Hanshin Tigers
The Hanshin Tigers signed him after the 1988 season. The Hanshin Tigers paid him $1,050,000 ($1,968,644 today), including a chauffeur and a full-time interpreter. More than the money, he said, he went to Japan for the opportunity to play every day. He became a hero to the local baseball fans that nicknamed him "Wild Bear" (wild, in Japan, is the image of power; bear, for his hulking presence). Tigers offered Fielder the position for the cleanup hitter.
In the beginning of spring training, Fielder had a difficult time adjusting to Japan's baseball environment, however he later adjusted to Japan's baseball after Tiger's manager Minoru Murayama and Junichi Kashiwabara helped Fielder.
Fielder, built for power at 6-foot-3 and 280 pounds, gained Detroit's attention by hitting 38 home runs in Japan's Central League in 1989.
Read more about this topic: Cecil Fielder
Famous quotes containing the word tigers:
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)