Jim Paciorek
Encyclopedia
James Joseph Paciorek is a former major league baseball player from Detroit, Michigan
. He played first base, third base
, and outfield
for the Milwaukee Brewers
. He also played with the Yokohama Taiyo Whales
and Hanshin Tigers
in the Japanese Central League
.
His two older brothers, John Paciorek
and Tom Paciorek
, also played in the major leagues.
teams while attending the University of Michigan
. He graduated in 1981, and was drafted in the 14th round by the Cleveland Indians
, but did not sign with the Indians. He was chosen in the 8th round by the Milwaukee Brewers
the following year, and signed with the Brewers in 1982. He spent most of his career in the minor leagues, but played 48 major league games in 1987.
Paciorek had actually traveled to Japan
during his college years to play in the Japanese college baseball league, and he chose to sign with the Yokohama Taiyo Whales (current Yokohama BayStars
) in 1988. He ranked second in the league with a .332 average, and won the outfield Best Nine award that year. He remained one of the league's best hitters, batting 5th behind teammate Carlos Ponce
, and won the Central League
batting title in 1990. Paciorek ended the season with a batting average over .300 for the fourth straight year in 1991, but was cut from the team for hitting only 11 home runs.
The Whales had made a bad decision in cutting Paciorek, as he had his best season in 1992 playing with the Hanshin Tigers
. Paciorek had joined the Tigers at the suggestion of Tom O'Malley
, and he led the league in hits to win a Best Nine award at first base. He also won the Central League golden glove award that year.
Paciorek suffered a hip injury in 1993, and failed reach the .300 mark for the first time in Japan, hitting only 7 home runs with a .243 batting average. He was dropped by the Tigers during the off-season, and sought to play in the major leagues after returning to the United States
, but retired shortly afterwards.
On April 6, 2004, Paciorek traveled to Japan after 11 years to participate in the opening ceremony of a game between the Hanshin Tigers
and Yokohama BayStars
at Yokohama Stadium
. Old-time fans of both teams still remembered Paciorek's contributions to Japanese baseball, and greeted him enthusiastically as he threw the opening pitch.
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. He played first base, third base
Third Base
is a 1978 Japanese film directed by Yōichi Higashi.-External links:...
, and outfield
Outfield
The outfield is a sporting term used in cricket and baseball to refer to the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield...
for the Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. He also played with the Yokohama Taiyo Whales
Yokohama BayStars
The are a professional baseball team in the Japanese Central League. Home field is the Yokohama Stadium, located in central Yokohama. The clubhouse is located near the stadium....
and Hanshin Tigers
Hanshin Tigers
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly...
in the Japanese Central League
Central League
The or is one the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consists of six teams from around the country,The Central League...
.
His two older brothers, John Paciorek
John Paciorek
John Francis Paciorek is an American baseball player with three career Major League at-bats, all for the Houston Colt .45s in 1963.He is famous for having arguably the greatest one-game career in baseball history...
and Tom Paciorek
Tom Paciorek
Thomas Marian Paciorek is a former Major League outfielder and first baseman for 18 seasons between 1970 and 1987...
, also played in the major leagues.
Biography
Paciorek played on both the baseball and American footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
teams while attending the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. He graduated in 1981, and was drafted in the 14th round by the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
, but did not sign with the Indians. He was chosen in the 8th round by the Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
the following year, and signed with the Brewers in 1982. He spent most of his career in the minor leagues, but played 48 major league games in 1987.
Paciorek had actually traveled to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
during his college years to play in the Japanese college baseball league, and he chose to sign with the Yokohama Taiyo Whales (current Yokohama BayStars
Yokohama BayStars
The are a professional baseball team in the Japanese Central League. Home field is the Yokohama Stadium, located in central Yokohama. The clubhouse is located near the stadium....
) in 1988. He ranked second in the league with a .332 average, and won the outfield Best Nine award that year. He remained one of the league's best hitters, batting 5th behind teammate Carlos Ponce
Carlos Ponce (baseball)
Carlos Ponce is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. He signed with the Milwaukee Brewers as a free agent in 1982 and played with the team at the Major League level in 1985....
, and won the Central League
Central League
The or is one the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consists of six teams from around the country,The Central League...
batting title in 1990. Paciorek ended the season with a batting average over .300 for the fourth straight year in 1991, but was cut from the team for hitting only 11 home runs.
The Whales had made a bad decision in cutting Paciorek, as he had his best season in 1992 playing with the Hanshin Tigers
Hanshin Tigers
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly...
. Paciorek had joined the Tigers at the suggestion of Tom O'Malley
Tom O'Malley
----Thomas Patrick O'Malley is a former Major League baseball player born in Orange, New Jersey, and raised in Montoursville, Pennsylvania in the United States. He played for the San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Montreal Expos, and New York Mets...
, and he led the league in hits to win a Best Nine award at first base. He also won the Central League golden glove award that year.
Paciorek suffered a hip injury in 1993, and failed reach the .300 mark for the first time in Japan, hitting only 7 home runs with a .243 batting average. He was dropped by the Tigers during the off-season, and sought to play in the major leagues after returning to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, but retired shortly afterwards.
On April 6, 2004, Paciorek traveled to Japan after 11 years to participate in the opening ceremony of a game between the Hanshin Tigers
Hanshin Tigers
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly...
and Yokohama BayStars
Yokohama BayStars
The are a professional baseball team in the Japanese Central League. Home field is the Yokohama Stadium, located in central Yokohama. The clubhouse is located near the stadium....
at Yokohama Stadium
Yokohama Stadium
is a stadium in Naka Ward, Yokohama, Japan. It opened in 1978 and holds 30,000 people.It is primarily used for baseball and is the home field of the Yokohama BayStars. The stadium is unique, because it features dirt around the bases and pitcher's mound, but with dirt colored turf infield and base...
. Old-time fans of both teams still remembered Paciorek's contributions to Japanese baseball, and greeted him enthusiastically as he threw the opening pitch.