Taiyo Fujita

Taiyo Fujita (藤田 太陽)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 190 lb.

• High School Araya High School

• Born November 1, 1979 in Akita, Akita Japan

BR Register page

Biographical Information

Taiyo Fujita pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball and for the Japanese national team.

Fujita represented Japan for the 1999 Intercontinental Cup, going 1-0 with only one unearned run in 19 innings; he allowed 12 hits and 6 walks while fanning 14. He led in ERA and was the ace on a team with Hiroki Kuroda. He beat Earl Byrne and Australia in his first game, pitched eight shutout innings against Team USA but was matched by Gino Caruso and Chuck Bauer then his bullpen took the loss. In his last outing, he faced Bauer and Team USA in the Bronze Medal Game. He went three scoreless before Hisashi Aikyo came in and completed the shutout to earn the win.

The Hanshin Tigers drafted him in the first round of the 2000 NPB draft. Fujita spent the first season of his career in the NPB Farm Leagues, only pitching 7 1/3 innings and allowed 12 runs with the big club. He started 8 games in 2002, had a 3.61 ERA in 57 1/3 innings. However, the Akita native still couldn't stay in the major league regularly after the 2002 season, and he only had 31 appearances combined for the Tigers in the next seven seasons. He also underwent Tommy John surgery and missed the entire 2004 season. The Tigers then traded him to the Seibu Lions for Keisuke Mizuta in the middle of the 2009 season.

Fujita was 3-4 with a 2.00 ERA in 25 relief outings that year. He became an important part of the Lions' bullpen in 2010, when he notched 19 holds with a 3.91 ERA in 48 appearances. The Akita native slumped to a 5.87 ERA in 14 games in 2011, and he even allowed 6 runs in just 3 2/3 innings in 2012. The Lions released him after the 2012 season, and the Yakult Swallows picked him up. Fujita played well with the Swallows, as he recorded a 1.93 ERA in 20 games. However, Fujita suffered a right elbow injury again, and decided to retire after the 2013 season.

Overall, Fujita was 13-14, collected 24 holds with a 4.07 ERA and pitched 247 2/3 innings in 12 seasons in NPB.

Sources

• NPB site
• Wiki Japan
• Defunct IBAF site