宣親 , Aoki Norichika , born January 5, 1982) is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder . He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers , Kansas City Royals , San Francisco Giants , Seattle Mariners , Houston Astros , Toronto Blue Jays , and New York Mets , and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows . Aoki

120-430: A double and a walk in a 10–2 mercy rule win in the final game against Taiwan , helping Japan clinch a berth in the upcoming Olympics. Aoki played in all nine games in the 2008 Beijing Olympics as Japan's starting center fielder, batting in each of the first three spots in the order and hitting .294 (10-for-34) with seven RBI and scoring five runs. Japan dropped the semi-finals against South Korea, though, and despite

180-716: A .356 on-base percentage. On December 5, 2013, the Brewers traded Aoki to the Kansas City Royals for Will Smith . Aoki batted leadoff for the Royals for much of the 2014 season . For the season, he batted .285/.349/.360, in 491 at bats. On August 6, 2014, in a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks , Aoki hit a grand slam in the fifth inning off of relief pitcher Bo Schultz . This was his first career grand slam, as well as his first (and only) homer with

240-545: A Tokyo Big6 record for runs scored in a single game with six in a game against the University of Tokyo that season, going 5-for-5 with five RBI and a walk in that same game. He hit .332 during his college career, albeit without a single home run , and was selected to the Tokyo Big6 Best Nine Award three times in his eight seasons (spring and fall) with Waseda as the starting right fielder . He

300-515: A black player's head. Now, however, baseball is fully integrated, and there is little to no racial tension between teammates. Between 1943 and 1954, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League fielded teams in several Midwestern towns. Rookie In contrast with a veteran who has experience, a rookie is typically considered needing more training and learning, though they may bring

360-653: A free agent. On December 3, 2015, Aoki signed a one-year, $ 5.5 million contract with the Seattle Mariners . In 2016, he batted .283/.349/.388, in 417 at bats. The Houston Astros claimed Aoki off waivers from the Mariners on November 3, 2016. On June 11, 2017, Aoki recorded his 2000th career professional hit against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim . This includes hits in NPB and MLB. While he

420-423: A game. He was known throughout the Brewers organization as a solid defender. Aoki is married to former Japanese broadcaster Sachi Ohtake, with whom he has two children. Professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout

480-766: A go-ahead three-run home run by Aoki in the third inning of the bronze medal match against the United States , Japan went on to lose 8–4 in a disappointing fourth-place finish behind South Korea, Cuba and the United States. Aoki played in the World Baseball Classic for the second time in 2009, having no difficulty playing left field despite manning center field almost exclusively for the Swallows. He played in all nine games, hitting .324 (12-for-37) with seven RBI as Japan's No. 3 hitter, and had

540-716: A league-record 202 hits (his 169 singles were an NPB single-season record). He led all Central League players in batting average (.344) and hits, and was voted the league Most Valuable Rookie . In 2006, Aoki was chosen to play in the inaugural World Baseball Classic as a member of the Japanese national team in 2006. He made his second All-Star appearance in July 2006 and was named the Most Valuable Player in Game 1 (held at his home park, Meiji Jingu Stadium ), becoming

600-479: A lower batting average. He also hit more home runs (13) and drove in more runs (62), leading the league in both average with runners in scoring position (.399) and stolen bases (41) for the first time (and putting an end to Tiger center fielder Norihiro Akahoshi 's five-year streak of leading the Central League in that category). On December 25, 2006, Aoki publicly stated his intent to eventually play in

660-409: A major league contract. On October 30, 2017, Aoki was released. On January 30, 2018, Aoki signed a three-year deal to return to the Tokyo Yakult Swallows , where he spent the first eight years of his professional career. In early May, 2018, Aoki recorded his 4,000th at bat in NPB. With a .328 career batting average to that point, he then qualified as NPB's lifetime batting champion. He was selected for

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720-430: A new Central League record) with 193, winning his second batting title with a .346 average. Aoki also led the league in on-base percentage for the first time and scored 114 runs (his third consecutive season with 100 or more runs). Meanwhile, his stolen base total dropped sharply from 41 to 17, a decline that could be attributed to then- player-manager Atsuya Furuta 's placing Hiroyasu Tanaka (rather than Adam Riggs , as

780-531: A new outside expertise to a job. The Oxford English Dictionary states that the origins are uncertain, but that perhaps it is a corruption of the word recruit . The earliest example in the OED is from Rudyard Kipling 's Barrack-Room Ballads (published 1892): " So 'ark an' 'eed, you rookies, which is always grumblin' sore ", referring to rookies in the sense of raw recruits to the British Army. At least during

840-555: A pivotal role in Japan's repeat as tournament champions. Aoki was one of three outfielders named to the All-Tournament team. Aoki played center field for Team Japan in the 2017 World Baseball Classic . His team finished 3rd. Listed at 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) and 180 lb (82 kg), Aoki is described as a prototypical contact hitter for his ability to spread the ball to all fields and utilize his speed on

900-541: A player must not have exceeded 130 at bats or fifty innings pitched in the majors, and also fewer than 45 days on the active rosters of major league clubs (excluding time on the disabled list or any time after rosters are expanded on September 1) in their previous seasons. Major League Baseball awards the best rookie with the Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award , as voted upon by

960-489: A track that is not holding its first race) are denoted by a yellow stripe on sections of the car as prescribed in the respective rule books. In NASCAR, the rookie stripe is located on the tail panel of the race car. The following rules are for rookie status in a national series: The following rules are for rookie status in the NTT IndyCar Series: To qualify as a rookie in Major League Baseball (MLB),

1020-421: A two-year contract with a third-year option. He became the team's first Japanese player to be acquired through this process. Kosuke Inaji served as Aoki's interpreter throughout the season. Aoki's playing time greatly increased over the course of the season due to his fine play and the injuries sustained by many starters. In his first full season with Milwaukee, Aoki hit .288/.355/.433 with 10 home runs (one inside

1080-439: Is one of only six players, alongside Ichiro Suzuki , Matt Murton , Alex Ramirez , Tsuyoshi Nishioka , and Shogo Akiyama , to amass 200 or more hits in a single season in Japanese professional baseball , and the only individual to do so in two separate seasons. He played in the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classics as well as the 2008 Beijing Olympics , and represented Japan in the 2017 World Baseball Classic . Aoki

1140-592: The 2018 NPB All-Star game  [ jp ] . On September 14, 2024, Aoki announced he would retire at season’s end. Aoki was named to the Japanese national team for the first time in early 2006 for the inaugural World Baseball Classic. After being relegated to the bench and seeing little playing time in the first two rounds , he was named the starting center fielder in the semi-finals against South Korea and finals against Cuba , but went 0-for-4 in those two games and finished with just one hit in five at-bats in

1200-592: The Asian Baseball Championship as a member of the Japanese national team in December 2007, helping Japan clinch a berth in the upcoming Beijing Olympics . On May 5, 2008, Aoki was scratched from the lineup and sent down to the minors due to an oblique strain . It was his first time missing playing time due to injury since his debut at the ichigun level. However, he returned some three weeks later on May 29, 2008, engaging in another race for

1260-792: The Baseball Writers' Association of America and first bestowed in 1947. Since 2001, MLB also issues the Major League Baseball Rookie of the Month Award . In the National Basketball Association , a rookie is any player who has never played a game in the NBA until that year and the past 1 years. The NBA awards the best rookie with the NBA Rookie of the Year Award , as voted upon by a selected panel of United States and Canadian sportswriters and broadcasters. In

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1320-527: The Chiba Lotte Marines ), third baseman Toshimitsu Higa ( Hiroshima Toyo Carp ) and center fielder Shintaro Yoshida ( Orix Buffaloes ), all three of whom would later go on to the pros . Left-handed pitcher Tsuyoshi Wada ( Fukuoka Softbank Hawks ) was one year his senior, and second baseman Hiroyasu Tanaka and first baseman Shinichi Takeuchi , both of whom would later rejoin Aoki with

1380-764: The Commissioner of Baseball . Operating outside the Minor League Baseball organization are many independent minor leagues such as the Atlantic League , American Association , Frontier League , and the feeder league to these the Empire Professional Baseball League . Japan has had professional baseball since the 1930s. Nippon Professional Baseball consists of two leagues, the Central League and

1440-467: The Oakland Athletics . He scored the first run for the Royals after advancing on a force-out in the first inning that saw him steal second base and then advance on an RBI single. In a see-saw affair that saw the Royals go from leading 3–2 after three innings to trailing 7-3 leading into the eighth inning, Aoki proved key in the comeback. With a runner on third base and one out in the ninth after

1500-730: The Pacific League , each with six teams. South Korea has had professional baseball since 1982. There are 10 teams in KBO League . Taiwan has had professional baseball since the 1990s. The Chinese Professional Baseball League absorbed Taiwan Major League in 2003. There are currently 6 teams in the CPBL. Other Asian leagues include three now defunct leagues, the China National Baseball League , Israel Baseball League , and Baseball Philippines . During

1560-457: The major leagues via the posting system , saying, "…I would like to move to the majors after some years. It might be difficult to do so as a free agent since I'll be over 30 by then." While major league teams expressed interest in Aoki (especially after seeing him in international play), the Swallows offered no indication of their willingness to comply with the request. In 2007, Aoki and teammate and fellow outfielder Alex Ramírez competed for

1620-527: The Central League putouts in 2006 and 2007. His throwing arm is fringe-average for a major league center fielder but accurate, and he has a quick release. In his first MLB season, Aoki made nine putouts in a game while fielding the right field in the Brewers' win over the Reds on June 8, 2012, falling one catch shy of the National League record. The 9 putouts rank among the most by a Brewers outfielder in

1680-661: The Fresh All-Star Game (the Japanese equivalent of the All-Star Futures Game ) held that year, Aoki went 4-for-5, coming a home run short of the cycle and winning Most Valuable Player honors for the game. In 2005, Aoki enjoyed a breakout year, earning the job of starting center fielder with the departure of Atsunori Inaba . While he struggled in the opening weeks of the season as the Swallows' No. 2 hitter , striking out uncharacteristically often, he slowly began to collect hits at his usual pace and

1740-484: The NBA, rookies have special contract rules which limit how much a team can pay them as well as limiting the length of the contract. To qualify as a rookie in the National Hockey League , a player must not have played in more than 25 NHL games in any preceding seasons, nor in six or more NHL games in each of any two preceding seasons. Any player at least 26 years of age (by September 15 of that season)

1800-597: The NL Rookie of the Year voting. Aoki was the Brewers Opening Day right fielder and leadoff hitter in 2013, and Logan Schafer was his main backup. In May 2013, he hit .343 with 6 RBI, bringing his season average to .299. After that, he had a steady decline until September 2013, when he hit .297 with 6 RBI and 15 walks. In 155 games, he hit .286 with 8 home runs, 37 RBI, 20 stolen bases and 55 walks, giving him

1860-399: The Royals battled to trail 7–6, he hit a flyball deep enough in right field to score Jarrod Dyson to send the game into extras. Aoki was taken out of right field as the tenth started, but the Royals would win 9–8 in the twelfth inning, which was the first playoff victory for the Royals in 29 years. Aoki had just two further RBIs in the ensuing postseason run, which saw him play right field for

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1920-508: The Royals. Aoki also set a Royals franchise record, which was the most hits in a three-game series. He collected a total of 11 hits against the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium , passing Willie Wilson and George Brett 's former record of 10 hits. Aoki made his first postseason appearance as an MLB player with the Royals that year as they made the first Wild Card spot to host the 2014 American League Wild Card Game against

1980-408: The Swallows, were one and two years his junior, respectively. The six hitters , who often batted in the order of Tanaka, Aoki, Toritani, Higa, Takeuchi and Yoshida, formed one of the most potent lineups in college baseball history and led Waseda to four consecutive Tokyo Big6 titles for the first time in the history of the university. Aoki hit .463 in the spring of his junior year (2002) and set

2040-406: The United States and Canada. The minor leagues are divided into classes AAA, AA, High-A, A, and Rookie. These minor-league divisions are affiliated with major league teams, and serve to develop young players and rehabilitate injured major-leaguers. "Affiliated baseball" (archaically, " organized baseball ") is often applied as an umbrella term for all leagues — major and minor — under the authority of

2100-454: The bases to stretch singles into doubles and doubles into triples . Slotted into the 2-hole in front of former Tigers shortstop Takashi Toritani, Aoki became adept at hitting infield singles to the left side of the infield to get on base during his years at Waseda University. He carried that same approach into the pros, going the opposite way for infield hits and singles to left field so often that teams began employing an "Aoki Shift", with

2160-408: The batting title at a torrid pace throughout the 2007 season. On July 10, 2007, Aoki became the fastest player in Japanese professional baseball history to amass 500 career hits, doing so in 373 games. While he fell short of 200 base hits, partly due to the 80 walks (fourth in the league) that opposing pitchers issued to him, he finished second in the league in hits (to Ramírez, who hit safely 204 times,

2220-407: The batting title, this time with Yokohama BayStars left fielder Seiichi Uchikawa . In August 2008, Aoki was chosen to play in the 2008 Beijing Olympics along with teammate Shinya Miyamoto as a member of the Japanese national team. After he returned to the Swallows, manager Shigeru Takada opted to use him in the 3-hole permanently, slotting newly acquired left fielder Kazuki Fukuchi into

2280-718: The beginning of the 20th century, in the British Army the term "rookie" was typically used in place of "recruit" as exemplified in Trenching at Gallipoli by John Gallishaw (New York Century Co.: 1916) and in The Amateur Army by Patrick MacGill (London, Herbert Jenkins: 1915). Perhaps the expression is derived from "rook", whereby a "rookie" would be someone who is cheated or defrauded. In some sports there are traditions in which rookies must do things, or tricks are played on them. Examples in baseball include players having to dress up in very strange costumes, or getting hit in

2340-707: The best rookie with the Associated Press NFL Rookie of the Year Award , as voted upon the Associated Press . In the NFL, rookies have special contract rules which limit how much a team can pay them as well as limiting the length of the contract, as per stipulations laid out in the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement . NASCAR and INDYCAR rookies (and non-rookie NASCAR drivers who are making their first start at

2400-436: The bottom of the tenth inning, breaking a 3–3 tie. It was his first career walk-off , and his first career multi-home run game. During the later portion of the season, Aoki has started to become a spark plug for the Brewers. He made great defensive plays and got big hits when they were needed, including a 2-out, 2-strike, 2-run home run on September 9, 2012, against St. Louis to tie the game and send it to extra innings. This game

2460-530: The face with a cream pie; a traditional rookie's " hazing " procedure in American football involves taping players to a goalpost and dousing them with ice water, Gatorade, and other substances. In the National Football League a rookie is any player who is in their first season playing professional football, having never signed a contract with a professional team before. The NFL awards

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2520-502: The fourth player in NPB history to win both Fresh All-Star Game and All-Star Game MVP honors. Though he came up short in his goal of reaching 200 base hits and winning the batting title for the second consecutive year, Aoki finished the season with 192 hits, leading both the Central and Pacific leagues. He cut down on his strikeouts and drew more walks than in the previous season, improving his on-base percentage from .387 to .396 despite

2580-413: The importance of lower body movement to his hitting in interviews. According to Statcast , Aoki's current batting stance positions his head closest to the assumed strikezone of any active player. On the defensive end, Aoki has earned a reputation as a superb center fielder with excellent instincts and range, winning six consecutive Golden Glove awards from 2006 through 2011 and leading all outfielders in

2640-594: The late 19th and early 20th centuries, players of black African descent were barred from playing the major leagues , though several did manage to play by claiming to be Cubans or Native Americans . As a result, a number of parallel Negro leagues were formed. However, after Jackie Robinson began playing with the major-league Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, the Negro leagues gradually faded. The process of integration did not go entirely smoothly; there were some ugly incidents, including pitchers who would try to throw directly at

2700-469: The leadoff role instead. While Aoki relinquished the league lead in both batting average and on-base percentage to Uchikawa, he finished the season with a personal-best batting average of .347, striking out just 47 times (fewest in the league among qualifying players) and swiping 31 bases (second to Fukuchi on the Swallows). In 2009, Though he hit well in the second World Baseball Classic, Aoki struggled in

2760-473: The league in several offensive categories. Two weeks after his return on July 27, 2015, he was again hit by a pitch, this time in the batting helmet by Chicago Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta . He went on the 7-day concussion list, missing another seven games. In 2015, he batted .287/.353/.380 in 355 at bats, and led the Giants with 14 stolen bases. After the 2015 season, the Giants declined Aoki's option, making him

2820-471: The oldest continuous same-name, same-city franchise in both Major League Baseball and all of American professional sports. In addition to the major leagues, many North American cities and towns feature minor league teams. An organization officially styled Minor League Baseball , formerly the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, oversees nearly all minor league baseball in

2880-533: The opening weeks of the 2009 season, hitting just .233 with a .316 on-base percentage in April 2009. He got hit in the head by a pitch thrown by Chunichi Dragons closer Hitoki Iwase on April 30, 2009, but was found to have no serious injuries upon diagnosis. The Swallows posted Aoki to Major League Baseball in the 2011–12 offseason. The Milwaukee Brewers won the posting and signed Aoki in January 2012 to

2940-471: The park), 50 RBIs, and 81 runs scored in 520 at-bats, plus 30 stolen bases. By the latter half of the season, he was batting primarily in the leadoff position for the Brewers. Aoki also set the record for doubles in a single season (37) by a Brewers rookie. On June 7, 2012, in a game against the Chicago Cubs , Aoki hit his first out of the park home run in his MLB career. He then hit a second home run in

3000-593: The run to the American League pennant and most of the 2014 World Series . In total, Aoki batted .195 as the Royals lost in the Series in seven games. On January 19, 2015, Aoki signed a one-year deal with the San Francisco Giants . On May 3, 2015, in a 5–0 win over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim , Aoki led off the first inning with a solo home run against pitcher Jered Weaver . Following Aoki

3060-686: The third baseman playing shallow and the shortstop shading the 5-6 hole , until 2006. Aoki has developed more power with each successive season and has now established himself as a legitimate middle-of-the-order threat that can pull the ball as well as hit for a high average (.333 career batting average as of May 13, 2009). He is known to be slightly unusual in that he has several different batting stances in his repertoire. While most players shape their mechanics to perfection, Aoki does not hesitate to switch from one stance to another when he runs into hitless stretches (though he holds his bat much more upright than he did earlier in his career). He has attested to

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3120-634: The tournament. Nevertheless, Japan defeated Cuba 10–6 in the finals to become the inaugural tournament champions . Aoki played in the 2007 Asian Baseball Championship (which also functioned as the Asian qualifying tournament for the Beijing Olympics) as a member of the Japanese national team. Though he was 0-for-9 with one sacrifice bunt in the first two games against the Philippines and South Korea as Japan's No. 3 hitter, he went 3-for-4 with

3180-629: The world. Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada consists of the National League (founded in 1876) and the American League (founded in 1901). Historically, teams in one league never played teams in the other until the World Series , in which the champions of the two leagues played against each other. This changed in 1997 with the advent of interleague play . The Philadelphia Phillies , founded in 1883, are

3240-547: Was born in Hyūga, Miyazaki , and attended Hyuga Municipal Hichiya Elementary School and Tomishima Junior High School before going on to Miyazaki Prefectural Hyuga High School. Surprisingly, he was a pitcher throughout junior high and high school, converting to the outfield only upon entering Waseda University where he majored in human sciences . Aoki was surrounded by a remarkable concentration of talent at Waseda: his year included shortstop Takashi Toritani (currently with

3300-453: Was needed by the Brewers to help push them toward a possible Wild Card berth. On June 24, 2012, Aoki collected 3 hits and 4 stolen bases against the Chicago White Sox . The 4 stolen bases tied the Brewers franchise record. In 151 games in 2012, he hit .288 with 10 home runs, 50 RBI, 37 doubles, 30 stolen bases (9th in the NL), and 43 walks, giving him a .355 on-base percentage. He finished 5th in

3360-403: Was promoted to the leadoff role by June 2005. On October 6, 2005, he tied the Central League single-season hit record of 192 (set by Robert Rose in 1999), following up the feat by becoming the second player in NPB history (after Ichiro Suzuki ) to record 200 hits in a single season, on October 11, 2005. While Aoki missed Suzuki's NPB record for hits in a single season of 210, he finished with

3420-575: Was selected in the fourth round of the 2003 NPB amateur draft by the Yakult Swallows. In 2004, Aoki saw little playing time in his rookie season (2004), playing just 10 games at the ichigun (Japanese equivalent of "major league") level. However, he showed signs of promise in the minors , hitting .372 and leading the Eastern League in both batting average and on-base percentage (.436) and coming second in stolen bases (21). In

3480-405: Was teammate Joe Panik batting second, who homered as well. It was the first time since 1964 that the Giants had opened a game with consecutive home runs. On June 20, 2015, Aoki was hit by a pitch from Dodger Carlos Frias , breaking his right fibula and putting him on the disabled list, resulting in him missing 28 games. At the time he was batting .317 and was a potential All-Star , leading

3540-455: Was the case in 2006), a second baseman with little power, behind Aoki in the 2-hole and instructing him to bunt often. On the other hand, Aoki began to show legitimate power, hitting 20 home runs and slugged over .500 for the first time. He was slotted into both the 2- and 3-hole numerous times and even hit cleanup in Furuta's retirement game as a player on October 7, 2007. Aoki played in

3600-608: Was traded before the Astros' World Series championship run in 2017, he was awarded a World Series ring by the team by virtue of playing 70 games for them in 2017. On July 31, 2017, the Astros traded Aoki and Teoscar Hernández to the Toronto Blue Jays for Francisco Liriano . He was designated for assignment on August 28, 2017, and released the following day. On September 2, 2017, the New York Mets signed Aoki to

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