Hiroto Fuku
| Hiroto Fuku | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chunichi Dragons – No. 34 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: June 16, 1992 Kobe, Hyōgo, Japan | |
Bats: Left Throws: Left | |
| debut | |
| March 25, 2016, for the Chunichi Dragons | |
| Career statistics (through 2023 season) | |
| Win-Loss | 13-11 |
| ERA | 3.51 |
| Strikeouts | 208 |
| Saves | 2 |
| Holds | 82 |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Hiroto Fuku (
Fuku was the 4th draft pick for the Dragons at the 2015 NPB draft.
Early career
[edit]Fuku started playing rubber ball baseball in elementary school. He reached the semi-finals of the Hyogo prefectural high school tournament with his school, Kobe West High School, but was unable to make an appearance at the summer koshien.
He worked for JR Kyushu manning Kokura Station in Fukuoka and playing baseball for the company team[1] where he played at the national baseball championships.
On 22 October 2016, at the 2015 Nippon Professional Baseball draft, Fuku was the 4th pick for the Chunichi Dragons.
At the press conference for the unveiling of the new draftees, it was announced that Fuku would be presented with the number 34 previously worn by the long-serving, 217 win taking pitcher, Masahiro Yamamoto.[2] At the conference, Fuku promised that "the responsibility of carrying on the legacy of a number worn by such a legend as Yamamoto is heavy but I don't think of that as a minus, rather is spurs me on to go out and do it. A professional never uses the word impossible."[1] At the conference Fuku was asked in a playful way whether he would give an impression of his time working with JR, and he replied with "This is a call for customers riding the express train to Hakata. For those customers taking the number 34 Sonic express please move to the number 4 platform." This playfully mixed in a reference to his new number to the applause and laughter of the crowd.[1]
Professional career
[edit]Chunichi Dragons
[edit]Rookie Year
[edit]Fuku was the only rookie in the 2015 draft class to make the opening day roster[3] and he made his professional debut on March 26, 2016, as a relief pitcher in a 7–3 second day loss to the Hanshin Tigers.[4] On 31 March 2016 he made his starting debut against the Hiroshima Carp at Nagoya Dome.[5]
Fuku registered his first win against the Yomiuri Giants at the Tokyo Dome on May 7, 2016, as a reliever following starter Drew Naylor's withdrawal with injury.[6]
On 25 August, he returned to the mound after a long absence from the first team in an extended innings game against the Tokyo Yakult Swallows at Meiji Jingu Stadium where he gave up a walk-off wild pitch in the 11th inning resulting in a 9–8 loss.[7]
2017-2018
[edit]At the end of the 2017 season, due to a left shoulder injury, Fuku was demoted to a development contract and assigned the 234 while he was rehabilitating. [8]
On July 19, 2018, after the trade of southpaw reliever, Ryuya Ogawa to the Saitama Seibu Lions, Fuku was reinstated to the full-time roster and reassigned the 34. [9] Fuku made one appearance with the top team to finish the season.
2019
[edit]Fuku became a key part of the Dragons bullpen in 2019 pitching in 52 games, 52.2 innings and a 2.05 ERA. [10]
External links
[edit]- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference (Minors)
- NPB.jp (English)
- Dragons.jp (Japanese)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "
元 ＪＲ駅員 の中日 ・福 入団 会見 で爆笑 アナウンス" (in Japanese). Sponichi. 12 December 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2016. - ^ "2015
年 ドラフト指名 選手 入団 発表 " (in Japanese). Chunichi Dragons Official Website. 11 December 2015. Archived from the original on 19 July 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016. - ^ "
出場 選手 登録 および登録 抹消 (Player Registration)" (in Japanese). Nippon Professional Baseball. 25 March 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016. - ^ "【
中日 】ドラ４福 、ド緊張 でプロ初 登板 「めちゃくちゃ力 みました (Draft #4, Fuku, with rattled nerves makes his first appearance."We really saw his power"" (in Japanese). Sports Hochi. 26 March 2016. Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. - ^ "ドラフト４
位 が"福 "を呼 ぶ！！ きょう初 先発 (Draft pick #4 Fuku called! Today, first start!)" (in Japanese). Chunichi Sports. 31 March 2016. - ^ "
中日 ・ドラ４福 、緊急 登板 でプロ初 勝利 (Chunichi draft pick #4, Fuku, emergency relief appearance brings first pro win!)" (in Japanese). Daily Yomiuri. 7 May 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2016. - ^ "
中日 ・福 涙 で言葉 にならず…延長 １１回 サヨナラ暴投 (Chunichi's Fuku's tears drown out words...11th inning walk-off wild pitch)" (in Japanese). 26 August 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2016. - ^ "
福 、育成 で契約 ３４番 空 けて待 つ" [Fuku moved to development contract, #34 kept open.]. Chunichi Sports (in Japanese). 2017-12-13. Retrieved 2020-02-24. - ^ "
前 のニュース次 のニュース中日 ・福 育成 選手 から再 び支配 下 登録 左肩 の治療 経 て「結果 を第 一 に求 めてきた」" [Chunichi's Fuku returns to the first team from development deal, shoulder rehabbed.]. Sponichi (in Japanese). 2018-07-19. Retrieved 2020-02-24. - ^ "【
中日 】今季 ５２試合 登板 の福 ３倍 超 えの２５００万 円 でサイン「抑 えて当 たり前 と言 われる投手 に」". Sports Hochi (in Japanese). 2019-11-29. Retrieved 2020-02-24.