Press Release
January 5, 2001
Fortitudo BC 1953 agreed to terms with YOSHIMUNE WAKITA, who will be the first Japanese - born pitcher to ever play in Italy. He is reportedly gifted with very good pitching skills, with a repertoire which includes a good fastball and a split-finger.
The deal was made possible by the "friendship agreement" Fortitudo Italeri signed last year with the Seattle Mariners. This past weekend, Mr. Roger Jongewaard, Vice President of Scouting and Player Development for the major league team, visited Bologna to check out all the facilities that, as part of the agreement, are at the Mariners' disposal in this town to hold clinics and tryout camps for European players. This agreement gives the Mariners a competitive advantage in the relatively-untested European market, and Fortitudo the chance to be in touch with a great professional organization. A key role in the deal was played by the Mariners' new Pacific Rim Scout, Mr. Ted Heid.
Born October 20, 1971 in Hyogo, Japan, Wakita (5-9, 183) started his career in Tenri High School, among the more competitive High School programs in Japan. He was then picked up by Tenri University, where he played four years before getting his degree. His professional career started in 1995 in the Industrial League's Abekiyo Baseball Club, where he had a record of 16 - 9 in four seasons as a starter and reliever. He then went to the U.S.A. and played for the Northern League's Adirondack Lumberjacks, with ex Fortitudo pitcher Les Lancaster as manager and present Fortitudo third baseman Ruben Santana as his teammate. His record for the Lumberjacks:
W-L 6-6, ERA 5.25, Ip 82, Bb 34, So 53.
Last year, Wakita won the Western League Championship with the Zion Pioneerzz. His 2000 numbers:
W-L 3-4, ERA 5.67, Ip 87, Bb 51, So 71. He is expected to play an important role in the hunt for the playoffs this year, and the Fortitudo management is counting on his desire to win and his reportedly great work ethics to serve as a bright example for his younger new teammates.
