Junichi Fukura
Junichi Fukura | |
---|---|
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Infielder / Manager | |
Born: Kitaura, Miyazaki, Japan | 28 June 1960|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
debut | |
23 April, 1985, for the Hankyu Braves | |
Last appearance | |
10 October, 1997, for the Orix BlueWave | |
Career statistics | |
Batting average | .279 |
Home runs | 50 |
Hits | 1116 |
Teams | |
As player As manager As coach |
Junichi Fukura (福良 淳一, Fukura Junichi; born 28 June 1960)[citation needed] was a Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball player from Kitaura Town, Higashiusuki District, Miyazaki Prefecture (now Nobeoka City). He was a line-drive hitter.[1]
Junichi Fukura currently serves as the general manager and head of team organization for the Orix Buffaloes.[2][3] Prior to assuming his current position, he served as the team's 27th manager.
Biography
[edit]Amateur era
[edit]He joined the baseball club in junior high school and began playing baseball seriously.[4]
As a sophomore at Nobeoka Technical High School, he advanced to the quarterfinals of the 1977 Autumn Kyushu Tournament, but lost to Yoshihisa Shirotake of Sasebo Technical High School.[4] He did not make it to Koshien during his time at the school.
After graduating from high school, he joined the Japanese National Railways and played for six years in the Oita Railway Administration Office (now the Oita Branch of Kyushu Railway Company, now JR Kyushu) in the amateur baseball league. At that time, he played as a second baseman and was assigned as the first or third batter.[4]
Awards
[edit]- Best Nine: 2 times (1988, 1994)
- Monthly MVP: 1 time (July 1988)
Records
[edit]First record
[edit]- First appearance: April 23, 1985, 4th game against the Nippon Ham Fighters (Hankyu Nishinomiya Stadium), played as third baseman in the top of the 9th inning, replacing Hiromi Matsunaga.
- First hit: May 13, 1985, 9th game against the Nankai Hawks (Hankyu Nishinomiya Stadium), off Kazuhiro Yamauchi in the bottom of the 5th inning
- First start: May 15, 1985, 6th game against the Kintetsu Buffaloes (Hankyu Nishinomiya Stadium), starting as ninth batter and second baseman
- First RBI: May 16, 1985, 7th game against the Kintetsu Buffaloes (Hankyu Nishinomiya Stadium), off Suzuki Keiji in the bottom of the 2nd inning
- First stolen base: Same as above, in the bottom of the second inning (pitcher: Keiji Suzuki, catcher: Shuzo Arita)
- First home run: April 17, 1986, 4th game against the Nankai Hawks (Hankyu Nishinomiya Stadium), 2-run homer in the bottom of the 9th inning off Minoru Yano
Milestones
[edit]- 1,000th game played: August 20, 1994, 17th game against the Seibu Lions (Green Stadium, Kobe), started as the second batter and second baseman. *321st player in history to do so
- 1,000 hits: July 2, 1995, 14th game against the Seibu Lions (Seibu Lions Stadium), first run in the top of the first inning with a timely hit to right field off Hiroshi Shintani. *180th player in history to reach 1,000 hits
- 200 sacrifice hits: May 3, 1996, 6th game against the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks (Fukuoka Dome), off Masao Fujii in the top of the 9th inning. *17th player in history to achieve 200 sacrifice hits
Other records
[edit]- Consecutive errorless defensive opportunities for second baseman: 804, April 28, 1993–July 31, 1994 *Japan record
- All-Star Game appearances: 1 (1988)
Jersey number
[edit]- 51 (1985-1987)
- 1 (1988-1997)
- 85 (1998-2000)
- 78 (2005-2018)
Overall managerial record
[edit]year | Team | Ranking | game | victory | defeat | Draw | Win Rate | Game Difference
|
Home Run | batting average | Defense
rate |
age
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | Oryx | 5th place | 89 | 42 | 46 | 1 | .477 | 30.0 | 94 | .249 | 3.59 | 55 years old |
2016 | 6th place | 143 | 57 | 83 | 3 | .407 | 30.0 | 84 | .253 | 4.18 | 56 years old | |
2017 | 4th place | 143 | 63 | 79 | 1 | .444 | 30.5 | 127 | .251 | 3.81 | 57 years old | |
2018 | 4th place | 143 | 65 | 73 | 5 | .471 | 21.5 | 108 | .244 | 3.69 | 58 years old | |
Total: 4 years | 518 | 227 | 281 | 10 | .447 | 0 times in A class, 4 times in B class |
References
[edit]- ^ Stewart, Mark (1 January 2002). Ichiro Suzuki: Best in the West. Lerner Publications. pp. 12–13. ISBN 978-0-7613-2616-8.
- ^ "福良淳一育成統括ゼネラルマネージャー就任のお知らせ". オリックス・バファローズ (in Japanese). Retrieved 20 July 2025.
- ^ "オリックスGMに福良淳一前監督「いいチーム作る」 - プロ野球 : 日刊スポーツ". nikkansports.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 20 July 2025.
- ^ a b c "週刊ベースボール", Wikipedia (in Japanese), 3 October 2024, retrieved 20 July 2025
External links
[edit]- Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)
- 1960 births
- Living people
- Japanese baseball coaches
- Japanese baseball players
- Managers of baseball teams in Japan
- Nippon Professional Baseball first basemen
- Nippon Professional Baseball second basemen
- Nippon Professional Baseball third basemen
- Hankyu Braves players
- Nippon Professional Baseball infielders
- Orix BlueWave players
- Orix Braves players
- Orix Buffaloes managers
- Baseball people from Miyazaki Prefecture