*This content was translated by AI.
A major injury occurred when a 147 km/h fastball struck a player, breaking bones. As starting position players were repeatedly hit by pitches and forced out of the game, angry fans began demanding disciplinary action against the offending pitcher. A shocking scene reminiscent of the 'Jung Soobin-Koo Seung-min' incident that shook the KBO League in the 2019 season was directly replayed in Japanese professional baseball (NPB).
On the 26th, a game between the Chunichi Dragons and Hanshin Tigers was held at Vantelin Dome Nagoya. With Chunichi leading 4-0 in the bottom of the 8th inning with one out and no runners on base, a terrible accident occurred. A 147 km/h fastball thrown by Hanshin pitcher Takuma Kirishiki (27) struck the back of Chunichi shortstop Ryuku Tsuchida (23), who was at bat.
Immediately after being hit, Tsuchida slumped in severe pain, hunched over with his right shoulder hanging down, and headed toward the bench. He eventually left the stadium supported by trainers. The detailed examination results released after he was transported to a hospital were devastating. According to reports by Japanese media Ranspo, Tsuchida was diagnosed with a 'depressed fracture of the right scapula,' making his long-term absence inevitable.
The stadium was instantly filled with boos and angry shouts. Anger among home fans reached its peak, as Chunichi batter Takaya Ishikawa had already been hit by a pitch in the 7th inning. Notably, just ten days earlier on the 15th against Yomiuri, another starting shortstop, Kaito Muramatsu (25), had also been struck on the back by a 150 km/h fastball and was forced out with the same right scapula fracture. In a decisive moment of the season when chasing third place — just 1.5 games behind for a spot in the autumn playoffs — Chunichi lost two key shortstops to hit-by-pitches.
After the game, the Japanese baseball community and social media were turned upside down. Chunichi fans expressed heightened reactions, saying, "Can't there be league-wide penalties for pitchers who break opponents' bones with hit-by-pitches?" and "Why must diligent shortstop players keep getting hit by pitches and end their seasons?"
Controversy over 'hypocrisy' also flared regarding the attitude of Hanshin manager Koji Fujikawa, the opposing team's manager. Immediately after the hit-by-pitch, Manager Fujikawa came out to the front of the bench, removed his cap, and bowed in apology, but fans remained cold toward him. This season, Hanshin players Chikatomo and Maegawa had already suffered fractures from being hit by pitches, and on the 13th against Yomiuri, when batter Morishita was struck on the back, Manager Fujikawa himself ran onto the field to protest fiercely and demanded the removal of dangerous pitchers.
Fans criticized harshly: "They flew into a rage when they were hit themselves, but now that they've broken someone else's bones, they just take off their caps and shut up?" and "It's as if they don't mind causing harm to others while refusing to suffer it themselves." Even among Hanshin fans, voices of self-reflection emerged: "It's unfair to make such a scene when our team is hit but then act this way. This is the price for promoting pitchers with poor control to the first division."
Chunichi, riding a five-game winning streak and on the verge of advancing to the Climax Series, found itself in crisis mode with both its manager and infielders under pressure due to the hit-by-pitch disaster. Meanwhile, Hanshin was engulfed in controversy over 'dangerous pitch offenses.' The aftermath of one reckless hit-by-pitch is heating up the entire Japanese archipelago as the season draws to a close.
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*This content was translated by AI.
