Ohtani rival’s disastrous ERA of 11.23…Japanese $42 billion right-hander ‘163km, valuable save’

His ERA is still a disastrous 11.23. But he’s won two of his last four games.

Shintaro Fujinami (29, Oakland Athletics) picked up his third win of the season. Fujinami took the mound in the bottom of the ninth inning of a 1-1 tie against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, on Nov. 11 and pitched one inning of scoreless baseball with one strikeout and one walk.메이저놀이터

Fujinami entered the major leagues on a one-year, $3.25 million contract. He fell out of the starting rotation early on. In five games as a starter, he went 0-5 with a 14.63 ERA. In fact, even after switching to the bullpen, he was 3-1 with an 8.15 ERA in 15 games.

Still, he went from a .309 BABIP and 2.06 WHIP as a starter to a .254 BABIP and 1.81 WHIP after switching to the bullpen. He picked up his second save in about 10 days, tossing ⅓ of a scoreless inning against the Atlanta Braves on May 31. After working out of a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the ninth, the game-winning run came in the top of the 10th.

Fujinami induced leadoff hitter Luis Urias to hit a 100.4 mph fastball straight to the second baseman. He walked Brian Anderson and struck out Joey Wilmer on a 101.1 mph fastball. He got Victor Caratini to pop out to third base at 99.5 mph to end the inning.

Fujinami’s fastball topped out at 101.1 mph. With a shaky delivery and a fastball, it gives me hope that a one-inning bullpen can be successful. In this case, the game itself was close. If he can be an available pitcher at key times, Oakland can hope to recoup $3.25 million.

Coincidentally, Fujinami’s old rival, Shohei Ohtani (LA Angels), hit his 18th home run of the season on the same day. While Ohtani was basking in the spotlight of the home run race, Fujinami was preparing a quiet counterattack. He still finished the season with a 3-6 record and an 11.23 ERA in 20 games.