With today's signing of Phillies' superstar Shane Victorino, I think the Los Angeles Dodgers got a great player who knows how to win big games and who can help take them to the World Series this fall. Aside from his on-field accomplishments, Victorino stands out as a one of the few Major Leaguers to be born in the beautiful state of Hawaii.
Now that Victorino is a Dodger, it made me think about other Dodgers players who were also born in Hawaii. Here's a look at five (probably the only five) Los Angeles Dodgers players who were born in Hawaii:
Victorino is now officially a Dodger, so he counts in my list of Hawaiian-born Dodgers. Shane Victorino was born in Maui, Hawaii and is only the second native of Maui to even play in the Majors and the 27th Hawaiian-born player in MLB.
Sid Fernandez
Fernandez was born in Honolulu, Hawaii and was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1981. He pitched for the Dodgers only briefly, in 1983, before heading to New York for a ten-year career with the Mets, followed by appearances in Baltimore, Philadelphia and Houston. Sid Fernandez paid tribute to his home state by always wearing the number 50, as Hawaii was the 50th state to join the Union. He also has the distinction of being the very first Hawaiian-born player to be named an All-Star, in 1986.
Onan Masaoka
Pitcher Onan Masaoka was born in Hilo, Hawaii. He was drafted by the Dodgers in 1995 and pitched for the team during the 1999 and 2000 seasons. Over the two seasons he won three games and lost five with an overall ERA of 4.23. He played in 54 games in 1999 and 29 in 2000. In 2001 he was traded to the Chicago White Sox but did not play for them in the Majors.
Charlie Hough
Pitcher Charlie Hough was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was drafted by the Dodgers in 1966 and played for the team from 1970 through 1979. He had a .505 win percentage with a 3.50 ERA. as a Dodger.
Ken Moritomo
Ken Moritomo was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1995 and played four seasons in their minor league system without ever playing the Majors. He was born in Lihue, Hawaii.
Freddy Sherman grew up in Philadelphia, which didn't make being a Los Angeles Dodgers fan easy. He has lived in Los Angeles for twenty years, now able to follow the Dodgers openly and attends games frequently. You can follow him on Twitter -@thefredsherman.
More from this contributor:
5 Cool Things About Dodger Stadium: A Fan's Look