Akinori Iwamura

Akinori Iwamura (岩村 明憲) is a former Japanese baseball infielder, who currently is a manager for the Fukushima Red Hopes in Japan's Baseball Challenge League.

Iwamura was born on February 9, 1979, in Uwajima, Japan, in Ehime Prefecture.

He attended Uwajima Higashi High School.

He played in the Philippines on the Japan National high school baseball team.

His older brother, Takashi Iwamura, was also a professional baseball player who spent two seasons in the Kintetsu Buffaloes' farm system.

Both were drafted in 1997.

He played in the Central League from 1998 to 2006 and won six Golden Glove awards at third base.

His best season was 2004, when he hit 44 home runs with 103 RBI and a .300 batting average.

In that same season, he also set the Japanese baseball record for strikeouts with 173.

During the offseason, Iwamura opted to be posted for Major League Baseball.

Iwamura was the second player that the Rays had been able to obtain through the posting system; in 2005, they won the rights to negotiate with pitcher Shinji Mori.

He also hit 106 home runs in his last three seasons in the Central League, including 32 (with a .311 batting average) in 2006.

The posts were due to the commissioner of Major League Baseball on November 10, 2006; the highest bidder would be granted the right to negotiate a contract with Iwamura.

Incidentally, Daisuke Matsuzaka, who signed a six-year, $52 million contract with the Boston Red Sox that same year, is a close friend of Iwamura.

On November 14, information leaked that the highest bidder and consequently the team that won the right to negotiate with Iwamura was the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Major League Baseball announced the next day that the Rays had made the winning bid; Newsday reported that the Rays had bid $4.5 million.

On December 15, 2006, Iwamura signed a three-year contract with the Rays worth $7.7 million, with a club option for a fourth year at $4.25 million.

With his defensive position still undecided, Iwamura brought gloves for five different positions to his first year of spring training in the major leagues.

However, he eventually won the starting third base job, despite the competition, and began his major league career at his natural position for the Devil Rays.

He made his Major League debut with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2007.

He earned the nickname Aki while in MLB.

His nickname is Gan-chan in NPB.

On July 10, 2007, Iwamura's wife Misaki gave birth to their first son, Taiki.

Iwamura was a third baseman for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in the Japanese Central League.

Iwamura did not hit well in spring training but seemed to adjust quickly to major league pitching once the 2007 season began, hitting .339 in April.

However, he was hit in the eye on a freak play while chasing down a fly ball and spent time on the disabled list until May 28.

Iwamura's bat cooled off somewhat when he returned.

He finished his rookie campaign with a .285 batting average, 7 home runs, 34 RBI and 82 runs scored while serving mostly as the Devil Rays' leadoff hitter.

Iwamura's glove is made out of crocodile skin, a rarity in the major leagues (although some players wear gloves made out of kangaroo hide).

Likewise, his bat, made by the North American sportswear company Nike, also has quite a unique design.

On September 1, 2007, in a game against the New York Yankees, Iwamura had his bat confiscated in the second inning.

The Yankees questioned the flatness of the end of Iwamura's bat.

The bat was sent to the commissioner's office for inspection, where it was found to be acceptable for use.

It was later returned to Iwamura.

With Evan Longoria, a highly coveted third base prospect for the Rays, rising quickly through the team's minor league system, Iwamura was moved to second base for the beginning of the 2008 season.

The transition went extremely well, as he and Jason Bartlett, a shortstop that the Rays had newly acquired from the Minnesota Twins, quickly became one of the best double play combinations in baseball, helping the Rays to their best season in franchise history.

Again batting leadoff, Iwamura struggled at the plate in April, hitting just above .200 for much of the month.

However, his batting improved significantly in May and June, when he was among the league leaders in hits.

In Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, Iwamura fielded Jed Lowrie's ground ball and stepped on second base himself, making the last out and allowing the Rays to advance to their first World Series in franchise history.

In September 2023 the Rays, to honor this landmark moment in the team’s history, unveiled a statue outside of Tropicana Field depicting Iwamura after recording the out.