Fumio Fujimura

Fumio Fujimura (August 14, 1916 – May 28, 1992) was a Japanese baseball infielder and pitcher who played 22 seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball from 1936 to 1958. He began his career as a right-handed pitcher for the Osaka Tigers but achieved his greatest fame as a hitter.

Fujimura's success traced back to his high school career. In the 1933 National High School Baseball Championship, his team Taishō reached the quarterfinals before being shut out by Masao Yoshida of Chukyo Shogyo. In the final of the 1934 National High School Baseball Championship, Fujimura faced Tetsuharu Kawakami and struck him out three times in three at-bats, leading his team to the championship.

Debuting with the Osaka, later Hanshin, Tigers in 1936, Fujimura played his entire 22-season career in the organization. In 1950, he set the single-season record with 191 base hits, a mark that stood for 44 years until Ichiro Suzuki surpassed it in 1994.

A superstitious player, Fujimura never harmed insects or shaved before games. He was also hot-tempered, and was once suspended for physically abusing an umpire.

Fujimura was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974. His number "10" has been retired by the Hanshin Tigers.