WATCH: Japanese Baseball Manager Enters The Game On A Hovercraft!
Well You certainly don’t see that everyday.
Tsuyoshi Shinjo, the professional baseball manager for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, made a splash in his managerial debut Tuesday when he entered the stadium on a Hovercraft of some sort.
Shinjo, nicknamed “Big Boss” from his playing days, lived up to it by arriving in style for his first game with the Fighters.
In the video, the 50-year-old is seen flying the hovercraft around the stadium with ease prior to his team coming out for the game. Shinjo took the vehicle incredibly high off the ground, showing some expertise with the contraption.
Big Boss Tsuyoshi Shinjo showed up on a drone/hover bike (I don't know, the man was flying) for the Fighters' home opener. pic.twitter.com/ZVQQZf7Fqu
— Jason Coskrey (@JCoskrey) March 29, 2022
The “stunt” shouldn’t come as a surprise for the Japanese manager as he is considered a larger-than-life sports figure in the country thanks to his playing days.
Shinjo replaced longtime manager Hideki Kuriyama this season and told reporters he wanted to be referred to as “Big Boss,” in order to maintain the celebrity status in the dugout.
“Big Boss” spent 3 seasons in the MLB playing for the New York Mets and the San Francisco Giants. He was also the first Japanese-born position player to play in the National League when he debuted in 2001.
While the gimmick certainly brought more attention to the team, there wasn’t much more to get excited about for the Fighters as Shinjo’s squad lost 0-4 to the Saitama Seibu Lions. The Fighters are 0-4 on the season as well.
