Age Ochiai, 55, a Japanese pitcher who served as a pitching coach during the Samsung Lions’ dynasty, has dramatically re-employed. He has confirmed his inauguration as the second team manager of the Chunichi Dragons. It is a reversal that took place 20 days after the announcement of his dismissal.
Ochiai has been the first team pitching coach for the Chunichi Dragons. However, he was forced to take off his uniform after completing his three-year contract in October this year. As the team fell to the bottom for the third consecutive year, strong voices arose over his responsibility. Manager Kazuyoshi Tatsunami has already voluntarily resigned.
Ochiai was also not free from responsibility. In particular, he is classified as a person of Tatsunami. They are the same age, but they both played in the same club as Chunichi.
Of course, their relationship is different from what they see from the outside. According to Ochiai, they were not compatible with each other when they were playing. I even remember that Tatsunami’s first words were “help me if I become a coach later” in his retirement.
Anyway, with Tatsunami’s inauguration, he became a fatesman. Eventually, he took off his clothes with four other coaches after the regular season. He was reprimanded as if he had been dismissed.
However, there was a change. The decision was made at the active request of Kazuki Inoue, 53, who was newly inaugurated. In just 20 days since the termination of the contract was announced, a dramatic twist has been made. It is a matter of course very unusual.
According to a media report, Ochiai reportedly shook his hand several times. In other words, he refused, saying, “How can I go back to the team when I am responsible for poor performance with the former coach?”
However, the new coach Inoue reportedly visited him several times and persuaded him repeatedly, before changing his mind (Sponichi reported). “He has a lot of experience in coaching, and no one is capable of nurturing him,” Inoue said.
On the one hand, there seems to be internal circumstances of Chunichi. There is a rumor that it is difficult to form a new coaching team due to poor club conditions.
The appointment of a head coach has not been made yet. Watchers say that he tried to recruit Akihiro Yano (Chunichi → Hanshin), a former catcher, but things did not go as he wanted. Rumors say that he hesitated because his dynamic relationship with Inoue was ambiguous, and most of all, he did not like Chunichi’s strength.
The second-tier coach also had a different idea from the beginning. Kosuke Fukudome, a Chunichi native who also played in the Major League, was a candidate, but he reportedly declined the offer. “(A first-tier coach) might not know…Rumor has it that he shook his head.
Some say that this situation is related to the situation of the parent company (Chunichi Shimbun). In the past, the company brought star directors such as Senichi Hoshino and Hiromitsu Ochiai, which attracted attention from fans. Their performance influenced the circulation and sales of newspapers. 토토사이트
However, it is different these days. It is a trend of the times that the newspaper industry is not the same as before. Although Tatsunami had a name value, Inoue is whispering that he may be a little less well-known.
This series of situations also makes the club’s active willingness to invest in doubt. In other words, it is a reputation that the lowest place for the first three consecutive years since its foundation will not be an accident.
Coach Ochiai has been evaluated as a good leader since his days at Samsung. He was invited due to his relationship with coach Sun Dong-yeol and played for seven years during his two terms (2010-2012 and 2017-2020).
Notably, he built the strongest bullpen in his history in the first period, laying the foundation for his dynasty. The iron-wall fighting that led to Oh Seung-hwan, Ahn Ji-man, Jung Hyun-wook, Kwon Hyuk, and Kwon Oh-joon frustrated his opponents.
Afterwards, Sun moved to Kia and offered to recruit him. However, he rejected the offer, recalling his students he taught. He posted his feelings on social media at the time.
“How can you turn these kids into enemies? There are pitchers here who want to see growth, and pitchers who want to help. So I decided to stay. I’m indebted to you, Samsung fans. I look forward to your kind cooperation.”
Since then, it has remained a good memory for domestic fans as a “coach of righteousness.”
It was similar in Japan. Playing only in the Chunichi Dragons, he didn’t respond to other teams’ suggestions. For the same reason. “When you go to another team, you should be happy to see your kids get beaten up. You can’t do such a thing.”
In the end, he had to move to another Chiba Lotte in order to get a job. He served as a pitching coach for three years (2015-2017).
His three years at the Chunichi Dragons were not bad either. He has made great achievements in fostering promising players. Hiroto Takahashi is the best example. The 22-year-old right-hander also posted a good 12-4 win rate, including one shutout victory, in the bottom team. Above all, he won the Central League title with 1.38 ERA.
Samsung pitchers still visit the Chunichi Dragons during off-season training in Okinawa. Pitchers like Won Tae-in, who received guidance for the first time since joining the team, are reportedly still communicating with each other.
