Athletes - Tomokazu Ohka

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	Athletes - Tomokazu Ohka

Tomokazu Ohka (大家友和, born March 18, 1976 in Kyoto, Japan) is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher who plays for the Milwaukee Brewers. Previously, Ohka played with the Boston Red Sox (1999-2001), Montreal Expos (2001-04), and Washington Nationals (2005). He was traded mid-season in June 2005 for second baseman Junior Spivey. He bats and throws right-handed.

In 1998 Ohka was purchased by the Red Sox from the Yokohama BayStars (Japan's Central League). He made his major league debut on July 19, 1999, and was sent to Montreal in the 2001 mid-season in the same trade that brought the closer Ugueth Urbina to Boston.

In a six-year career, Ohka has compiled a 33-44 record with 390 strikeouts and a 3.92 ERA in 665.2 innings. His most productive season came with the Expos in 2002, when he posted 13-8 with 118 strikeouts and a 3.18 ERA.

Ohka has an average --and sometimes a shade above-- fastball, a decent curve, a slider and change-up, all of which can be effective when he is focused.

In June 2004, Ohka broke his right forearm when he was hit by a line drive off Carlos Beltrán's bat in Kansas City. Ohka underwent major surgery and was out for the remainder of the season. He finished 3-5 with a 3.01 ERA in 12 starts.

As the Expos moved to Washington, D.C. for the 2005 season, Okha was part of a starting rotation that included Liván Hernández, Esteban Loaiza and Tony Armas, Jr.. Shortly before the trade to Milwaukee, Ohka was involved in an incident with Washington manager Frank Robinson. Ohka protested being removed from a game, a protest which resulted in an undisclosed fine by the team.

Milestone

Ohka pitched a nine-inning perfect game for the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox on June 1, 2000. Ohka retired all 27 batters he faced in a 2-0 win over the Charlotte Knights, and he needed just 76 pitches to toss the first nine-inning perfect game in the International League since 1952.

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