:Shinji Imanaka

{{short description|Japanese baseball player}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

| name = Shinji Imanaka

| image =

| image_size = 200

| caption =

| team =

| number =

| position = Pitcher

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1971|3|6}}

| birth_place = Kadoma, Osaka, Japan

| bats = Left

| throws = Left

| debutleague = NPB

| debutdate = May 26

| debutyear = 1989

| debutteam = Chunichi Dragons

| finalleague = NPB

| finaldate = July 13

| finalyear = 2001

| finalteam = Chunichi Dragons

| statyear = 2001

| statleague = NPB

| stat1label = Win–loss record

| stat1value = 91-69

| stat2label = Saves

| stat2value = 5

| stat3label = ERA

| stat3value = 3.15

| stat4label = Strikeouts

| stat4value = 1129

| teams =

As player

• Chunichi Dragons ({{Baseball year|1989}}–{{Baseball year|2001}})

As coach

• Chunichi Dragons ({{Baseball year|2012}}–{{Baseball year|2013}})

| awards =

• 1x Eiji Sawamura Award (1993)
• 1x Central League Win Champion (1993)
• 1x Central League Strikeout Champion (1993)
• 1x Central League MVP for Pitcher (1993)
• 1× Best Nine Award (1993)
• 1× Mitsui Golden Glove Award (1993)
• 4x NPB All-Star (1991, 1993–1995)

| update = 9 February 2014

}}{{Single source|date=December 2024}}

{{nihongo|Shinji Imanaka|今中 慎二|Imanaka Shinji|extra=born March 6, 1971 in Kadoma, Osaka, Japan}} is a former Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher.

Imanaka attended the Daitō campus of Osaka Sangyo University High School, which became Osaka Tōin High School in his final year. He was recognized as the school's ace pitcher and scouted by several clubs, including the Yomiuri Giants and his hometown team, the Hanshin Tigers. Despite being a Hanshin fan himself, Imanaka had his sights set solely on playing for the Chunichi Dragons, who had won the league pennant during his final year of high school. Imanaka went as far as declaring that he would not play professional baseball if another team drafted him. Chunichi obliged and selected him in the first round of the 1988 rookie draft.{{cite web |url=http://www.sponichi.co.jp/baseball/special/calender/calender_09november/KFullNormal20091101246.html |title=【11月10日】2001年(平13) 沢村賞投手・今中慎二「自信がなくなった」 |trans-title=(10 November 2001) Eiji Sawamura Award winner Shinji Imanaka declares "I've lost confidence" |language=Japanese |date=November 2009 |access-date=6 November 2015 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117031147/http://www.sponichi.co.jp/baseball/special/calender/calender_09november/KFullNormal20091101246.html |archivedate=17 November 2015 }}