Continuing on with the series we go from one player my dad loved with a very notable event tied to his time as an Oriole to another
Lenn Sakata is from Honolulu, Hawaii and he played college ball for Gonzaga. The Milwaukee Brewers selected Sakata in the 10th round of the 1975 MLB Draft, which is an interesting story because the scout that scouted him and recommended he be drafted was actually a Seattle Pilots hire who moved to Seattle for the job but then didn't move with the team and just became the Brewers regional scout for the PNW. When he would debut in 1977, he would become the 2nd asian american to play in the big leagues (Bobby Balcena was the first)
Sakata joined the Baltimore Orioles in 1980 after being traded from the Milwaukee Brewers. As a utility man He would go on to make appearances at 5 different positions. Playing primarily at shortstop and second base, Sakata would eventually be the replacement for Mark Belanger. In 1982 he would be a solid contributor in the infield, he would bat right behind Cal RIpken in the lineup for the first game of his eventual record breaking streak. He is the stereotypical versatile depth guy that makes a team like the early 80s Orioles really special
One of the most memorable stories involving Lenn Sakata occurred on August 24, 1983. In a game against the Toronto Blue Jays, the Orioles had used up all their catchers due to injuries and substitutions. Manager Joe Altobelli turned to Sakata,to put on the catcher's gear and step behind the plate. Despite having no prior experience as a catcher in the majors and only briefly playing the position in college, Sakata was put in. In the 10th inning, with Sakata catching, Tippy Martinez allowed 3 Blue Jays to reach first, and then proceeded to pick off each batter for all three outs. Sakata then hit a walkoff homerun in the bottom of the inning
His versatility and unexpectedly clutch hitting is often overlooked and he's one of the undervalued and oft forgotten minor characters that made the 83 team so special. After his time with the Orioles, which lasted until 1985, Sakata continued to play in the majors with the Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees before retiring in 1987. Post-retirement, Sakata transitioned into coaching and managing, he became the winningest manager in California League history in 2007
Lenn Sakata is one of my father’s favorite players who he feels doesn’t get enough love, my dad loved watching him and Cal as a double play tandem. Being one of the first Asian Americans in the modern era, Named one of the best 50 Hawaiian athletes by CNN, and being one of the only Hawaiians in Orioles history, all while being a part of a world series winner is something that should be celebrated.
12 comments
The 3rd time’s a charm with this post. This is a little later than I’d like for these posts because I’ve had a couple issues uploading it.
One thing I think is worth noting about Lenn that I couldn’t find a spot for is that he was a 4 WAR player with the Orioles over his tenure. 2.1 coming from 1982. Although he never reached the heights of Mark Belanger who he replaced, or Cal Ripken, who he shared the infield with, I think Sakata is a solid enough player who more people should know about
He’s a good bit before my time but I’d never heard of him, thanks for sharing. I’ll ask my dad and grandpa if they remember him, I’m sure they will.
I was a young kid when Sakata had to play catcher in a game and because he was catching the Blue Jays we’re looking to steal. This is the game where Tippy Martinez picked off 3 runners in the inning and Lenny hit the game winning HR. I was too young to recall the game at all but my father would constantly remind me with his story of the game.
He was Jordan Westburg without the power or speed. Good range, decent bat. One of my favorite players from that time too.
Love Lenny!
Man, I haven’t thought about Lenn in over 30 years, but just seeing his face flooded me with positive feelings stemming from my childhood memories of rooting for the O’s.
He managed a club here in Japan for a while in the 1990s.
Thanks for this blast from the past! I haven’t thought about Sakata for a very long time, but remember him from when I was a kid.
I was at that game! First base side. Tippy, Eddie and Len. What a game.
I’ve used to have this strange revisionist history thing in my head about that game. For years I vividly remember Mel Proctor on HTS calling that 1983 game and me watching it. The problem is that HTS didn’t start until 1984, and I listened to it on the radio with Tom Marr and Jon Miller broadcasting. It’s like all the people who are convinced that comedian Sinbad starred in a movie named ‘Shazam’, even though that never happened.
I wish I kept all of my orioles baseball cards – it’s sad
In his day, he had a demonstrably bulky body from weight training. He was among the first O’s muscleheads.