adminOakland Athletics Shintaro Fujinami (29) expressed his feelings about leaving his former team, the Hanshin Tigers.
On the 22nd, Japanese media Sponichi Annex said, “An unusual Koshien ‘farewell party’ was held. Fujinami, who moved to Auckland through a post from Hanshin, held a farewell press conference at Koshien Stadium.”
Fujinami is a fireballer who recorded 57 wins, 54 losses, 11 holds, and an average ERA of 3.41 in 189 games (994⅓ innings) in Nippon Professional Baseball. His strengths are a fastball with a speed of at least 160 km/h and a sharp forkball. Since high school, he has garnered a lot of attention by throwing fastballs over 150 km, and as an amateur, his evaluation as a pitcher was higher than his draft mate, Shohei Otani (Angels).
However, after joining the professional team, Fujanami did not perform as well as expected due to poor control. While Ohtani dominated Nippon Professional Baseball and won MVP awards in the major leagues, Fujinami continued to decline. In the past few years, she has been criticized for sabotage during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fujinami, who had a difficult time, managed to rebound to some extent last year with an average ERA of 3.38 with 3 wins and 5 losses in 16 games (66⅔ innings). Especially in the second half, his control was caught and he was evaluated as overcoming his weakness to some extent. And after the season was over, he declared his advance to the major leagues through a post and realized his dream of reaching the major league mound by signing a one-year, $3.75 million contract with Oakland.
At a press conference, Fujinami said, “I am both excited and anxious. Still, she is more excited. She doesn’t know when it will be, but if she gets a chance to throw again at Koshien, she wants to throw it. I was touched that her colleagues sent me a surprise message,” she said of her feelings about leaving Hanshin.
Fujinami, who failed to achieve remarkable results in Nippon Professional Baseball, was pointed out that it might not be easy to sign a major league contract. He had difficulty finding a contract team for him, especially while insisting on his starting pitcher spot.메이저놀이터 However, Fujinami overcame the negative prospects and achieved his dream of entering the major leagues.
Fujinami, who joked, “I think I’m retiring,” said, “I don’t think it’s strange to hear more. She felt she had to work harder,” she said, reaffirming her determination to do her best to overcome the negative gaze. She went on to say, “If she can come back to Japan after she’s done that, that’s for the best.” I hope she can come back to Hanshin with what she learned in America in some way,” she added.
Regarding what he learned from being a professional player for 10 years, Fujinami said, “I don’t think I’m a player who can hold interviews like this. I am grateful for this position itself, and I am more than happy to hold a press conference at Koshien, which raised me. I came to think that the good things were good, and the bad things were included as ‘good’. He was able to grow as a person,” she said.