2001 Upper Deck Victory Toshihisa Nishi

Who is this? Lancaster Barnstormers second baseman Toshihisa Nishi
 
What is this? An autographed card from the 2001 Upper Deck Victory set

Where'd I get it? I got it signed before a doubleheader between the Lancaster Barnstormers and Newark Bears last month
 
How much did it cost? The card cost $2.50.

Why is this so special? I wrote about Toshihisa Nishi last week, when I posted the other card he signed for me. In 12 games for Lancaster this season, Nishi is hitting .163 (7-for-43) with a double, a home run and 10 strikeouts. I guess he probably won't be getting signed by an affiliated team anytime soon, which is a little bit sad.

You can't really tell from the scans, but the Japanese Upper Deck Victory cards are a bit unusual. They're just a tiny bit smaller than a standard baseball card and they have rounded corners.

I really can't read Nishi's signature, but I think he did a better job of rendering his name in the Roman alphabet than I could do writing mine in Katakana. I just wish he'd left his uniform number off, or written number 8 like he is clearly wearing on the card.

2000 Upper Deck Victory Toshihisa Nishi

Who is this? Former Yomiuri Giants second baseman Toshihisa Nishi
 
What is this? An autograph card from the Japanese 2000 Upper Deck Victory set

Where'd I get it? I got it signed before a game between the Lancaster Barnstormers and Newark Bears last week.
 
How much did it cost? The card cost $2.50.

Why is this so special? Nishi was the Central League Rookie of the Year for the Yomiuri Giants in 1996. He is a three-time all-star and four-time gold glove winner in Japan.

At age 38, Nishi came to America with the hopes of playing for a major league team. When he couldn't find a job, he signed with the Lancaster Barnstormers with the hope that he'd get picked up during the season.

I got to see Nishi hit his first Atlantic League home run the day he signed this card for me.
I was a little disappointed that he already has a (mostly illegible) American autograph, but it's still a neat acquisition for my collection.