[10/13/2015] Hanshin Tigers: Akihito Fujii to retire
by Gen on Oct.13, 2015 @ 4:19 pm, under NPB
Akihito Fujii held a press conference at the team offices in Nishinomiya, Hyogo ealier today to announce that he was retiring.
Notes from various sources:
- He felt a little sad after making his announcement in front of the media.
- The sadness came from failing to win a championship this year and wanting to play more.
- He started thinking about retirement a year or two ago. He started getting hurt more so he played each day as if it might be his last. Health was a big issue.
- He thought he might be able to play a little longer, but after talking things over with his family, he felt retiring in a Hanshin uniform might be the best way to end his career.
- He spoke to someone in the organization about retiring in September.
- He told Takashi Toritani he was retiring on September 28.
- He has a lot of memories from all three teams he played for. He remembers the wins and shutouts he caught.
- He also remembers the last Kintetsu game on September 24, 2004.
- When he exercised his FA option in 2010, he thought his career might end because no one seemed interested, until Hanshin reached out to him.
- He was a Hanshin and Akinobu Mayumi fan growing up.
- He did not tell Randy Messenger he was going to retire, but the pitcher still found out. He could feel the emotion in Messenger's pitchers.
- He does not think he was a particularly good catcher, but he does take pride in doing whatever it took to make sure balls in the dirt stayed in front of him.
- He was once told, by then Kintetsu battery coach Kazuhiko Yamashita, that catcher's have three jobs: catch the ball, stop the ball, throw the ball.
- He feels he may have been able to do more over his career.
- He wanted to experience a Nippon Series victory beer/champagne fight.
- He came over from the Pacific League and was surprised at how many people packed Koshien.
- He currently has nothing planned after retirement.
- There are people in the Hanshin organization that are interested in bringing him back as a coach.
- The Tigers offered to hold a retirement ceremony when the team played Hanshin on October 4, but he felt it might make things awkward for the team, since they were still competing for a spot in the Climax Series. He also wanted to play until the very end.
- He felt his retirement ceremony took place on September 29 when his family and relatives were in the stands. He was extemely happy when he managed to record a hit in his last at bat, in his last regular season game, in front of his daughter.
- He is listed ta 170 centimeters, but is really 168. He has a height complex.
- He would like to spend more time with his family.
Source: official announcement, Nikkan Sports 10/13/2015, Sponichi 10/13/2015, Daily Sports 10/13/2015
[UPDATE 11/6 @ 7:03pm]
The Tigers are going to offer Fujii a job in the organization. They also want him to grow as a coach and plan to send him to the BC League's Fukui Miracle Elephants as a coach-in-training.
Source: Daily Sports 11/6/2015
Career Stats
Year | Team | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | TB | RBI | SB | CS | SH | SF | BB | IBB | HBP | SO | DP | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1999 | Kintetsu | 15 | 21 | 19 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | .263 | .333 | .421 | .754 |
2000 | Kintetsu | 21 | 15 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | .273 | .467 | .364 | .830 |
2001 | Kintetsu | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .500 | .667 | .500 | 1.167 |
2002 | Kintetsu | 53 | 89 | 85 | 5 | 19 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 1 | .224 | .250 | .294 | .544 |
2003 | Kintetsu | 73 | 190 | 166 | 13 | 32 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 43 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 24 | 2 | .193 | .233 | .259 | .492 |
2004 | Kintetsu | 86 | 249 | 216 | 19 | 52 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 61 | 20 | 3 | 2 | 19 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 5 | .241 | .287 | .282 | .569 |
2005 | Rakuten | 113 | 271 | 250 | 19 | 58 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 69 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 38 | 5 | .232 | .264 | .276 | .540 |
2006 | Rakuten | 105 | 342 | 297 | 26 | 70 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 92 | 25 | 6 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 29 | 0 | 1 | 51 | 9 | .236 | .305 | .310 | .615 |
2007 | Rakuten | 76 | 110 | 98 | 8 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 5 | .235 | .280 | .286 | .566 |
2008 | Rakuten | 90 | 223 | 190 | 15 | 50 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 1 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 25 | 9 | .263 | .329 | .300 | .629 |
2009 | Rakuten | 35 | 76 | 71 | 7 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 27 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | .324 | .342 | .380 | .723 |
2010 | Rakuten | 8 | 19 | 18 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .222 | .263 | .278 | .541 |
2011 | Hanshin | 99 | 298 | 265 | 19 | 59 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 76 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 48 | 10 | .223 | .270 | .287 | .557 |
2012 | Hanshin | 81 | 228 | 210 | 9 | 52 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 60 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 39 | 3 | .248 | .285 | .286 | .571 |
2013 | Hanshin | 112 | 343 | 298 | 21 | 77 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 87 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 27 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 7 | .258 | .317 | .292 | .612 |
2014 | Hanshin | 34 | 73 | 65 | 5 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 3 | .215 | .288 | .262 | .550 |
2015 | Hanshin | 71 | 159 | 134 | 8 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 4 | .172 | .284 | .194 | .478 |
1073 | 2709 | 2395 | 182 | 565 | 75 | 8 | 10 | 686 | 173 | 18 | 12 | 115 | 12 | 177 | 11 | 10 | 385 | 66 | .236 | .290 | .286 | .578 |
Title/Awards
- All-Star Game: 2013.