The Kintetsu Buffaloes signed infielder Norihiro Nakamura to a one-year contract carrying a 300 million yen annual salary and a performance-hinged bonus of up to 50 million yen Wednesday, making him the highest-paid player in the Pacific League.
Nakamura received a 160 million yen hike from this year and became the second most expensive player in Japanese baseball behind Giants slugger Hideki Matsui, who signed for 500 million yen Monday. Kazuhiro Kiyohara and Kimiyasu Kudo, the Yomiuri duo who renewed their contracts earlier this month, will also earn 300 million yen next year. "The club's offer is more than satisfactory, but I think this will put extra pressure on me next season. Now that Ichiro (Suzuki) has gone, I feel I'm in a position to boost the popularity of the Pacific League," Nakamura said.
The 27-year-old Nakamura led the league with 39 homers and 110 RBIs while batting .277 in 2000. He played for Japan at the Sydney Olympics.
Kokubo's pay hiked
FUKUOKA (Kyodo) Daiei Hawks infielder Hiroki Kokubo received a reward for his contributions to the Pacific League champion Wednesday when he accepted an offer of a 180 million yen annual salary to double his pay for this year.
Kokubo hit 31 homers and drove in 105 runs in 2000.