Takahiro Fujioka

Takahiro Fujioka (藤岡 貴裕)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 187 lbs.

• School Toyo University
• High School Kiryu Daiichi High School

• Born July 17, 1989 in Shibukawa, Gunma, Japan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Takahiro Fujioka pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball for 9 years.

Fujioka was a star in the Tohto University Base Ball League, having a 27-9 record with 303 strikeouts and a 1.31 ERA. He also represented Japan in the 2010 World University Championship. Yusuke Nomura, Tomoyuki Sugano and he were named the "Big Three" of college pitchers in the 2011 NPB draft. The Chiba Lotte Marines, Rakuten Golden Eagles and Yokohama BayStars all drafted him in the first round, and the Marines won the lottery for the right to him. Fujioka was 6-7 with a 3.36 ERA in 21 starts in 2012.

The Gunma native entered the rotation in 2013, but he didn't pitch well and he was turned into a long reliever. He was 6-10 with a 3.95 ERA in 2013, then he slumped to 6-10 with a 4.48 ERA in 2014. He led the Pacific League with 19 homers allowed in 2014. The Marines then turned him into a reliever, and Fujioka notched 6 holds with a 3.79 ERA in 2015. He improved to a 2.55 ERA in 32 games in 2016, and he also notched 6 holds. However, Fujioka struggled in 2017, and his ERA rose to 16.62 in 10 relief outings.

On July 26, 2018, the Marines traded Fujioka to the Nippon Ham Fighters for Hiromi Oka. He only pitched 6 games for the Fighters from 2018 to 2019, then he was traded with Yohei Kagiya to the Yomiuri Giants for Mitsuo Yoshikawa and Shingo Usami. Fujioka pitched 12 games with a 3.12 ERA in 2020, but he recorded a 1.62 WHIP. The Giants released him after the 2020 season, and his professional career ended.

Overall, Fujioka was 21-32 with a 4.14 ERA, collected 16 holds in 178 appearances, struck out 359 and pitched 493 1/3 innings in 9 years in NPB. His repertoire featured a fastball that peaks at 95.1 mph, a slider and a curveball.