Shunsuke Fujikawa

Shunsuke Fujikawa (藤川 俊介)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 159 lb.
• School Kinki University
• High School Koryo High School

• Born August 17, 1987 in Kaho-gun, Fukuoka Japan

BR Register page

Biographical Information

Outfielder Shunsuke Fujikawa had a twelve-year career in Nippon Pro Baseball, from 2010 to 2021. His entire career was with the Hanshin Tigers of the Central League and their ni-gun squad in the minor league Western League.

Fujikawa was drafted by the Tigers in the 5th round of 2009 NPB draft. In his rookie season in 2010, he hit .255 in 124 games, but with only 161 at-bats as a lot of his appearances came as a pinch-runner or as a late-game defensive replacement. That would be a pattern throughout his career, as he would often appear in 100 or more games, but he only barely broke the at-bat mark, his highest total coming in 2019, with 202. He had very little power, normally hitting 1 or 2 homers each season, except for 2017 when he hit 4.

In what was likely the most famous incident of his career, on April 15, 2011, he was on base in the 8th inning when Tomoaki Kanemoto was brought into the game as a pinch-hitter for Hanshin. Kanemoto had an active streak of 1,766 consecutive games played dating back to 1998 at the time, although his decline as a player was well underway and he had only kept the streak active through other similar pinch-hitting appearances of late. This time, however, Fujikawa was caught stealing to end the inning, and because Kanemoto did not play defensively in the next half-inning, the streak was considered to have ended, even if he had been announced into the game.

In his final season, 2021, he only appeared in the minor league Western League, in 29 games, and not at the top level.

During his career, he only used his first name, Shunsuke, as his player name.