Shintaro Fujinami (29, Baltimore Orioles), who was once regarded as the Japanese rival of Shohei Ohtani (29, LA Angels), threw a fastball that would make your eyes go wide. He built his pride by breaking the Japanese record.토토사이트
In the 2023 MLB Interleague home game against the New York Mets held at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland, USA on the 7th (Korean time), Fujinami climbed the mound at the beginning of the 8th inning when the team was leading 2-0.
Fujinami, who faced Pete Alonso, who was the home run king (2019) as the first batter, overpowered him with a fastball of 161.3 km/h from the first pitch, and eventually struck out on three pitches. Even the next hitter, DJ Stewart, threw only a fastball and struck out with three balls.
However, the 3rd ball thrown by Stuart at bat was unusual. According to MLB.com, the official homepage of Major League Baseball, the ball came out at 102.6 miles per hour (about 165.1 km). It was the fastest fastball Fujinami threw in the big leagues this year.
It wasn’t just Fujinami’s own record that was broken. It surpassed even Ohtani, who holds the record for the highest arrest by a Japanese pitcher. Ohtani, who entered the U.S. stage in 2018, set a personal major league best speed record by spraying 101.4 miles per hour (about 163.2 km) against Kyle Tucker in the third inning against Houston on September 11 last year. Fujinami beat Ohtani’s record by close to 2km.
Fujinami, meanwhile, also scored two strikes against Navaez Omar, aiming for an Immaculate Inning (9 pitches in 1 inning, 3 strikeouts). However, another record was postponed until the next opportunity as Navaez hit the third pitch and retired with a shortstop floating ball.
On this day, Fujinami recorded his first hold after moving to Baltimore, recording 1 inning and 2 strikeouts perfect. Baltimore, which won 2-0 thanks to good pitching by Fujinami and other pitchers, became the first team in the American League to reach 70 wins in a season.
According to Nikkan Sports, a Japanese media outlet, Baltimore coach Brandon Hyde said after the game, “I didn’t control my pitch well in the previous game (against Toronto). He showed that he was a pitcher,” he praised.
Including this day’s game, Fujinami has appeared in 8 games for Baltimore, recording an average ERA of 3.12 in 8⅔ innings. Compared to his time in Oakland (average ERA of 8.57), it is a ‘changing sea’. While recording 11 strikeouts, his batting average was only 0.133, showing off his powerful pitch.
Fujinami, who showed a fastball that exceeded 150 km/h in high school, was spotlighted as a super high school level pitcher along with Ohtani. After winning 10 games in his first year as a pro (2013), he was selected to the 2015 WBSC Premier 12 national team with 14 wins and an ERA of 2.40 in the 2015 season. However, after 2017, he suffered from difficulties and injuries, and last year also achieved a mediocre record of 3 wins, 5 losses and an average ERA of 3.38 in 16 games. In 2020, he acted inappropriately in the Corona 19 situation and became an ‘ugly duck’.
However, Auckland confirmed the potential through pitching and boldly offered Fujinami a contract. He joined the opening starting rotation amid weak team circumstances, but collapsed with an ERA of 14.40 in four starts in April. He was largely to blame for the collapse of his pitching, recording 15 4 walks in 15 innings.
Ultimately, Fujinami, who was eliminated from the starting rotation, was also at a loss in the beginning of the fighting team. After June, however, he adjusted to his new position, posting two holds and a 3.26 earned run average in 17 games. Ultimately, Baltimore, which was looking to advance to the postseason, acquired him through a trade on the 20th of last month.
Even in Baltimore, Fujinami allowed 5.2 walks per 9 innings, not much different from his Oakland days (5.5). However, he reduces the number of pitches per inning by nearly 3 (Oakland 18.2 → Baltimore 15.6) and catches the batter through a bold game.