“I want to give back to Hokkaido” Nippon Ham Ogasawara Coach October 10, 19:19
Head coach Michio Ogasawara, who returned to professional baseball and Nippon Ham for the first time in 14 years, said, “I want to give back to Hokkaido by taking advantage of what I have experienced and studied so far.”
Mr. Ogasawara, who became the head coach and hitting coach of Nippon Ham, met with director Hideki Kuriyama at a hotel in Toyohira-ku, Sapporo, and expressed his aspirations for the future.
In this, Mr. Ogasawara said, “The team has changed for the first time in 14 years, so I think that it is a start from scratch. I want to give back to Hokkaido by taking advantage of my experience and study so far.” .
After that, “I want the manager to tell me the characteristics of the players, look at them myself and scrutinize them so that the players can demonstrate their goodness. I want to give the team a new wind.” Said his enthusiasm.
Mr. Ogasawara is 45 years old from Chiba Prefecture. In his active days, he was nicknamed “Guts” for his full swing, and won numerous titles such as the top batter and the home run king.
After that, he played with the giant in Chunichi, retired from active duty with a record of 2120 hits in total, and from 2016 he served as Chunichi's two army manager for four seasons.
Director Kuriyama was expecting, “We are at a time when both veterans and young people have to improve their level, so I want them to change their teams by using a muddy, tough, strong mind and body.”
Mr. Ogasawara will be teaching from the autumn camp in Okinawa.