Masao Fujii

Masao Fujii (藤井 将雄)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 158 lb.

• High School Karatsu Shogyo High School

• Born October 16, 1968 in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Japan
• Died October 13, 2000 in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Japan

BR Register page

Biographical Information

Masao Fujii pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball and for the Japanese national team.

Fujii represented Japan in the 1998 Asian Games. The Fukuoka Daiei Hawks drafted him in the fourth round of the 1994 NPB draft. Fujii recorded a 4.39 ERA in 84 innings in his rookie year, but he slumped to 5.18 ERA in 11 games in 1996. He still struggled in 1997 as his ERA was 5.32 in 15 appearances. The Fukuoka native improved and had a 3.05 ERA in 48 appearances.

Fujii broke out in 1999, his ERA was a solid 2.89, and he collected 26 holds and 3 saves. He broke the Pacific League record for most holds in a season, and composed a strong bullpen with Shuji Yoshida, Takayuki Shinohara and Rodney Pedraza. They were called winning formula. He appeared in Game 2 and Game 5 of the 1999 Nippon Series, and recorded a shutout inning in each game. The Hawks beat the Dragons in 5 games, and Fujii won his only Nippon Series title. However, he was diagnosed with lung cancer, and missed the entire 2000 season. When the Hawks won the Pacific League pennant again, his best friend Kenichi Wakatabe took Fujii's uniform to honor him. Fujii passed away 6 days after he saw his teammates won the pennant.

Overall, Fujii was 13-8, notched 30 holds with a 3.90 ERA and pitched 286 innings in 5 seasons in NPB.

Sources

• NPB site
• 1999 Nippon Series
• Wiki Japan