Language barrier can't contain personality of Uehara http://0rz.tw/rJ7T6 BALTIMORE -- A season's worth of high-fives only scratch the surface of the force that is the personality of Koji Uehara. 這個值得high-five的球季只是上原的個性帶來的力量中的一小部份而已。 "I don't think guys think of him as someone who has come over from another continent," fellow reliever Craig Breslow said. "They think of him as one of the guys." Craig Breslow：「我不認為有誰會視他為不同洲的人。」 "He's one of the coolest people I've ever met," lefty Drake Britton said. Drake Britton：「他是我見過最酷的人之一。」 Uehara is far from the first Japanese-born pitcher to suit up for the Red Sox. But he's the first Japanese-born pitcher to ingratiate himself with the team the way he has this season. 比上原更早效力紅襪的日本人不少，不過他是第一個把球隊風格和自己風格完美融合的日 本人。 Daisuke Matsuzaka generally kept to himself in his years with the Red Sox. Hideki Okajima tended to be much quieter. The younger Junichi Tazawa even this year has mostly kept his head down in the clubhouse. 松坂通常都一個人，岡島比較沉默，田澤也通常都頭低低的。 But Uehara has let his personality show since the moment he joined the Red Sox for spring training in February. He's gained notice of late for his dominance in the ninth inning -- he went into play Friday with a 1.12 ERA and an 11-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio -- but he made himself an integral part of the fabric of the bullpen long before that. That's in spite of the language barrier that has proved such an impediment for so many others trying to make the transition into American baseball. 不過上原在一加入紅襪的時候就秀出了他的個性。他近來展現了他再第九局的宰制力─ 1.12 ERA、K/BB將近11，不過他在這之前就已經成為牛棚的一大要角。過去語言一直是 把個人風格帶入美國棒球的一大障礙。 Because Uehara has such a dynamic personality, it didn't take long for him to assimilate upon his arrival four years ago with the Baltimore Orioles. 因為上原的個性很外向，上原加入金鶯後也不需要多少時間就能融入。 "Moving to a new country, he didn't know the language, but it's like anything -- when you're new to anything, you observe and watch at first," said Baltimore lefty Brian Matusz, who was a rookie in the major leagues the same year Uehara arrived. "I just think, as time went on, he opened up and developed relationships." Brian Matusz：「他到新國家征戰，不太會這裡的語言，不過當你到新環境時你會先觀察 。當時間過去後，他就敞開心胸和大家發展友情了。」 A native of Osaka, Japan -- "the comedy capital of Japan," as Baltimore closer Jim Johnson described it -- Uehara didn't shy away from the banter that comes with a major-league clubhouse. He embraced it. The entire Baltimore team became part of his ongoing effort to learn English. Jim Johnson說上原的故鄉大阪市「日本的喜劇之都」，上原不會抗拒大聯盟式的玩笑， 他很願意接受─整隻金鶯隊成了他學習英語的動力。 "When he first got here, we used to have a 'Word of the Day' thing," Johnson said. "It started in spring training. He'd just gotten to the U.S., so every day we had a new word on the sheet, and he would translate it, so we would learn it and he would learn it. Jim Johnson：「他來這裡的時候，我們有了'Word of the Day'─這從春訓開始。他剛到 美國，所以每天的紙條都有新字彙，然後他也會翻譯─我們在學習、他也在學習。」 "As you'd expect, all the bad words were learned first." 「你也知道，都是從髒話先學起的。」 Some of those same bad words are thrown around the Red Sox clubhouse now, of course. Boys forever will be boys. But Uehara gets a laugh even when he stays above the fray -- "I am gentleman," he'll say in heavily accented English, to the roaring approval of his teammates. 當然紅襪這邊也出現了一樣的髒話。男孩永遠是男孩。不過就算上原不參與髒話戰也會 有笑點─上原用很重的腔調說"I am gentleman,"，隊友也會用大吼認證。 Uehara still conducts interviews through a translator, and his English is far from perfect. He speaks just enough English to get his point across. "He doesn't have the opportunity -- because he doesn't speak the language clear enough -- to try to build up jokes," Breslow said. "His one-liners are quite a bit more poignant because there's not this setup and kind of 'Let's get to the punchline.' Every time he opens his mouth, it's a punchline. He's got a great sense of humor." 上原依然需要翻譯，英文距離完美也有好一段路，他只能用簡單英文表達。 Breslow：「他的英文還不夠清楚，沒有鋪梗的機會。不過他的單句話更犀利，完全不需 要鋪陳─一張開嘴就是字字珠璣。他有很棒的幽默感。」 When words aren't doing the trick, Uehara also has the ability to do impersonations of those around him. That never fails to get a laugh. "He'll do guys' mechanics," said Matusz, who recalled a particularly hilarious impression of Johnson that Uehara did from across the field earlier this season. "He'll overdo it to make fun of them." 上原沒辦法利用話術搞笑，不過上原有模仿週遭人的能力，沒有失敗的時候。Matusz想起 當年上原模仿Johnson表情的樣子：「他會模仿大家的動作，誇張化來開他們玩笑。」 "He just finds different ways to communicate with all of us, whether it's doing something funny like hand gestures," Britton said. "He communicates with everyone. It just shows the kind of special person he is." Drake Britton：「他找到跟我們溝通的不同方法，有時候是好笑的手部動作。他跟大家 都會溝通─這顯示出他是個多麼特別的人。」 -- ＊Athletic frame. ＊High baseball IQ. Xander ＊Smooth, fluid swing. Bogaerts ＊Elite batspeed. #01 ＊Strong and explosive hands. ＊Above-average-to-better power ceiling, potential 30 home run bat. --

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