Infamous Moment #10 – Player Coup vs. Manager

Many of you are probably aware of the fact that the Hanshin Tigers have a long history of scandal and notoriety. During the weeks before the upcoming season, we will look at ten of the most interesting ones. We start here with #10.

← #11 ||| Back to Top Ten ||| #9 →

The year was 1956. The original (and some would argue, the only) “Mr. Tigers”, Fumio Fujimura, who had been with the club since its inception, was winding down his playing career. He was called upon to act as player/manager in this, his age-40 season.

This also happened to be the year in which he made his famous approach to the umpires, saying, “Pinch hitter: ME” upon which he hit a walk-off home run (June 24, vs. Carp). This would be the last home run of his fabled career.

In any case, the team held a five-game lead in the standings on August 11, but ultimately would lose it to the Yomiuri Giants. Fujimura came under fire from his players for his in-game decisions (including using himself as a pinch hitter only in favorable situations), practice habits, and dealings with the media. Above that, his communication with players was lacking.

That offseason, when ex-player Kenjiro Matsuki came to town, several players gathered with him to celebrate his hiring as Daiei manager. It was during this meeting that they drafted a petition to the front office, that they fire Fujimura. They said they wanted to win a pennant, but in a happier clubhouse than the one they were currently experiencing.

Through a series of meetings between the front office, players, Fujimura, and others who had involved themselves in the fracas, a decision was reached to keep Fujimura on for another year, only if he would focus solely on managerial duties. He did so, and in 1957, led them team to within a game of the pennant. However, despite being under contract beyond that season, the front office informed him that he would be replaced by Yoshio “Kaiser” Tanaka in 1958, and that he could stay on as pinch hitter.

It was definitely a sad and confusing end to a brilliant career. For the record, Fujimura’s #10 was retired and no one else in team history has ever worn it.