He was also a member of the Japanese national baseball team, winning a silver medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics, a bronze medal in the 2004 Summer Olympics, and placing first in the 2006 World Baseball Classic and 2009 World Baseball Classic.
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In 1996, at the age of 19, he became the youngest player to ever be chosen for an Olympic baseball team, and his team won a silver medal in the Atlanta Olympics.
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In April 2008, a souvenir stand selling unlicensed Cubs apparel sold a t-shirt bearing the Cubs cartoon bear wearing over-sized Harry Caray-style glasses encircled by the phrase "Horry Kow" (an Engrish play on Caray's "Holy Cow!" catchphrase) in cartoonish Asian script below.
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Fukudome entered the prestigious PL Gakuen High School, and was quickly targeted by professional scouts as a potential first round draft pick.
However, the MVP award that season went to his teammate, Kosuke Fukudome.
Kosuke Matsuura | Kosuke Fukudome | KÅsuke Fujishima | Kosuke Endo |