About Akinori Iwamura

Akinori Iwamura (岩村 明憲, Iwamura Akinori; born February 9, 1979) is a former Japanese baseball infielder, who currently is a manager for the Fukushima Red Hopes in Japan's Baseball Challenge League. He made his Major League debut with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2007.

He earned the nickname Aki while in MLB. His nickname is Gan-chan in NPB.

Early and personal life
Iwamura was born on February 9, 1979, in Uwajima, Japan, in Ehime Prefecture. He attended Uwajima Higashi High School. He played in the Philippines on the Japan National high school baseball team.

His older brother, Takashi Iwamura, was also a professional baseball player who spent two seasons in the Kintetsu Buffaloes' farm system. Both were drafted in 1997.

On July 10, 2007, Iwamura's wife Misaki gave birth to their first son, Taiki.