was a Japanese former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

for the

Fukuoka Daiei Hawks The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. They compete in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) as a member of the Pacific League. The team was formerly known as the Nankai Hawks and was based in Osaka. ...

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

(NPB). He was born in

Nishi-ku, Fukuoka is one of the seven wards of Fukuoka City, Japan. Meaning literally "west ward," it is bordered to the east by Sawara-ku, and to the west by Itoshima. As of 2003, it has a population of 173,813 people and an area of 83.81 km2. As of 2016, it ...

and raised in

Karatsu, Saga is a city located in Saga Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. Its name, formed from the Japanese word roots 唐 ''kara'' (China, or continental East Asia in general), and 津 ''tsu'' (port), signifies its historical importance as a ...

. His uniform number 15 is honored by the Hawks.

Professional career

On November 18, 1994, Fujii was drafted fourth overall by the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks in the 1994 1994 Nippon Professional Baseball draft. He was 4-4

Win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

with a 4.39

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

in 20 starts during his rookie season in 1995, and 1-3 Win–loss record with 5.18 ERA in 11 starts during the 1996 season. Fujii switched to relief pitching in the 1997 season after a lack of results as a starter. He then developed his talent as a relief pitcher with his all-out

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. "Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thro ...

and a variety of breaking pitches, and in 1999 season, he was part of the winning formula, a powerful

setup man In baseball, a setup man (or set-up man, also sometimes referred to as a setup pitcher or setup reliever) is a relief pitcher who regularly pitches before the closer. They commonly pitch the eighth inning, with the closer pitching the ninth. As ...

who, along with closer Rod Pedraza and left-handed pitchers

Shuji Yoshida is a former Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of t ...

and

Takayuki Shinohara is a professional Japanese baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally begi ...

. The presence of these four "winning formula" players led to a 27-14 record in close games played by a single goal margin. Fujii was called the Flame Relief Pitcher (炎の中継ぎ投手) and in 59 games pitched in the 1999 season, he posted a 3-1 Win-loss record, 2.89 ERA, 3 Saves, and a then new record of 26

Holds A hold (abbreviated HLD, H or HD) is awarded to a relief pitcher who meets the following three conditions: :1. Enters the game in a save (baseball), save situation; that is, when all of the following three conditions apply: :: (a) He appears i ...

, helping the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks to their first league championship. He also won the Pacific League's Best Relief Pitcher Award. However, illness struck him and he was hospitalized shortly after the

1999 Japan Series The 1999 Japan Series was the 50th edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's postseason championship series. It matched the champion teams of the Pacific and Central Leagues. The Fukuoka Daiei Hawks represented the Pacific League, while the Chuni ...

against the

Chunichi Dragons The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chūbu region of Japan. The team plays in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. They have won the Central League pennant nine times (most recently in 2011) ...

. He had terminal

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...

, but he was never informed. (This was because it was not common in Japan at that time to notify patients with terminal cancer that they had cancer.) He and the public were told that he had

Interstitial lung disease Interstitial lung disease (ILD), or diffuse parenchymal lung disease (DPLD), is a group of respiratory diseases affecting the interstitium (the tissue and space around the alveoli (air sacs)) of the lungs. It concerns alveolar epithelium, pulmo ...

. In the 2000 season, he had pitched in six games in the Western League since May and was determined to make a comeback, but was hospitalized again in June and died on October 13, six days after watching his team win its second consecutive Pacific League title on October 7. He was 31 years old. Fujii's overall record was 13-8 Win–loss record , 3 saves, 30 holds, and a 3.90 earned-run average in 153 games.

Uniform number 15

The Hawks have not officially set it as a

retired number Retiring the number of an athlete is an honor a team bestows upon a player, usually after the player has left the team, retires from the sport, or dies, by taking his or her former number out of circulation. Once a number is retired, no future pla ...

, but even as of the 2022 season, there are no players with uniform number 15 after Fujii, and it is treated as an important number. Expressions such as quasi-retired numbers are also used. Hawks teammate Kenichi Wakatabe was a close friend of Fujii's, and on October 7,2000, the game that decided the league championship against the

Orix Blue Wave The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team formed as a result of the 2004 Nippon Professional Baseball realignment by the merger of the Orix BlueWave of Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes of Osaka, Osaka Prefect ...

, Wakatabe joined the team in celebrating the victory, holding up a stuffed Harry Hawk, the team mascot, wearing Fujii's uniform number 15, for Fujii, who was fighting an illness. The mascot doll, named Fujii Harry, was displayed in a locker for Fujii in the players' salon of the

Fukuoka PayPay Dome The is a baseball field, located in Chūō-ku, Fukuoka, Japan. Built in 1993, the stadium was originally named and has the capacity of 38,585 seats. With a diameter of 216 meters, the Fukuoka PayPay Dome is the world's largest geodesic dome. T ...

at the home stadium, along with a uniform bearing Fujii's name and uniform number 15 of the

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. They compete in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) as a member of the Pacific League. The team was formerly known as the Nankai Hawks and was based in Osaka. ...

, even after the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks became the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks.

Kazumi Saito is a Japanese former professional baseball starting pitcher, and current first squad pitching coach for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. He was a two-time winner of the Eiji Sawamura Award (, ), but did not pitch in a regular season game after Octob ...

, who adored Fujii, performed his retirement ceremony with Fujii Harry. Fujii Harry is now with Fujii's bereaved family and Fujii's uniform is on display. Aisle 15 of the Fukuoka PayPay Dome has been designated as Fujii Gate since 2001 in honor of Fujii's uniform number 15, and a commemorative plaque describing his career and Fujii's last message (beginning with "To everyone" on his personal website) are displayed at the entrance.

Close relationship person

* Kimiyasu Kudo Kudo was a senior pitcher whom Fujii adored. When Kudo became manager of the Hawks and they became Japan Series champions in the 2015, he reported to Fujii's grave. * Kenichi Wakatabe Wakatabe was Fujii's best friend On October 21, 2000 Wakatabe pitched the first game of the

2000 Japan Series The 2000 Japan Series matched the Central League champion Yomiuri Giants against the Pacific League champion and defending Japan Series champion Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. The press called it the O N series because of the managers on both sides: Sadaharu ...

along with Kimiyasu Kudo, who had moved from the Hawks to the

Yomiuri Giants The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They ...

the previous year. They pitched with the bones of the deceased Fujii tucked into their uniforms. *

One of the junior pitchers who admired Fujii, Fujii supported Saito when he was a young pitcher. He later received the

Eiji Sawamura Award The , commonly known as the Sawamura Award, is an honor bestowed upon the top starting pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball each year. The award was originally established by Japanese magazine "Nekkyū" in 1947 to honor the career of Eiji Sawa ...

. *

Hiroki Kokubo is a Japanese former professional baseball infielder, and current the second squad manager for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He previously played for the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, the Yomi ...

One of the fielders who adored Fujii. He later served as captain of the Hawks.

External links

Career statistics - NPB.jp

- Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks Official site

References

1968 births 2000 deaths Baseball people from Fukuoka (city) Japanese baseball players Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers Fukuoka Daiei Hawks players Asian Games medalists in baseball Baseball players at the 1994 Asian Games Asian Games gold medalists for Japan Medalists at the 1994 Asian Games {{japan-baseball-pitcher-stub