In fact, he wasn't quite sure he wanted to pitch in the United States at all.
And yet, there he was, carving out some dirt on the Fenway mound last night, with two on and one out in the sixth, and his team, the Boston Red Sox, attempting to protect a precarious 2-1 lead over the Colorado Rockies in Game 2 of the World Series.
The ball had been entrusted to him by manager Terry Francona. The lead had been entrusted to him by the starting pitcher, Curt Schilling, who had thrown just 81 pitches when Francona signaled for the switch after the righthander walked Todd Helton.
What was this 31-year-old from Kyoto thinking when he found himself in such a pressure situation? It is hard for us to know sometimes. He does not speak the language, so he must rely on others to talk and to translate, and to annunciate for him.
But what Okajima demonstrated last night can be understood in any language. When you dominate, you don't need to say much.
Your pitching line says it all.
So here it is: 2 1/3 innings without giving up a hit, a run, or allowing a base runner. Okey punched out four batters during his critical juncture in this game, and bridged the way for Jonathan Papelbon to close out the victory.
"Okajima was perfect, just absolutely perfect - every single pitch," lauded Schilling after the win. "And that's a hell of a lineup to go through."
"He was awesome," gushed fellow reliever Mike Timlin, who once held the job Okajima has mastered for the Sox this season. "His arm speed was great on every pitch. His heater was great. I haven't seen him throw the ball like that in three months."
The key was Okajima's command. After falling behind to the initial batter he faced, Garrett Atkins (whom he coaxed into grounding out to first), Okajima began firing strikes. He needed just three pitches to strike out Brad Hawpe to end the sixth.
