On Oct. 15, the Hanshin Tigers officially introduced Kyuji Fujikawa as their new manager. Fujikawa pitched 17 seasons in the NPB, all for the Hanshin Tigers, primarily as a closer. He will replace retiring manager Akinobu Okada just days after the Hanshin Tigers were eliminated from the NPB playoffs by the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in the Central League first stage.
Fujikawa has no prior managerial experience but extensive experience working with the Hanshin Tigers organization. The Tigers picked Fujikawa in the first round of the 1998 NPB draft, and he made his debut with them in 2000. He grew into a bullpen role that helped the Tigers win two Central League pennants in 2003 and 2005 and became the team’s full-time closer by 2006.
Fujikawa continued to grow in success and popularity and represented Japan at the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classic tournaments and the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In the remainder of his first tenure in Nishinomiya, he had many incredible seasons for the Tigers before signing a two-year contract with the MLB’s Chicago Cubs in 2012.
Fujikawa debuted for the Cubs in 2013 but struggled with injury and performance. After a second season in Chicago, he bounced up and down in the minors. He pitched one year for the Texas Rangers in the American League before being released.
After spending some time pitching for the Kochi Fighting Dogs of the Shikoku Island League, Fujikawa re-signed with the Hanshin Tigers. This marked the return of a Tigers legend, and Fujikawa enjoyed a couple of very good seasons before closing the door on his illustrious career after 2020. Over his entire career with the Tigers, Fujikawa accumulated 243 saves, 1220 strikeouts, and an ERA of 2.08 over 935 ⅓ innings.
Now, the decorated Tigers pitcher will take a managerial position in the NPB for the first time in his career. He takes over for legendary Japanese manager Akinobu Okada, who led the Tigers to their first Japan Series title since 1985 in 2023. He will inherit a very talented team with players like Yusuke Oyama, Teruaki Sato, and Shoki Murakami, who finished 74-63 in 2024. It will be interesting to follow how a man with so much history as a pitcher in the Hanshin Tigers organization handles a managerial role for the first time in his career.
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WBN NPB: https://worldbaseball.com/league/japan/
Photo Credit: Kyuji Fujikawa of Japan pitches against Korea during the 2009 World Baseball Classic Pool 1 game 6 at Petco Park in San Diego, California, USA. Japan wins 6-2 over Korea. (Photo by Christophe Elise/Icon SMI/Icon Sport Media via Getty Images)
