Onan Kainoa Satoshi Masaoka (born October 27, 1977) is an American baseball pitcher who played for the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

in 1999 and 2000. Drafted by the

in the 3rd round of the 1995 MLB amateur draft, Masaoka made his

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

debut with the Dodgers on April 5, 1999, and appeared in his final game on September 30, 2000. One of the highlights of Masaoka's brief major league career occurred on July 11, 1999. In the final game prior to the All Star Break, Masaoka pitched 4 innings in relief of winning pitcher Darren Dreifort. He picked up the one and only save of his major league career during the Dodgers 14-3 blowout win over the Mariners. The Dodgers traded him to the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

on July 26, 2001 (along with

Jeff Barry Jeff Barry (born Joel Adelberg; April 3, 1938) is an American pop music songwriter, singer, and record producer. Among the most successful songs that he has co-written in his career are " Do Wah Diddy Diddy", " Da Doo Ron Ron", " Then He Kiss ...

and

Gary Majewski Gary Wayne Majewski (; born February 26, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played for the Montreal Expos, Washington Nationals, Cincinnati Reds, and Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). Career Majewski gradua ...

) for

James Baldwin James Arthur Baldwin (August 2, 1924 – December 1, 1987) was an American writer. He garnered acclaim across various media, including essays, novels, plays, and poems. His first novel, '' Go Tell It on the Mountain'', was published in 1953; de ...

and cash. The White Sox assigned him to the AAA

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field, which opened in 20 ...

but released him after the season ended. He next played professionally with the

Gary SouthShore RailCats The Gary SouthShore RailCats are a professional baseball team based in Gary, Indiana, in the United States. The RailCats are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. The Rai ...

of the Northern League in 2009 and signed with his hometown

Hawaii Stars The Hawaii Stars were an independent professional baseball team based out of Hilo, Hawaii. They were charter members of the Pacific Association of Professional Baseball Clubs. They played their home games at Wong Stadium in Hilo and competed alo ...

of the

Pacific Association The Pacific Association of Professional Baseball Clubs was an independent baseball league based in Northern California. The league was founded in 2013 by four former North American League teams. History During the initial season, two Hawaii- ...

for 2013.

References

External links

Onan Masaoka learned in surprise first season
1977 births Albuquerque Dukes players American baseball players of Japanese descent Baseball players from Hawaii Charlotte Knights players Gary SouthShore RailCats players Hawaii people of Japanese descent Las Vegas 51s players Living people Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball pitchers Native Hawaiian sportspeople People from Hilo, Hawaii San Antonio Missions players Savannah Sand Gnats players Vero Beach Dodgers players Yakima Bears players {{US-baseball-pitcher-1970s-stub