Tsuyoshi Shinjo, a big name off-season acquisition for the Nippon Ham Fighters, said Tuesday he has asked the Pacific League club to have his name officially registered in English as "SHINJO" next season.
In his comeback to the Japanese baseball scene after a combined three seasons with the New York Mets and the San Francisco Giants, the 31-year-old outfielder chose to be listed on the roster with his name written in English rather than Japanese characters.
"The team allowed me to do it my way, and I'm getting my name registered in English. I wanted to do something different from other (Japanese) players and become the first to do something," said Shinjo.
In 1995, Doug Jennings of the Orix BlueWave had his name registered as "D.J." and Chris Donnels, who played for the Kintetsu Buffaloes in 1996, signed up as "C.D."