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[NPB NOTEBOOK] Tsuyoshi Shinjo Has the Nipponham Fighters Believing in Themselves

The Hokkaido-based Nipponham Fighters, led by gutsy skipper Shinjo, won eight of nine games recently. They look poised to end a playoff drought this fall.

Published

4 weeks ago

August 18, 2024

Jim Armstrong

Hokkaido Nipponham Fighters catcher Torai Fushimi executes a squeeze bunt in the second inning against the Chiba Lotte Marines on August 14, 2024, at Es Con Field Hokkaido. (©SANKEI)

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A lot has happened in Nippon Professional Baseball since our attention was focused on the highly successful and entertaining Paris Olympics. For one thing, the Hokkaido Nipponham Fighters have gone on a bit of a tear.

With a 6-1 victory over the Chiba Lotte Marines on Thursday, August 15, the Fighters picked up their eighth win in nine nine games.

That winning streak allowed Tsuyoshi Shinjo's team to move into second place in the Pacific League standings, just percentage points ahead of third-place Lotte through games of Saturday, August 17.

While the Fighters (55-45-7) are still 12 games back of the front-running Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (69-35-3), they are six games ahead of the fourth-place Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles and seem almost certain to make the playoffs for the first time since 2018.

Nipponham Fighters Dugout Boss Shinjo Provides an Element of Surprise

One trademark of Shinjo, going back to the days when he was a player and famously stole home in an All-Star Game, is that he is not afraid to think outside the box.

That was the case in a 4-1 win over the visiting Marines on August 14 at Es Con Field Hokkaido.

With runners at second and third in the second inning, Shinjo called for a squeeze bunt that successfully plated the runner from third as the baserunner on second advanced.

Not content to sit back and wait for a run, Shinjo called for another squeeze bunt that scored another run. Few managers in NPB would have the nerve to pull off back-to-back suicide squeezes.

Nipponham Fighters starting pitcher Sachiya Yamasaki picked up the win and improved to 8-3 after allowing a run on six hits over 7⅓ innings. After the game, Yamasaki was appreciative of his manager's bold move.

"We squeezed twice in a row," Yamasaki said, according to Nikkan Sports. "I could tell from that move that we were really going for the win."

He added, "I was pitching the whole time with determination that I was going to hold them down no matter what."

Mannami, Reyes Helping to Ignite the Offense

On offense, the Nipponham Fighters are getting another solid season from star outfielder Chusei Mannami, who has 16 homers, 50 RBIs and a .247 batting average.

Former major leaguer Franmil Reyes has found his swing, connecting for 12 homers, including his fourth in five games in Thursday's win.

Making the postseason would be a big boost for the Fighters, who finished last in the previous two seasons under Shinjo.

The last time they finished in the top three, the so-called A-Class to qualify for the postseason, was in 2018 when they were third.

Ownership has shown patience with Shinjo. When he took over the team in 2022, he had a reputation as a showman with his outlandish fashion and the moniker "Big Boss" on the back of his jersey.

All that seems in the distant past and Shinjo himself has matured as a manager.

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Author: Jim Armstrong

The author is a longtime journalist who has covered sports in Japan for over 25 years. You can find his articles on SportsLook.