Kosuke Fukudome

Kosuke Fukudome is a Major League outfielder who currently plays for the Chicago Cubs. Fukudome spent nine seasons with the Chunichi Dragons of the Japanese Central League before signing with the Chicago Cubs for the 2008 season.

A native of Japan, Fukudome played for the Japanese national baseball team in the 1996 and 2004 Olympics, winning a silver and a bronze medal in each respective contest. In 1997 he joined the Dragons, a team based in Nagoya in central Japan. Through his timely hitting, Fukudome helped lead the Dragons to the Japan Series (the Japanese equivalent of the World Series) four times, and helped them win the Championship in 2007. At the end of the 2007 season, Fukudome signed with the Chicago Cubs, becoming the first-ever Japanese player on the team. The Japanese batsman immediately distinguished himself by his hitting at the outset of the 2008 season, and become an instant fan favorite. A popular t-shirt in the Chicago area at the beginning of 2008 read "Fukudome is My Homie."

• Topix.net: Kosuke Fukudome News
• ArmChairGM: Kosuke Fukodome
• Google News: Kosuke Fukudome
• ESPN: Fukudome ready to emerge from obscurity - MLB (December 17, 2007)
  • Hiroshima Carp manager Marty Brown: "He's a good player. He's a really clutch hitter and he still runs well."
• JapaneseBallPlayers.com: Kosuke Fukudome