Who is Shintaro Fujinami? All you need to know about new Oakland Athletics flamethrower after impressive battle against Shohei Ohtani

Shintaro Fujinami recently debuted with the Oakland Athletics. The star Japanese pitcher who once played with Shohei Ohtani made his transition from Japan to Major League Baseball over the offseason and landed with the A's.

He made his Spring Training debut against Ohtani's team, the Los Angeles Angels. Who was their starting pitcher? None other than Ohtani, making for a perfect start to Fujinami's MLB journey.

Fujinami debuted with incredible velocity and worked through the Angels' top three with ease in the first inning, needing just 13 pitches.

The second inning was where he lost command, an issue that plagued him in Japan. He walked a batter on four pitches to load the bases, but settled in for a strikeout on a 97 mile per hour fastball and then induced a double play.

According to MLB.com, Fujinami said:

“I felt really good in the first inning, but I was trying to do too much in the second. kind of lost my command. But in the middle of the [second inning] I got the feel back.”

A's catcher Shea Langeliers said:

“The more I catch him and the more we work together, the more I’m going to start to think like him. We’ll start attacking hitters and thinking the same way. Today went really smooth. ... He had a really good first inning, executing a lot of pitches, and came out wanting to do more than that in the second inning. His stuff’s good enough. He’s good enough. Just relax a little bit.”

The A's aren't expected to compete at all, but if Fujinami can continue his excellent form that was on display, they may have found their next franchise cornerstone.

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The connection between Shintaro Fujinami and Shohei Ohtani

Shintaro Fujinami and Shohei Ohtani go way back. The two were both first-round draft picks for the Nippon Baseball League (NBL) back in 2012. Their matchup in the MLB came with a lot of fanfare.

Shintaro Fujinami at the 2017 World Baseball Classic

Since the two are on rival teams, it's very likely they'll match up sometime in the regular season for a game with genuine stakes. That will be something to watch.