I just remembered that I actually saw Koji at Fenway long before I had any idea who he was or how much I would come to love him. I went to a Sox-O's game April 20, 2009, and Koji was the starter. It was his third major league appearance. He pitched well that day, going 7 innings and giving up 2 runs on 5 hits with 5 Ks/1 BB, but took the loss. I took some pics (none of him, alas) and on my FB page I posted this caption to a shot of Ortiz in the batters box (note bolded):
"Big Papi preparing to swing. He remained in his slump on this day, unable to catch up to 88-mph fastballs from Orioles starter Koji Uehara. He broke out the next day, though."
"Big Papi preparing to swing. He remained in his slump on this day, unable to catch up to 88-mph fastballs from Orioles starter Koji Uehara. He broke out the next day, though."