Tateyama helped Samurai Japan win the world championship at the Tokyo Olympics as a coach
On the 24th, Nippon-Ham announced that Yoshinori Tateyama, former Samurai Japan pitching coach and team OB, will be named pitching coach next season, and OB Rare Tetsu Morimoto will be named outfield defensive coach. The two will return for the first time in 12 years since 2010. Additionally, Yutaka Yagi, a former Hanshin player, will be named batting coach.
This will be Tateyama’s first time coaching an NPB baseball team, and he helped Samurai Japan win the world championship as a pitching coach at the Tokyo Olympics last summer. It was the first time in 12 years since 2010 before he moved to the major league.
Arguably, Mr. Morimoto is director Tsuyoshi Shinjo’s “best apprentice”. During his active career, he grew while absorbing Shinjo-ism and contributed to Japan’s number one in 2006 as a left fielder. It will be the first time in 12 years since moving to Yokohama off-season in 2010.
Mr. Yagi played exclusively for the Hanshin Tigers, and in the second half of his career, he was dubbed the ‘god of pinch hitters’. After retiring in 2004, he coached Hanshin from 2009 to 2015, returning to the field for the first time in seven years.
Nippon-Ham announced on the 23rd that Makoto Kaneko, who served as defenseman and batting coach this season, Masaru Takeda, the 2nd Army’s pitching coach, and Yoshinori Ueda, the 2nd Army’s defensive running coach, will leave the team.
(Full-Count Writing)
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