<figure id="attachment_350767" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2362px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-350767"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="ad171d10"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/12/9cda2b38d2e262c205febb588b6b27e2.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-350767" class="wp-caption-text">The day off was over while you were dawdling on the bench.</figcaption></figure>
 The crowd, the score difference, the game difference, the inning, the presence or absence of runners &#8211; all these are &#8220;drama. What is happening in the world &#8220;outside&#8221; of you. Fuji, you have only one thing to think about: pitching the ball that has the best chance of keeping the opposing batter at bay. You must get the first strike with a fastball up the middle, which has the lowest batting average of all the pitches you throw. And to make a one-ball, two-strike count on three pitches&#8211;that&#8217;s what I did.
Shintaro Fujinami, 29, struggled at the beginning of the season with a defensive average in the 10s. The factors that helped him improve his pitching from there to seven wins, the Athletics&#8217; winning lead, were his &#8220;mentality&#8221;-the American way of thinking, and his &#8220;good job! I already mentioned in the <a href="https://friday.kodansha.co.jp/article/347906">previous interview</a> that the reason for the improvement in pitching was the &#8220;mentality&#8221;-the American way of thinking and the &#8220;proactive and positive approach to coaching in the majors,&#8221; which praises a pitcher&#8217;s &#8220;good job!
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The topic then shifted to &#8220;Japanese and Major League Baseball. When Ichiro (50) and Daisuke Matsuzaka (43) first came over to Japan, people were saying &#8220;welcome&#8221; and &#8220;he is a great player,&#8221; but in reality, players and umpires were saying &#8220;what can a Japanese person do? In reality, players and umpires looked down on him. They were sometimes harassed by the umpires for their judgments, such as being too harsh in judging strikes. He was not recognized unless he silenced the umpires by dominating the numbers. When I introduced such episodes, Fujinami took back the conversation, saying, &#8220;Those were not the days anymore.
 When Ichiro, Hideki Matsui (49), and Matsuzaka were playing in Major League Baseball, there may have been discrimination against Asians. Before I came to the U.S., I was prepared to think, &#8216;There must be a little discrimination. However, there were no discriminatory remarks, nor were there any such actions or behaviors. Thanks to the solid achievements of our seniors, there was respect for the Japanese. There was also zero harassment in terms of people not taking strikes when I was throwing. If anything, I think they were more equal and accurate than the Japanese umpires.&#8221;
The only thing that puzzled him was the pitch clock system, which did not exist in Japan. It was difficult,&#8221; said Fujinami, &#8220;because you couldn&#8217;t get a pause, and you had to throw before it settled down.
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 It was difficult, but the game itself was over very quickly. So the number of spectators increased. The number of stolen bases also increased. I can only check a base twice. It&#8217;s tough, but once you get used to it, it&#8217;s manageable. Besides, the majors don&#8217;t mind stolen bases at all. I have a quickness of 1.1 to 1.2 seconds, but I was told, &#8220;Fuji, please don&#8217;t do that. In Japan, quickness in the first half of 1.2 seconds is first-team level, and if it exceeds 1.3 seconds, you are beaten to the punch. On the other hand, if your quick is in the 1.1 second range, unless you are very bad at checking, you will not be able to run. Yasutomo Kubo (43, Hamburg), who used to be with Hanshin, was unusually fast, in the 1.0 second range. In the majors, however, he said, &#8220;Quick should be in the low 1.3s. Concentrate on throwing properly. I think it&#8217;s a great technique, but you don&#8217;t need to go that fast.
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<figure id="attachment_350863" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2362px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-350863"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="e85f0f17"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/12/6c874da755fcfacac47b627f550ed356.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-350863" class="wp-caption-text">I like taking pictures by the riverside, Mr. Friday (laughs).&#8221;</figcaption></figure>
In an interview with Friday after reaching a contract agreement with the Athletics, Fujinami said<a href="https://friday.kodansha.co.jp/article/290954"> In an interview with Friday&#8217;s after he reached an agreement with the Athletics, Fujinami said, &#8220;I&#8217;m ready to get married. In an interview with Friday after he reached an agreement with the Athletics, Fujinami said, &#8220;I&#8217;m ready to get married.</a> Has he adapted to the American lifestyle in his private life?
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 Not at all, not at all (laughs). First of all, I don&#8217;t have time to go out to eat. My schedule is jam-packed with baseball games. The distance I have to travel is very long, and my schedule is also very tight. Every day I play baseball, sleep, wake up in the afternoon, play baseball, and repeat. When I was in Japan, I was able to go out to eat much more than when I was in Japan. In the first place, there is no drinking culture in America. It is not common for players to go out to eat together. Relief players don&#8217;t get much time off. Sometimes two or three days a month.
 When I had a day off on a tour, I would sleep until noon, go to Starbucks, buy a cup of coffee, and sit on a bench and relax. (Laughs) Instead, major leaguers have a lot of time off. Since there is no fall camp, the moment they are off duty, they go out to play. Fishing, golfing, hunting, and so on. I think they are away from baseball for about a month. I took my golf bag to the U.S., but I only played once during spring training, and I haven&#8217;t been able to go once since then.
Fujinami laughs and says that on his days off, he &#8220;sleeps well,&#8221; but when it comes to sleep, he is proud to say that he is &#8220;the most particular about it among Japanese Major Leaguers.
 I made a conscious effort to rest my body. I contracted a sleep trainer, probably the only one in Japan, to help me improve the quality of my sleep. In the U.S., there is a time difference even when just traveling within the country. For example, I had a sleep trainer look at my game schedule and asked him, &#8220;Can I take a nap on the plane from here to there? I ask, &#8216;No, you can&#8217;t. They will judge you and say things like, &#8220;No, you need to stay awake for this part.
 There is also a set clothing for sleeping, and sleeping in a T-shirt is a no-no. Long-sleeved, long-breasted clothing that absorbs sweat and allows it to evaporate is recommended. The feel of the skin is also important. If there is even the slightest snag, it restricts movement, such as turning in bed, and causes stress. These are just a few of the many detailed advice on how not to lose a good night&#8217;s sleep. We aim to achieve &#8220;10 hours of sleep&#8221; while following the guidance. I believe that sleep training will be introduced in Japan in the not too distant future. I think if you start doing things like weight training and nutrition, you will end up with sleep. The importance of sleep is already being shouted here and there in other countries.
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Fujinami&#8217;s sleep trainer is a woman, whom he has known since his days at Hanshin. He used to pay her a fee per session, but when he decided to challenge the Majors, he signed a yearly contract with her. Ichiro, Hideki Matsui, and other successful people all speak of the importance of sleep and of working backwards from their sleep schedule. There is no doubt that the sleep trainer contributed to Fujinami&#8217;s ability to complete his first year in the Majors without injury. His senior baseball player from the Hanshin era, Kyuji Fujikawa (43), who came to see him during the season, also praised him, saying, &#8220;It&#8217;s great that you are throwing without injury.
<figure id="attachment_351005" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1666px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-351005"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="7499ac26"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/12/fb11fc05f58e69dc3fe105f62bf0b1cd.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-351005" class="wp-caption-text">He won a district championship with the Orioles. I think the next round will be decided just before camp.</figcaption></figure>
 He said, &#8220;Maybe one of the reasons I haven&#8217;t had any injuries is the quality of sleep I&#8217;ve been getting. I hardly drank any alcohol because the quality of sleep would go down. I knew that, but when I sobered up, my body felt overwhelmingly comfortable. I wake up refreshed every morning. When I&#8217;m drinking, though, it&#8217;s all in good fun (laughs).
The challenge of competing on the world&#8217;s most prestigious stage. It was great to be able to throw myself into baseball without having to devote resources to dealing with physical problems and injuries. Fujinami, who has gained experience with the support of an amazing woman, is now ready to take on the challenge of his second year.

 Kei Kato

 Shintaro Fujinami, a former Hanshin player, won seven games in his first year in the major leagues, and was praised by baseball player Fujikawa for pitching a full year without injury.

Sleep Trainer Secures Injury-Free MLB Challenge for Shintaro Fujinami

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