Pacific League head umpire Yoshio Maekawa reprimanded Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters outfielder Tsuyoshi Shinjo with another warning Wednesday, telling his club that Shinjo's collared undershirts and other shenanigans will not be tolerated.
Maekawa said he would not permit Shinjo, as he has done on an occasion, to warm up before games in a Hanshin Tigers uniform -- a throwback to when he played for the Central League club from 1991 until he left to ply his trade in the major leagues on a free agent deal with the New York Mets in 2001.
"I want him to follow the rules that we have set. The next time he does this (wears the collared undershirt or a Hanshin Tigers uniform), I'll have him change it. If he doesn't comply, he'll be ejected," said Maekawa, who discussed the issue with Nippon Ham general manager Shigeru Takada at Tokyo Dome before the Fighters' game against the Yomiuri Giants the same day.
"I don't think the fans are upset by what he's doing," Takada said of Shinjo, who has said he will retire at the end of the season.
Shinjo, 34, has ignored Maekawa's warnings since being reprimanded for wearing the collared undershirt in a game against the Softbank Hawks late last month.