Likewise, his bat, made by the North American sportswear company Nike, also has quite a unique design.
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Midway through the 2008 season, Iwamura got a mohawk haircut, a style which soon spread to many of his teammates and Rays' manager Joe Maddon.
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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.
Zobrist was placed in right field for the beginning of the 2009 season, and had since been made the starting second baseman after teammate Akinori Iwamura was injured.
The Swallows were reluctant to release Ishii in the 2005 off-season, but promised they would allow him to come to the majors if he was able to play another full season in Japan (a similar promise was made to Akinori Iwamura, who signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays).
Akinori Nakagawa | Iwamura Castle | Akinori Iwamura | Akinori Otsuka |