From our other sites
The story
DeNA starter Shintaro Fujinami was pulled early from the mound after allowing 3 runs in 2⅓ innings against the Giants on the 20th. The moment that really caught eyes was in the 3rd inning, when he walked the first two batters he faced back-to-back — and 5channel (Japan’s largest anonymous forum, often shortened to “5ch”) lit up with reactions to his control problems. Commenters also debated how he should be used going forward, including whether he should switch to a fielding position.
August 20, 2026, 6:55 PM
◇NPB Central League: DeNA vs. Giants (20th, Yokohama Stadium)
DeNA starter Shintaro Fujinami was pulled from the mound after allowing 3 runs in 2⅓ innings.
Source: news.ntv.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
he's some kind of mystery player who keeps getting chances.
He'll probably be pitching for someone again next year too.
Head office insisted, 'We'll fix him with AI!' — dead serious.
If that fails, the whole company might come crashing down too…
Yeah, they said 'we can correct it through data analysis!' lol
They don't want to admit they were wrong, so now they're just letting him pitch as a do-or-die gamble.
If DeNA can really fix this guy with AI, then SoftBank — whose actual core business pours tens of thousands of times more money into AI — should be able to redirect that power into baseball and win not just the Japan Series but the World Series with no trouble at all…
(Note: DeNA is an IT/mobile-games company that owns the Yokohama DeNA BayStars; SoftBank, a major tech/AI investor, owns the rival Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks — the joke plays on both teams’ parent companies being tech giants.)
Pretty sure his scenery's already changed a bunch of times, and this is what we got?
Maybe he should try javelin throwing.
If he got reincarnated in another world, those hit-by-pitches might make him the hero who slays the demon lord.
(Note: a joking reference to “isekai” fantasy stories where the protagonist is reborn in another world with special powers.)
If he'd gotten even one swing out of them, fine, lol
but having every single pitch just watched and taken, that's rough.
His real flaw is he can't step straight with his left leg to begin with, so even overhand his leg would just wobble around and end up drilling a right-handed batter instead.
put him in the outfield, outfield.
Right field's been solid lately with Encarnación — don't go sending some weirdo out there.
Why not let him throw longer?
Please, let's not — spare the poor guy.
I mean, the whole environment changes completely —
for one thing, way more money starts flowing in —
and it turns out he was the type who falls apart because of that.
Not many people say 'potential' in a Fujinami thread anymore, lol.
Still, his name recognition and how much buzz he generates really are something — a guy who mastered being a professional, just in the worst possible sense.
It's not just [veteran pitcher] Noumi — even Messenger tagged him as a guy who doesn't practice.
(Note: Atsushi Noumi is a veteran pitcher and former Fujinami teammate on the Hanshin Tigers known for his strict work ethic; “Messenger” refers to Randy Messenger, a former Hanshin Tigers import pitcher and teammate, known by the nickname “Messe.”)
Plus the DH is coming to the league next season,
so he could stick around in pro ball for another 5 years.
Wasn't it true that back in high school he actually hit a home run off Ohtani?
If he ever cut loose with a full-strength throw from left field to home, I'm scared for the fans on the third-base side — they might end up critically injured, lol.
Please, just let this season end with Watarai in left and Encarnación in right.
I'm begging you, please 🙇
(Note: Shohei Ohtani, referenced for his famous high school-era matchups; Ryusei Watarai is a young DeNA outfielder.)
Background and Key Points
Shintaro Fujinami’s struggles are a recurring storyline in NPB rather than a single bad outing. He was once Hanshin’s ace and a headline arm on Japan’s WBC 2023 championship roster, then spent 2023–24 on MLB deals with the Athletics, Orioles, and Mets that unraveled largely because of the same problem on display here — an inability to consistently throw strikes despite a fastball that touches the upper 90s. He returned to NPB with DeNA in 2025 essentially as a reclamation project. DeNA itself is the mobile/IT conglomerate that owns the BayStars, which matters for one joke in the thread: posters note that if an IT company’s “we’ll fix him with AI” plan works, then SoftBank — whose actual business is AI at a much larger scale — should be able to just buy a championship for the Hawks.
The thread doesn’t split over whether Fujinami has talent; nobody disputes the raw arm strength. The actual disagreement is over what to do with a pitcher who is talented but seemingly uncoachable: stick with him as a starter and just budget for a fixed number of runs each outing, convert him to a position player (outfield, leveraging the arm), or accept he’s ultimately a lost cause who will keep getting NPB chances anyway because of his ceiling and name value.
What outside readers may not realize is how much control problems, not stuff, define his entire career narrative — he’s historically among NPB/MLB’s wild-pitch and walk leaders relative to talent, which is why teammates like Atsushi Noumi and Randy Messenger are cited needling him about work habits rather than mechanics. The DH rule arriving in NPB next season, mentioned by posters, is a real, upcoming change that could plausibly extend his career even if the pitching never stabilizes.
*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5channel (Entertainment & Sports News+) thread “[DeNA] Shintaro Fujinami Pulled After 3 Runs in 2⅓ Innings — Walks First Two Batters of the 3rd Inning to Create a Crisis.”
Leave a Reply