Shuji Fujimoto

Shuji Fujimoto (藤本 修二)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 187 lbs.

• High School Imabari Nishi High School

• Born July 22, 1964 in Imabari, Ehime, Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Shuji Fujimoto pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball for 10 years.

Fujimoto was selected by the Nankai Hawks in the fifth round of the 1982 NPB draft, and he entered the rotation after spending his rookie year in the NPB Farm Leagues. He was 7-2 with a 4.72 ERA in 1984, but he slumped to 8-17 with a 5.41 ERA in 1985. His 17 losses were the most in the Pacific League (tied with Taigen Kaku, Yasumitsu Shibata and Osamu Higashio), but he also led the league with 3 shutouts. He improved to 10-12 with a 3.78 ERA in 1986, and he had his career year in 1987. Fujimoto was 15-8 with a 3.15 ERA, ranking 2nd in wins (4 behind Yukihiko Yamaoki) and 7th in ERA (.74 behind Kimiyasu Kudo). He was also selected into the 1987 NPB All-Star Games, and he allowed 3 runs in an inning in Game 1.

The Imabari native's ERA rose to 4.31 with a 10-15 record in 1988, and he led the league in losses again. Due to a right foot injury, he only pitched 4 games in 1989, and he struggled in 1990 as his ERA was 9.44. The Hawks then traded him with Masahiko Migita, Toyotoshi Chikada, Yoshiaki Nishikawa and Hiroyuki Yoshida to the Hanshin Tigers for Chikafusa Ikeda, Eiji Iwakiri, Katsunori Tomari and Hisashi Ono.

Fujimoto's ERA was 6.94 in 30 games in 1991, and the Tigers released him after he stayed in the ni-gun for the entire 1992 season. The Seibu Lions picked him up, and Fujimoto bounced back in 1991, having a 2.63 ERA in 27 games as a reliever. He relieved Yoshitaka Katori in the 6th inning of 1993 Nippon Series Game 1, and he allowed 2 runs in 3 innings. The Lions were beaten by the Yakult Swallows in 7 games. Fujimoto only pitched four more games for the Lions in the next two seasons, and he announced his retirement in 1995.

Overall, Fujimoto was 53-71 with a 4.63 ERA, struck out 588 and pitched 1,091 1/3 innings in 10 years in NPB.

Sources

• Wiki Japan
• NPB.com Bio
• 1987 NPB All-Star Game