Tsuyoshi Shinjo

Tsuyoshi Shinjo

Tsuyoshi Shinjo (2002)
Outfielder
Born: (1972-01-28) January 28, 1972
Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan
Batted: Right Threw: Right
Professional debut
NPB: September 10, 1991, for the Hanshin Tigers
MLB: April 3, 2001, for the New York Mets
Last appearance
MLB: June 27, 2003, for the New York Mets
NPB: October 26, 2006, for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters
Career statistics
Batting average (NPB) .254
Home runs (NPB) 205
Runs batted in (NPB) 716
Batting average (MLB) .245
Home runs (MLB) 20
Runs batted in (MLB) 100
Teams
Career highlights and awards

NPB

MLB

Tsuyoshi Shinjo (新庄 剛志 Shinjō Tsuyoshi, born January 28, 1972) is a former Japanese professional baseball outfielder. Shinjo is the second Japanese-born position player to play a Major League Baseball game and was the first Japanese-born player to appear in the World Series.

Career

Born in Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan and raised in Minami-ku, Fukuoka, he played for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan from 1990 until 2000, then for Major League Baseball's New York Mets and San Francisco Giants. In 2002, he became the first Japan-born player to play in the World Series, where he went 1 for 6 with three strikeouts. He ended his three-year stint in American baseball by being demoted to AAA after hitting .193 for the first half of the 2003 season. He returned to Japan and played for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters from 2004 until 2006. He is known for his flamboyance, colorful wristbands, dyed hair, and a unique hop as he catches the ball. His uniqueness has endeared him to baseball fans and has made him one of the most popular players in the Japanese leagues despite not being in the echelon of elite active players. In fact, his popularity was what kept him off the bench during his stint with the Tigers when manager Katsuya Nomura tried to turn him into a pitcher on the rotation rather than risk his team with his mediocre play.[2]

Shinjo ended his career in storybook fashion. Playing for years on losing teams in Hanshin and despite playing in the 2002 World Series, Shinjo showed emotion and shed tears as his final game crowned him a champion as he was a member of the Fighters squad that won their first Japan Series title since 1962 with a 4 games to 1 series win over the Chunichi Dragons. As Shinjo took the field for the top of the ninth inning in the final game, he was given a standing ovation from the home crowd. Before the inning began, he was visibly emotional. Although the final play was only close to him (left fielder Hichori Morimoto caught the final ball) the cameras all showed only Shinjo's dramatic reaction. Traditionally, the players toss the manager in the air for series wins first, but the players tossed Shinjo in the air first instead of manager Trey Hillman.[3]

Shinjo is now a television celebrity in Japan as well as a model for his own line of clothing. He has also won the maximum 10,000,000 JPY prize in a celebrity edition of the Japanese version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?".

MLB Stats

SEASON TEAM G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS
2001 NYM 123 400 46 107 23 1 10 56 25 70 4 5 .268 .320 .405 .725
2002 SF 118 362 42 86 15 3 9 37 24 46 5 0 .238 .294 .370 .664
2003 NYM 62 114 10 22 3 0 1 7 6 12 0 1 .193 .238 .246 .484
Total --- 303 876 98 215 41 4 20 100 55 128 9 6 .245 .299 .370 .669

Japanese Baseball Stats

SEASON TEAM G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG SLG OBP OPS
1991 HT 13 17 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 .118 .118 .118 .236
1992 HT 95 353 39 98 16 3 11 46 18 73 5 2 .278 .433 .320 .753
1993 HT 102 408 50 105 13 1 23 62 20 91 13 2 .257 .463 .305 .768
1994 HT 122 466 54 117 23 7 17 68 30 93 7 5 .251 .440 .304 .744
1995 HT 87 311 34 70 15 3 7 37 26 76 6 4 .225 .360 .294 .654
1996 HT 113 408 55 97 16 4 19 66 55 106 2 2 .238 .436 .335 .771
1997 HT 136 482 62 112 17 3 20 68 44 120 8 4 .232 .405 .306 .711
1998 HT 132 414 39 92 21 3 6 27 25 65 1 2 .222 .331 .275 .606
1999 HT 123 471 53 120 21 7 14 58 23 72 8 2 .255 .418 .303 .721
2000 HT 131 511 71 142 23 1 28 85 32 93 15 6 .278 .491 .321 .812
2004 HNHF 123 504 88 150 28 3 24 79 15 58 1 3 .298 .508 .327 .835
2005 HNHF 108 380 54 91 20 1 20 57 14 64 5 1 .239 .455 .274 .729
2006 HNHF 126 477 47 113 21 0 16 62 24 76 2 6 .258 .416 .298 .714
Total --- 1411 5163 647 1309 234 36 205 716 326 990 73 39 .254 .432 .305 .737

References

  1. ↑ Baseball Digest Rookie All-Star Teams BR Bullpen
  2. ↑ Metropolis – Sports – Tsuyoshi Shinjo and Kazuhiro Kiyohara
  3. ↑ 44年ぶりV!新庄泣きっぱなしnikkansports.com

External links

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