Tsuyoshi Wada

• Sport: Olympic Baseball
• Nation: Japan
• Position: Pitcher
• Notes: Just 23 at the time, the left-hander was 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA for the bronze medal-winning Japanese squad at the Athens Olympics in 2004. He won the medal-clinching game 6-2. ... Fukuoka Hawks star went 14-6 with a 2.98 ERA in 2006 and 12-10 in '07 despite lowering his ERA to 2.82. Was 12-8 with a 3.27 ERA in 2005. ... Polished pitcher showed poise from a young age and had little trouble adjusting to professional baseball, going 14-5 with a 3.38 ERA and 195 strikeouts in 189 innings in 2003, his first season. Earned Pacific League rookie of the year honors. ... Relies on a biting curveball, low-90s fastball, slider, excellent changeup and a delivery that hides the ball well to get hitters out. ... Pitched two scoreless innings and allowed one hit with one strikeout in the 2006 World Baseball Classic to help Japan capture the gold medal.