Tsuyoshi Shinjo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tsuyoshi Shinjo (2002)

Tsuyoshi Shinjo (新庄剛志, Shinjō Tsuyoshi^?), born January 28, 1972, is a former Japanese professional baseball outfielder. He was born in Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan and grew up in Fukuoka. He currently plays for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. Previously, he played for the Hanshin Tigers, and for Major League Baseball's New York Mets and San Francisco Giants. He is known for his flamboyance, colorful wristbands, dyed hair, and a unique hop as he catches the ball. His uniqueness has endeared him to baseball fans and has made him one of the most popular players in the Japanese leagues despite not being in the echelon of elite active players. He also splits time between being a player, model, and TV show celebrity.

Shinjo ended his career in storybook fashion. Playing for years on losing teams in Hanshin and despite playing in the 2002 World Series, Shinjo showed emotion and shed tears as his final game crowned him a champion as he led the Fighters to their first Japan Series title since 1962 with a 4 games to 1 series win over the Chunichi Dragons. As Shinjo took the field for the top of the ninth inning in the final game, he was given a standing ovation from the home crowd. Before the inning began, he was visibly emotional. Although the final play was only close to him (left fielder Hichori Morimoto caught the final ball) the cameras all showed only Shinjo's dramatic reaction. Traditionally, the players toss the manager in the air for series wins first, but the players tossed Shinjo in the air first instead of manager Trey Hillman.

On April 18, 2006, Shinjo announced that he would retire from professional baseball after the 2006 season.

[edit] MLB Stats

SEASON	TEAM	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
2001	NYM	123	400	46	107	23	1	10	56	25	70	4	5	.268	.320	.405	.725
2002	SF	118	362	42	86	15	3	9	37	24	46	5	0	.238	.294	.370	.664
2003	NYM	62	114	10	22	3	0	1	7	6	12	0	1	.193	.238	.246	.484
Total	---	303	876	98	215	41	4	20	100	55	128	9	6	.245	.299	.370	.669

[edit] Japanese Baseball Stats

SEASON	TEAM	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	SLG	OBP	OPS
1991	HT	13	17	1	2	0	0	0	1	0	3	0	0	.118	.118	.118	.236
1992	HT	95	353	39	98	16	3	11	46	18	73	5	2	.278	.433	.320	.753
1993	HT	102	408	50	105	13	1	23	62	20	91	13	2	.257	.463	.305	.768
1994	HT	122	466	54	117	23	7	17	68	30	93	7	5	.251	.440	.304	.744
1995	HT	87	311	34	70	15	3	7	37	26	76	6	4	.225	.360	.294	.654
1996	HT	113	408	55	97	16	4	19	66	55	106	2	2	.238	.436	.335	.771
1997	HT	136	482	62	112	17	3	20	68	44	120	8	4	.232	.405	.306	.711
1998	HT	132	414	39	92	21	3	6	27	25	65	1	2	.222	.331	.275	.606
1999	HT	123	471	53	120	21	7	14	58	23	72	8	2	.255	.418	.303	.721
2000	HT	131	511	71	142	23	1	28	85	32	93	15	6	.278	.491	.321	.812
2004	HNHF	123	504	88	150	28	3	24	79	15	58	1	3	.298	.508	.327	.835
2005	HNHF	108	380	54	91	20	1	20	57	14	64	5	0	.239	.455	.274	.729
2006	HNHF	126	477	47	113	21	0	16	62	24	64	5	0	.257	.416	.298	.714
Total	---	1411	5163	647	1309	234	36	205	716	326	990	73	40	.253	.432	.304	.736