Culture shock

Nick Christensen

Friday, June 24, 2005 | 9:49 a.m.

Tucson Electric Park 7 p.m. Saturday, Monday, Tuesday; 6 p.m. Sunday Radio: all games on 1460-AM

PROBABLE STARTERS

Two hours before Thursday's game began, Norihiro Nakamura sat outside Cashman Field, alone save his interpreter and two packs of Marlboros.

It's a solitude that he'd have never found if he had taken the safe route last season, staying with the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes rather than taking a huge pay cut to try to live his dream of playing in the major leagues.

"This guy's used to going out on the streets and getting mobbed. You'd see police having to wait at his door to escort him around," 51s manager Jerry Royster said. "This is all new for him. I guarantee you it's not as much fun. He had rockstar status there. He doesn't have that here."

Nakamura seemed to be adapting well to American baseball early on, hitting .295 in 21 spring training games with three home runs. In his first two games with the 51s, he went 5-for-11 and hit two home runs at Colorado Springs.

The third night of the PCL season, Nakamura was called up to the Dodgers.

He played in 17 games, getting just five hits in 39 at-bats. Two of those hits were for doubles, none went over the fence.

"The major league has much more power," Nakamura said through an interpreter Thursday. "But the Japanese professional league has more strategies and details."

He was sent back to Triple-A Las Vegas on May 15, his status fallen from Japanese superstar biding his time to just another minor leaguer trying to earn a trip back to the big leagues.

His record in Japan was phenomenal. In 13 seasons playing for his hometown Buffaloes, he was an eight-time all-star and won five Gold Glove awards at third base. He had 307 career home runs and 916 career RBIs, having a career year in 2001 with a .320 batting average, 46 home runs aned 132 RBIs while drawing 104 walks.

He'd had offers to go to America before, but this year he finally agreed to come to the states and play for the Dodgers.

"I have the confidence to play as a starter in the major leagues," he said.

But at times, Royster said, Nakamura was trying to outperform himself.

"He doesn't relax up there," Royster said. "Here he does do things but all the sudden about seven games ago, 'Gosh, I can't hit a home run, I can't get a hit, wait a minute, I've got to do something more.' Forget it. Go have a beer, relax. It's going to come back. You're going to be OK."

Nakamura was hitting 7-for-39 the past three series coming into Thursday night's game, in which he went 2-for-2 with a run and an RBI. But after hitting eight home runs the last two weeks of May, he went on a drought that lasted until June 20. He attributed the slump to the hot Las Vegas weather -- summers at Cashman Field are a far cry from the comfort of the Osaka Dome.

He answered in plain English when asked what instructions the Dodgers gave him when they sent him back down -- "Nothing."

For himself, though, his goal is to adapt to pitchers on this side of the Pacific.

"I don't care anything about home runs or batting average, I just want to experience seeing the pitchers," he said.

And, he hopes, experiencing the pitchers will help him to experience the rock star lifestyle yet again.

Nakamura said he can't think of any one thing he's liked about coming over.

"I haven't enjoyed it yet," he said. "Not until I'm at a starting position at the major leagues."

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