Manager Hideki Kuriyama, who led the Japan of baseball at the WBC = World Baseball Classic held in March, held a press conference on March 3 and reflected on the WBC, which led Japan to their first championship in three tournaments, stating, "We were able to convey the wonderfulness of baseball by winning the Japan."
Coach Kuriyama, whose contract as national team coach expired at the end of last month, held a press conference in Tokyo at 2:0 p.m. on the 7nd and answered questions from the press with a cheerful expression.
Coach Kuriyama reflected on his days as the head coach of the national team, saying, "I have been thinking hard every day in anticipation of the WBC matches.
Regarding the tournament, he said Japan, "All seven WBC matches left an impression on me, and each match was a match that I will never forget.
When asked about his message to the winning team, including Shohei Ohtani of the Major League Baseball Angels, Munetaka Murakami of professional baseball and Yakult, he said, "They showed us how they came together for baseball in Japan. No matter how many times we meet, I think I will continue to say 'thank you.'"
As for the future of baseball, he said, "I hope that the children who saw this WBC will say that they were inspired by watching this tournament in about 1 years, and I hope that it will be a plus for the sports world."
The candidates for his successor as the head coach of the Japan National Team will be narrowed down by August.