Shinji Tajima

Shinji Tajima (田島 慎二)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 185 lbs.

• School Tokai Gakuen University
• High School Chubu University Daiichi High School

• Born December 21, 1989 in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Shinji Tajima has pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball.

Tajima was drafted by his hometown team - the Chunichi Dragons - in the second round of the 2011 NPB draft, and he soon became one of the best relievers in the Central League. He collected 30 holds with a solid 1.15 ERA in 56 appearances, ranking 2nd in holds, 13 behind Tetsuya Yamaguchi. Tajima also appeared in 2012 NPB All-Star Game 1, when he relieved Shohei Tateyama then retired Tadahito Iguchi, Sho Nakata and Shinya Tsuruoka respectively; Atsushi Nomi succeeded him. In the 2012 CLCS first stage, Tajima pitched 1 1/3 innings, allowed a solo shot to Wladimir Balentien and got a hold in Game 1 against the Yakult Swallows. He then pitched a shutout inning in Game 2 and the Dragons advanced to the final stage. Facing the Yomiuri Giants, Tajima pitched 1 1/3 shutout innings to get a hold in Game 1, but he then allowed a two-run homer to Yoshinobu Takahashi in Game 3. He struggled again in Game 4, only lasting 1/3 of a inning with a run allowed. He bounced back and recorded two shutout innings to get a hold in Game 5, but couldn't stop the Giants from beating the Dragons in 6 games. Those were his only appearances in the postseason, as of 2023. Tajima also got 40 votes for the 2012 Central League Rookie of the Year Award, finishing second behind Yusuke Nomura's 200 votes.

The Nagoya native slumped to 5-10 with a 4.76 ERA in 2013, and his ERA rose to 5.12 in 42 games in 2014; he also tied the NPB record for three hit-by-pitches in an inning. Tajima came back in 2015, when he collected 9 saves and 16 holds with a 2.28 ERA. He secured the closer spot in 2016, and set the NPB record as he didn't allowed any runs in 27 straight games from opening day. Tajima attended 2016 NPB All-Star Game 2. He relieved Ryo Akiyoshi but allowed a leadoff single to Shogo Akiyama. He retired Katsuya Kakunaka, gave up a single to Yuki Yanagita and struck out Sho Nakata. Shohei Ohtani then hit a RBI single, and Tajima retired Nobuhiro Matsuda to end his work; Yasuaki Yamasaki succeeded him. He ended up notching 17 saves and 18 holds in this season, and ranked 6th in saves (20 behind Hirokazu Sawamura).

Tajima was Chunichi's full-time closer in 2017, and he notched 34 saves with a 2.87 ERA, ranking 2nd in saves (3 behind Rafael Dolis). Tajima struggled in 2018 as his ERA rose to 7.22, and he still couldn't bounce back as he recorded a 6.86 ERA in 21 games in 2019. He missed the entire 2020 season due to right elbow injury. The veteran finally came back in 2021 as he had a 2.45 ERA in 22 games, but he slumped to a 4.57 ERA in 21 games in 2022. Tajima collected 10 holds in 2023, but his ERA was still 4.85.

Tajima's repertoire features a fastball that peaks at 95 mph, a Splitter, slider and a shuuto.