Don-Den Magic” and “Discernment” that led the Hanshin team to the championship.

Part I of the article “ Minami is “on the verge of exploding” with fans! The Inside Story of Okada’s “Donden Magic” that Led the Hanshin to their First Championship in 18 Years Following on from Part 1, we take a closer look behind the scenes at the “Donden Magic” of Hanshin Manager Okada.

A symbolic example of how Hanshin manager Akifu Okada (65) has improved the team’s condition through his “discernment” is the “Satotel Farm” incident that occurred in late June. Mr. B, a Tiger reporter, testified.

When Okada found out that Satoteru, who had dropped out of the starting lineup after a poor outing against DeNA on June 24, was so disheartened that he did not participate in the pre-game knock and stayed in the locker room during the game, he immediately sent him to the second basement, even though the game was in the middle of a three-game series. During the tenure of his predecessor Akihiro Yano (54), the relationship between players and manager was like that of a teacher and student at school.

He called the players by their first names and allowed them to make mistakes as long as they were proactive. However, after the Satotel incident, the team tightened up, saying, “If you cut corners or make the team atmosphere bad, even if you are a star, you will be dropped without question.

If there was any lapse in play, he would whip the team, saying, “If you continue like this, it will be the end of you. From August to September 14, when the championship race intensified, Sato exploded with a batting average of over 30% and eight home runs. He also hit a valuable two-run shot in the game that decided the championship. The aforementioned Aoyagi also contributed to the team’s amazing last spurt, winning five of six games during the crucial August-September period.

He said, “If you just thunder down, you will lose the hearts of the players. While scolding, Okada-san continued to praise and inspire the players through the media and coaches. For the reborn Satoteru, he would say, “You’re doing a good job, in spite of everything,” and for Takuma Kirishiki (24), who threw long relief games, he would say, “He’s the ace of spades. In an interview after the victory, he said, “I think the MVP is Nakano (Takumu, 27).

I think it’s difficult to play in every game,” he said, praising Nakano for his strong performance. He saw that Masaru Iwasaki (32), a relief pitcher, was losing performance due to fatigue, so he enforced the rule that he would not allow him to pitch three innings in a row. He also gave a day off to a pitcher who had a baby. Even if he did not directly express his concern in words, his thoughtfulness was conveyed, and a sense of unity emerged in the team.

The team also made good use of the media to keep other teams in check, and the season proceeded favorably.

In a game against Yakult on September 3, Chikamoto was hit again with a dead ball on his right side, which had been broken by a dead ball. After the game, he apologized, saying, “It’s so sad, isn’t it?

We are a pathetic team.” He complained about manager Shingo Takatsu (54), who left the game without apologizing. Okada-san had the courage to say what even the general of the team that had been hit by a dead ball to the head by a Yakult pitcher would not have said. When the players learned of this, they were inspired, saying, ‘He got angry for our sake.

On the day before the victory, he also gave a shout-out to Hiroto Saiki (24), who would be starting in the fateful match, in a Donden section through the media.

He said, “‘Who’s it going to be tomorrow, Saiki? Before the Tennozan match against Hiroshima at the beginning of September, he said, “It’s proof that I’ve been working hard. You should enjoy it. I’ll be pitching in front of a lot of people. I think it’s a good experience. Murakami, Otake, and Masashi Ito (27) all pitched well, winning three straight games. Whether consciously or unconsciously, Mr. Okada’s “Ohn” has a mysterious power to relax the players.

The “Reiwa’s intellectual general” said that the September 14 beer tap was a “rehearsal. The goal, to be frank, is to get the same result in the Japan Series. That’s right. Oh~n.

Shohei Otani “Muso no Kiseki” BEST SHOT 2023″ is now available for pre-order.

Click here to purchase.