Hiroshi Fujimoto (baseball)

Hiroshi Fujimoto (藤本 博史, Fujimoto Hiroshi, born November 8, 1963[1]) is a Japanese former Nippon Professional Baseball infielder[2] He played for in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Nankai/Fukuoka Daiei Hawks and the Orix Blue Wave.

Hiroshi Fujimoto
Infielder / Coach / Manager
Born: (1963-11-08) November 8, 1963 (age 60)
Senboku, Osaka, Japan
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
NPB debut
April 14, 1985, for the Nankai Hawks
Last appearance
July 18, 1998, for the Orix BlueWave
NPB statistics
(through 1998)
Batting average.235
Hits715
Home runs105
Runs batted in419
Stolen bases10
Teams
As player

As coach and manager

Early baseball career edit

Fujimoto went on to Tenri High School, where he competed in the 62nd Japanese High School Baseball Championship in the summer of his sophomore year.[3]

Playing career edit

On November 25, 1981, Fujimoto was drafted by the Nankai Hawks in the 1981 Nippon Professional Baseball draft.[4]

On July 7, 1990, He accomplished hit for the cycle against the Nippon-Ham Fighters.[4]

He was traded to the Orix Blue Wave early in the 1998 season and retired after that season.[4]

Fujimoto played a total of 1103 games, batting average .235 with a 715 hits, a 105 home runs, and a 419 RBI.

His active player era fight song is still the Hawks's chance theme (the song played during scoring chances) as of the 2022 season.[5]

Post-playing career edit

Fujimoto ran a restaurant until 2010 while commentating on TVQ Kyushu Broadcasting's baseball broadcasts and critiquing Nishinippon Sports.[6][7]

He has been the hitting coach for the second squad since the 2011 season and has served as the first squad hitting coach, second squad manager, and third squad manager before being named first squad manager for the 2022 season.[4]

On October 17, 2023, Fujimoto's contract expired, and he was replaced as manager by Hiroki Kokubo.[8]

References edit

  1. ^ "Career statistics". NPB.jp (in Japanese).
  2. ^ "Hiroshi Fujimoto". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  3. ^ "sports communications 第28回「天理の後輩・藤本博史新監督へのエールと日本シリーズ」". sports communications (in Japanese). November 25, 2021. Archived from the original on August 13, 2022. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d "Nikkansports Sports baseball news ソフトバンク藤本博史新監督が就任会見「日本一に向かって」2軍監督から昇格". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). October 29, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  5. ^ "full-count baseball news 選手の士気アップ、球場の空気も一変 「チャンステーマ」の不思議な魅力". full-count.jp (in Japanese). January 7, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  6. ^ "Sankei Sports baseball news 【番記者スコープ】ソフトバンク・藤本監督 対話重視のチーム作りの原点は居酒屋「藤もと亭」経営". Sankei Sports (in Japanese). March 29, 2022. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  7. ^ "Nishinippon Sports baseball news 2分でわかる?ホークス新監督・藤本博史氏を大紹介". Nishinippon Shimbun (in Japanese). November 11, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2022.[dead link]
  8. ^ "Baseball: Imae named new Rakuten manager, Fujimoto leaves Hawks". nippon.com. Retrieved November 2, 2023.

External links edit