Did you pull it out without knowing the key? Auckland lists ‘197cm’ Fujinami as 183cm
The Oakland Athletics got all the physical conditions of Japanese pitcher Shintaro Fujinami wrong.
Oakland announced on the 14th (Korean time) that it had signed a contract with Fujinami for 3.25 million dollars (about 4 billion won) for one year. Fujinami, who joined the Hanshin Tigers in 2012, recorded an average ERA of 3.41 with 57 wins and 54 losses in 189 games over nine years.
Fujinami has thrown a fast ball since high school and has been called a rival with Shohei Ohtani (LA Angels) in the same grade, but his skills have declined since 2016, and he has been violating the COVID-19 quarantine guidelines due to attending a party in 2020, indefinite disciplinary action for being late for training, etc. He showed problems in his personal life, and his ugly hair was firmly established. 스포츠토토
After his last season, even when he showed intention to advance to the major leagues, there were more doubts even in Japan. Agent Scott Boras signed a contract with Auckland after aggressively marketing Fujinami. His post transfer fee is $750,000.
By signing Fujinami, Auckland has been able to reinforce their starting lineup and start marketing in the Asian market. When Auckland announced the contract on the 14th, it also left a Japanese greeting on its official social media account, “Pitcher Fujinami, welcome to Auckland.”
Auckland completed the recruitment process quickly by putting Fujinami’s name in the 40-man roster on the official website. But there was a big mistake here. Fujinami’s physical condition revealed by Auckland is 6 feet (about 183 cm) and 180 pounds (about 81 kg).
Last year, Hanshin club officially announced that Fujinami’s height was 197 cm and weight was 98 kg. Her weight has also dropped dramatically, but her reduction in height is even more shocking. In other words, the strength of Nami Fuji, who has an attractive 160km/h fastball that comes down from his tall height, has disappeared.
Japanese media ‘Nikkan Sports’ pointed out Auckland’s mistake, saying, “Accurately, you should be 6 feet 6 inches tall and weigh 218 pounds.”