Johjima gives Mariners steady presen … - 美國職棒

※ 引述《Ally1213 (Breakdown)》之銘言：
: MLB.com推出一系列各隊08年每個守備位置的球員preview，
: 首先登場的是捕手:
: http://tinyurl.com/2vxs7v
: Around the Horn: Catchers
: Johjima gives Mariners steady presence behind plate
: By Jim Street / MLB.com
: SEATTLE -- A Japanese battery the Mariners had hoped to use every fifth day
: in 2008 never panned out, but there still should be plenty of juice behind
: the plate this season to make catching one of the team's most reliable posi-
: tions.

水手想在投手丘上找個日本人的計劃失利，
但水手在本壘板後的日本人是不動如山。

: With the durable and dependable Kenji Johjima as the primary receiver, and
: Jamie Burke returning as the backup, the position is in good hands. If former
: first-round Draft choice Jeff Clement earns a spot on the 25-man roster,
: there would be a third set of hands available to manager John McLaren.

水手的捕手位置有耐操的城島加上替補Burke，
明年還可能有第三個人，Clement。

: Most MLB teams carry two catchers, but Clement appears to be Major League-
: ready, especially on offense, as evidenced by the two memorable home runs he
: hit in late September. The first was a pinch-hit, game-tying blast in the
: bottom of the ninth inning against the Indians, and the second was a walk-off
: jolt against the Rangers two nights later.

Clement去年上major觀光時敲了兩支大的
他可能已經準備好了。

: Clement bats left-handed and that also could become a factor in determining
: whether or not he's on the Opening Day roster.

再加上他是左打，這會有助於他開季站上大聯盟。

: "I'm not saying [carrying three catchers] isn't something we couldn't do,"
: McLaren said, "but let's see how it plays out in Spring Training."

麥阿倫：帶三個捕手也沒什麼不可以，我們春訓時走著瞧。

: In the meantime, McLaren gives two thumbs up when talking about both Johjima
: and Burke, one of the most productive catching tandems in the big leagues
: last season.

城島加Burke是去年大盟中產量最佳的補手組合。

: Between them, Johjima and Burke batted .290 (173-for-598), hit 12 home runs
: and drove in 73 runs.

他們打出0.290，12轟，73 RBI

: "We were very happy with those two guys," McLaren said. "I thought Joh had a
: nice year. He threw the ball well, improved his receiving, and is getting
: experience with the American way of calling a game. He made good strides
: there and will get better and better. He is a very solid catcher for us."

麥阿倫：城島去年攻守俱佳，而且還會再進步。

: Johjima, the only Japan-born catcher in Major League Baseball history, was
: hoping to add another footnote to his country's MLB legacy by receiving the
: first pitch from right-hander Hiroki Kuroda, a free-agent starter from Japan
: who chose the Dodgers over the Mariners.

城島是大聯盟史上唯一和製捕手，
原本有望與黑田成為大聯盟史上第一對和製投捕搭檔。

: Even so, Johjima continues to make his own history.

就算沒了黑田，城島仍會繼續寫屬於自己的歷史。

: He started 128 games for the Mariners last season and enters the '08 campaign
: as the American League leader in innings caught over the past two seasons with
: 2,279 1/3.

城島很耐操

: Though he needs improvement in his plate-blocking technique, the former Japan
: All-Star has shown progress in other areas of his defensive game, most notice-
: ably in delivering quick, accurate throws.

城島持續改進捕球技巧，牽制更是大幅進步。

: He threw out 10 of the final 15 baserunners attempting to steal on him last
: season and ended up with a 37.8 percent success rate, the third-best in the AL.
: Johjima was particularly superb from May 1 through the end of the season,
: gunning down 44 percent (30-of-68) of the potential base thieves.

他在去年最後15次對手的盜壘嘗試中，殺掉了其中10人。
全年阻殺率37.8%，美聯第三佳，
五月一號起是是44%

: "We worked with him on getting more on top of the ball, and he's gotten a lot
: better at that," McLaren said. "It enables him to utilize his arm strength,
: and Joh has a strong arm."

老麥：我們設法讓他提早啟動傳球，這更能發揮他的強肩。

: Strong enough to get a rare hat trick: nailing the AL's top three stolen-base
: artists. Johjima gunned down Rays speedster Carl Crawford on May 24, Brian
: Roberts of the Orioles on June 4 and the Angels' Chone Figgins on Sept. 22.
: Crawford and Roberts shared the league lead with 50 stolen bases and Figgins
: ranked third with 41.

城島的強肩足以對抗美聯頂尖快腿：
Carl Crawford、Brian Roberts、Chone Figgins
（一朗：他們算什麼？）

: Johjima also spent most of his time on the same page as Seattle's pitchers.
: "He has more knowledge of the league now and I understand that he communicates
: a lot better with the pitchers now, because his English has improved,"
: McLaren said. "Like I said, we're very happy with Joh."

城島也不斷加強英文以與自家投手溝通

: Johjima's offensive numbers last season went down a little from 2006, when he
: had the most hits (147) by an AL rookie catcher in 44 years, and tied the
: club record for most home runs by a catcher (18). But he still had a solid
: sophomore season at the plate.

城島今年的攻擊比去年差了些，但還是很強。

: The right-handed hitter batted .287, hit 11 home runs, drove in 63 runs and
: struck out just once every 12.5 plate appearances, making him the third-
: toughest batter in the league to strike out.

城島打出0.287，11轟，63 RBI，每12.5次打擊才會被三振一次，
是美聯第三難三振的捕手。
(球來就打當然比較不容易吃K)

: On the days that Johjima rested, the 36-year-old Burke played.
: "I thought Jamie did an excellent job backing up, offering support to Joh,"
: McLaren said. "He got some big hits for us and called a good game."
: Among Burke's 34 hits was his first Major League home run, which came in the
: regular-season finale against the Rangers at Safeco Field.
: "I thought our catching was a plus for us last season and I expect the same
: thing this season," McLaren said.

Burke也打得不錯。


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用星光作畫的男孩 他的夜晚比白天燦爛

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