Playback ’04] 10 times as many fans as the previous year flooded into the camp! Tsuyoshi Shinjo, who joined Nichi-Ham from MLB, in his “first camp appearance”!

The next day, the first day of camp, 1,500 fans, ten times as many as the previous year, gathered at the stadium in Nago, Okinawa, to catch a glimpse of Shinjo. Every time Shinjo moved, there was panic everywhere. However, Shinjo is a superstar returning from the majors, and he did not neglect his service to these fans. He made his signature “jumping catch” of a mediocre fly ball at the knockout, and he was willing to sign autographs that he had previously shunned because of the stress on his elbows and shoulders.

He also wore a bright red wristband that he used to wear during his Hanshin days. The heels of his spikes were also custom-made in red. Shinjo commented on this.

I’m a professional, you know. I think of it as a job to sell dreams, and it’s okay if I stand out a little. People always know where I am, and if they do, it encourages me.

The day before he was scheduled to join the team, he announced that he was joining the team at a movie event he attended, and at his press conference he stated that he would “fill the Sapporo Dome” and “make the team the best in Japan. At his press conference, he stated that he would “fill the Sapporo Dome” and “make the team the best in Japan.” His registered name was “SHINJO,” which was still an unusual alphabet at the time, and everything he did was flashy. Perhaps it was only natural that he was so popular at the camp.

Shinjo continued to be a one-of-a-kind presence in the Nichi-Ham organization, and retired in 2006 after achieving the two goals he had set for himself when he joined the team. Since then, Shinjo has always made headlines by working as a TV personality, moving to Bali to become a motocross racer, and trying to get back into the game. He has returned to Nichi-Ham as a manager for the 2010 season.

We never know what he will show us, and that is what Shinjo is.