Seibu announces the acquisition of Ginjiro Sumiya, returning for the first time in six years with uniform number “27”… GM Watanabe “as a force” | Full-Count

This season, he participated in 65 games and had a batting average of .221, and was notified by Rakuten that he was out of action.

On the 16th, Seibu announced that they had acquired catcher Ginjiro Sumiya, who had been notified by Rakuten that he was not available. His uniform number will be 27. This will be his return to his old club for the first time in six years since 2018.

Sumiya joined Seibu in the first round of the 2005 high school draft. He played until 2018 and helped the team reach the top nine and win two Golden Glove awards. He exercised his free agent rights and transferred to the Giants in the 2018 off-season. He was traded to Rakuten in the middle of 2021. He has played in 1541 games in NPB.

As for Seibu’s catcher staff, Tomoya Mori, who was a key player for Ogi during last off-season, transferred to Orix as a free agent. This season’s starting lineup was Yuto Koga for 90 games, Sena Tsuge for 41 games, and Takashi Furuichi for 12 games, making it impossible to establish a regular catcher.

Sumiya appeared in 65 games this season, with a batting average of .221, one home run, and 10 RBIs. The 36-year-old veteran, who will be entering his 19th year as a professional next season, will be making a comeback at his old club, where he played for 13 years after turning professional.

〇Ginjiro Sumiya
“Honestly, I’m happy to be returning to the Lions after six years.The Lions have changed their lineup from six years ago, and I feel like they have more young players.The Belluna Dome is a place I have a lot of fond memories of. , there’s a special feeling in wearing a Lions uniform and playing in front of our fans. Lions fans are encouraged to come to the Belluna Dome and see No. 27 Ginjiro Sumitani in the hot blue. I would be happy if you could send me some flame (cheers).”

〇Hisanobu Watanabe Baseball Headquarters General Manager
“I would like (Sumitani) Ginjiro to return to the Lions as an asset.At the same time, I would like him to pass on the knowledge and experience he has cultivated to the Lions’ current young catchers. Masu”

(Full-Count Editorial Department)