It’s been reported that DeNA’s Shintaro Fujinami will start against the Giants on the 20th (in Yokohama), vowing to pitch with the same fiery spirit as his words, “I want to be a real man,” as he chases his first win of the season. On 5ch, discussion ranged widely over why a pitcher once mentioned in the same breath as Shohei Ohtani keeps struggling with control problems — from running gags like “Genocide Throw” and “the hand grenade” to commentary from former catcher Akihiro Yano.
August 19, 2026, 5:55 PM
DeNA pitcher Shintaro Fujinami (32) will start against the Giants on the 20th (in Yokohama) as he aims for his first win of the season. On the 19th, he tuned up at Yokohama Stadium. “The main thing is just to attack the strike zone. I’ve been throwing pretty well in the bullpen, so now it’s just about whether I can bring that into the game,” he said.
The 20th is the final game of a three-game series billed as the “Yokohama Men’s Festival.” Fujinami said, “I’m the type who wants to be a real man. I don’t dislike a style that wears its fighting spirit on its sleeve, so I want to keep a cool head and a hot heart,” vowing to close out the festival with a fiery performance.
Source: chunichi.co.jp / Original article here
6Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 18:19:30.55ID:f+wWM87Q0
Never thought Fujinami would be the one to give Sakamoto his last rites
Sorry, boy
37Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 18:38:07.37ID:7VvR5cZh0
>>6
Give him back
Give me back my dad
7Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 18:19:53.33ID:WSyiteis0
Here comes the Genocide Throwwww!!! (his nickname for the wild fastball that endangers batters)
9Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 18:20:04.95ID:N5eqV6Ph0
Just pitch like you always do
Like you always do…
13Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 18:24:44.62ID:gNeekwAv0
Back when he first came up, Fujinami was actually outperforming Ohtani.
How did he end up like this?
People blame the manager or that game against the Carp, but maybe he just had a weak mentality to begin with.
99Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 19:43:58.63ID:tHy6POCQ0
>>13
Fujinami drowned in indulgence, Ohtani didn't.
It's the Ant and the Grasshopper (Aesop's fable).
100Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 19:44:27.96ID:QAMhNfIC0
>>13
He just doesn't practice enough to begin with.
17Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 18:26:56.91ID:EurdWTUN0
Don't really care at this point.
Why not just decide to retire already?
Before talking about being a 'real man.'
60Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 18:51:31.44ID:16Zr9stK0
>>17
You say you don't care but you opened the thread and posted anyway lol
18Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 18:27:15.36ID:DVhxRIDG0
Trying to crush the Giants and assist the Tigers?
21Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 18:28:06.25ID:LkcXuygS0
Everyone should wear football pads.
22Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 18:28:15.94ID:Bm9bROTB0
No one left for him to break though
Who's he gonna wreck this time?
25Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 18:29:39.25ID:iTe2EwzC0
I wish the Dodgers would sign him.
If Ohtani ever gets targeted with beanballs, they could send Fujinami straight in as a deterrent, and he'd probably pitch more freely too.
26Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 18:29:58.85ID:1A38swqT0
As long as he gets 10 wins by the end of the season, it's fine.
27Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 18:31:39.69ID:wko6hmdw0
A true man fearlessly keeps going up and in.
29Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 18:33:29.89ID:erQ1XdCY0
Some of you used to rank Shintaro Fujinami right alongside Roki Sasaki, you know.
30Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 18:33:34.48ID:/okBGlNJ0
Yomiuri leads the league in hit-by-pitches, so Fujinami needs to punish them for it.
31Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 18:34:16.37ID:+gTYT9NW0
'Real man' my ass
Get some decent control first.
32Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 18:34:18.64ID:qsvBoPEk0
3 innings, 4 walks, 2 hit-by-pitches, 5 earned runs
Yeah, that sounds about right.
33Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 18:35:05.34ID:cDvE9/hQ0
A man who could be a hero if you just let him throw hand grenades (his wild fastballs).
101Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 19:45:01.21ID:tHy6POCQ0
>>33
Retiring his number is only a matter of time.
114Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 20:05:11.20ID:6EN9d+TP0
>>33
It might slip out of his hand and fly at his own teammates instead.
35Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 18:36:27.13ID:2OXwvD/s0
Honestly
impressive he made it back from the majors without getting punched.
39Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 18:39:18.46ID:UFC7Ms/A0
How is a pitcher with this extreme lack of control even still a pro?
41Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 18:39:53.92ID:uv/LuB+H0
Bet everything on a single pitch!
Put your whole soul into it — and lose it! (a twist on the classic baseball motto 'one pitch, one soul')
43Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 18:41:45.31ID:0L8rCf7f0
Just play it fair and square.
44Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 18:42:26.73ID:jT07kX8r0
The Tigers get mad when their own guys get hit by pitches, but they have no problem using this guy — what's up with that?
54Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 18:48:26.87ID:89KiGd840
>>44
Take it up with DeNA.
55Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 18:49:12.13ID:HG5Tblv/0
>>44
That doesn't really make sense.
67Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 18:56:41.40ID:S59dt5YW0
>>44
The 'it wasn't on purpose so it's fine' theory.
45Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 18:42:41.35ID:PVi8z/cS0
According to Akihiro Yano, Fujinami never actually had control to begin with — he was getting by purely on pitch velocity, but pro hitters adjusted to that.
People talk like something went wrong with him along the way, but apparently he hasn't changed at all since day one — he just never developed.
53Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 18:47:50.81ID:Wgvi476l0
>>45
Yeah, we know.
Even in his first three 'good' years, he led the league in wild pitches as a rookie, led in hit-by-pitches in year two, and won the 'triple crown' of walks, hit-by-pitches, and wild pitches in year three.
Even his BB/9 was only ever decent in year one.
69Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 18:57:59.19ID:mp5h2h5s0
>>45
>>53
>>43
>>1
Fujinami:
"If they want to be intimidated all on their own, they're welcome to be intimidated all they like (laughs). I just figured that since the lineup had left-handed batters again, I'd need to change how I use my pitch types."
Mac Suzuki:
"Fujinami needs to take responsibility for his own pitching. He should be more careful about what he says and how he acts toward opponents."
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/L3198bnPVfI
47Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 18:44:53.67ID:p7xoDnB80
Actually the real problem is right-handed batters
Lefties are no problem at all
That's why a guy like Sato Teruaki has zero trouble with Fujinami
Morishita's living in hell though
48Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 18:45:56.96ID:HG5Tblv/0
I can already picture the bench-clearing brawl if he beans Dahlbeck.
49Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 18:45:59.78ID:KTCF6XWW0
Huh? It's already almost the end of August this year too, with less than two months left in the season, and he still hasn't gotten a single win?
51Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 18:47:15.23ID:q/KK9T4C0
With so many soft ballplayers around these days, if you're talking real men, it's Jose Ramirez in the majors, and just Shintaro Fujinami in Japan.
89Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 19:25:07.05ID:OOrzxl+90
Why is it that Giants vs. Tigers games are always the most exciting?
91Anonymous2026/08/19(水) 19:28:42.60ID:ptF9bxs90
>>89
If you're asking why, isn't it because there's no other pitcher around to fill the gap in the rotation?
*This article is compiled as excerpts and a summary from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[DeNA] Shintaro Fujinami to Start vs. Giants on the 20th Chasing First Win of the Season, Vows Fiery Pitching: ‘I Want to Be a Real Man’.”
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