Akinori Iwamura
A slick-fielding infielder whose pivotal plays at second base helped propel the small-market Tampa Bay Rays to an unlikely World Series.
Born 1979 (age 47)·Japanese baseball player & manager·Birthday: February 9·Generation X
Biography
Akinori Iwamura arrived in Major League Baseball with a reputation: a power-hitting third baseman and a defensive star in Japan. The Tampa Bay Rays saw something else. In 2008, they asked him to switch to second base, a position he had never played professionally. Iwamura's seamless adaptation became a symbol of the team's own startling transformation. With graceful, efficient movements, he and shortstop Jason Bartlett formed a dynamic double-play combination that solidified the middle of the field for a young pitching staff. His clutch hitting and relentless professionalism were integral as the Rays shed their losing history and stormed to the American League pennant. While his MLB tenure was brief, Iwamura's role in that magical 2008 season cemented his place as a beloved figure in Tampa Bay, a key import who helped change a franchise's destiny.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Akinori was born in 1979, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Akinori Was Born
The biggest hits of 1979
#1 Movie
Kramer vs. Kramer
Best Picture
Kramer vs. Kramer
#1 TV Show
Laverne & Shirley
Akinori's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1979Born
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1984Started school
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1992Became a teenager
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
1995Could drive
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
1997Could vote
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2000Turned 21
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2009Turned 30
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 40
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 47 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Was the starting second baseman for the American League Champion Tampa Bay Rays in the 2008 World Series.
- Won a Gold Glove award as the best defensive third baseman in Japan's Pacific League in 2004 and 2005.
- Led Japan's Pacific League in home runs (44) in 2004 while playing for the Yakult Swallows.
- Recorded the final out of the 2008 ALCS, a groundball he fielded to send the Rays to the World Series.
Did You Know?
His nickname, both in Japan and MLB, was "Aki."
He hit a home run in his very first MLB at-bat in 2007, off the Yankees' Carl Pavano.
Before the 2008 season, he participated in a rigorous training camp with samurai swordsmen to improve his focus and discipline.
After his MLB career, he returned to Japan and became a manager in the independent Baseball Challenge League.
“The team needed a second baseman, so I became one.”
