\n<\/p>\n
New White Sox infielder\/outfielder Rikuu Nishida was skipping and chuckling through the team\u2019s clubhouse, and on the field at the Rate before Monday\u2019s 3-1 win over over the Minnesota Twins.<\/p>\n
The 25-year-old native of Osaka, Japan had a lot to be happy about before and after the game.<\/p>\n
The White Sox had just promoted him from Triple-A Charlotte and he made his major league debut \u2013 batting ninth and playing right field in the same lineup with countryman and slugger Munetaka Murakami.<\/p>\n
The 5-foot-6,150-pound Nishida even giggled way through a pregame interview session with reporters in the dugout. He understands and speaks English, but interpreter Kenzo Yagi was at his side to provide precise translations.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really really happy, excited, but really nervous at the same time,\u201d Nishida said via Yagi. \u201cI still can\u2019t believe it\u2019s true right now, so a lot of butterflies inside me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t feel like I\u2019m a major-leaguer. I am still like in a very humble state at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the win, Nishida came through with his first hit, seven outfield put-outs and a run-saving throw to the plate in the second inning that gunned down the Twins Orlando Arcia.<\/p>\n
Added Pressure<\/b><\/p>\n
Nishida put a little extra pressure on himself. He\u2019s wearing uniform No. 51, the same worn by Hall of Famer and Japanese legend Ichiro Suzuki.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe number itself speaks a lot,\u201d Nishida said. \u201cIt\u2019s a really big number for me to be honest.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m still a little bit unsure about, you know, whether I can wear it or not, but you know, I\u2019m speechless. I can\u2019t even put into words how much of a great player Ichiro is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nishida looks up to Murakami, too, suggesting the 26-year-old rookie slugger is a \u201ccaptain\u201d kind of player.<\/p>\n
At 6-foot-2 and 213 pounds, Murakami\u2019s stature and classic power-hitting style is a polar opposite from Nishida\u2019s, who\u2019s expected to spray the ball and use his speed in line with Ichiro\u2019s approach.<\/p>\n
Took College Route<\/b><\/p>\n
The White Sox selected Nishida in the 11th<\/sup> round in 2023 when he played for the University of Oregon for one season. He broke into American baseball with two years with separate junior college teams in Washington State (Cowlitz) in 2021 and Massachusetts (Hyannis) in 2022.<\/p>\n Nishida tries to balance baseball with other elements of his life. It hasn\u2019t been all fun, he noted. His mother passed away while he was playing college ball and it had a \u201creally big effect on me and how I am as a person right now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n That personal loss didn\u2019t affect his joy for the sport.<\/p>\n \u201cI just love the game of baseball,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not about money. It\u2019s not about being a hobby. I just love to play.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that really show who I am as a person. That\u2019s why I think everybody sees me as an energetic person.<\/p>\n \u201cI also can be kind of quiet too\u2026 if you want me to,\u201d he added with a laugh.<\/p>\n The Other Move<\/b><\/p>\n To make room for Nishida on the roster, the Sox designated outfielder Jarred Kelenic for assignment. Kelenic hit .226 with one homer and four RBIs in 19 games.<\/p>\n First or not?<\/b><\/p>\n There are ample Japanese players and stars in the majors.<\/p>\n Nishida is the ninth player to have been born in Japan, then been drafted and make it to the majors, according to SportRadar.<\/p>\n However, he\u2019s the first with a Japanese surname or given name. The rest, starting with Bobby Fenwick who was picked by the Sox in 1966, appear to be American citizens. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also is on the list.<\/p>\n Nishida regards that only as a historical footnote, however.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s not a lot of meaning into it, because I\u2019m just the first person in the books,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s obviously a lot of great (Japanese) players out there.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n