Hanshin Tigers catcher Torawei Fushimi (36) continues to support his team with calm and composed performances.
This season, he has formed a battery with starting pitcher Haruto Takahashi (30) in all five games they have played together, leading to four wins—each one a shutout victory. For the upcoming game, where the streak of four consecutive shutouts is on the line, Fushimi is strongly expected to start behind the plate.
In the previous day’s game against the Yakult Swallows on the 12th, Fushimi partnered with pitcher Yuki Nishi (35) to guide him through six scoreless innings. “Great pitching. I feel like we’re becoming a good battery,” Fushimi said. He worked with four different pitchers to keep Yakult scoreless.
A moment showcasing his veteran savvy occurred in the eighth inning of that game. With one out and a runner on first, Domingo Santana (33) swung and missed at a pitch in the dirt on a 2-0 count. Fushimi couldn’t handle the ball, and the runner advanced to second, with pitcher Taisen Kudo (24) charged with a wild pitch.
However, after retrieving the ball, Fushimi pointed to his left shoulder and appealed to the home plate umpire, saying, “The swing hit me.” The umpire gathered the crew for a discussion, and the announcement came: “The follow-through of the swing made contact with the catcher. The runner will be returned to first base.” Santana’s big follow-through had indeed struck Fushimi’s left shoulder area.
Per the rules, the ball was dead and the advance was nullified. Kudo went on to pitch a scoreless inning.
Throughout the game, Fushimi also demonstrated injury awareness by ducking his head to avoid batters’ big follow-throughs while calling an excellent game.
