Tatsunami’s refusal to join the Dragons is a prelude to his appointment as Samurai Japan coach! Behind the Scenes of the Appointment of Hirokazu Ibata as Japan National Team Manager
Hirokazu Ibata, 48, who played for the Chunichi and Giants teams, has been confirmed as the new manager of Japan’s national baseball team, Samurai Japan.
Ibata is currently the manager of the lower-level organization “U-12 Samurai Japan,” and was also in charge of the 6th WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup held in Taiwan in late July.
He has done quite a lot of commentary and critiquing work both in Kanto, where he has a home, and in Nagoya, where he has ties from his days at Chunichi. He also plays golf with some of the biggest names in baseball, including former Giants manager Yoshinobu Takahashi (48), who is a great friend of his. His post-retirement baseball business is going well, and when a weekly magazine reported in the past that he was a candidate to be the next manager of Samurai Japan, he desperately denied it, saying, “There is no such story,” when he was heckled by a TV station official in Nagoya.
He had coached the Giants, but he wants to be a manager. When he was asked by Kazuyoshi Tachinami, 54, the manager of Chunichi, to join the Cabinet the year before last, he reportedly turned it down, citing his family situation. Tatsunami took good care of him both publicly and privately, but now that he has joined the Tatsunami administration, he can no longer manage. He made a very calculating decision.
At one time, there were reports that former manager Hideki Kuriyama (62) was going to wear the uniform again. ……
At an event held in June in his hometown of Kuriyama, Kuriyama stubbornly denied ever wearing the uniform again, saying, “I will not wear the uniform.
For the time being, it is clear that Ibata will be in charge of the “Carnext Asia Professional Baseball Championship 2023,” an international tournament to be held at Tokyo Dome in November. However, there is a possibility that Ibata will be replaced as the manager for the “Premier 12” tournament next fall and the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in the spring of 2026.
Ibata and the sponsors will be satisfied with Ibata Japan. That is the key point. They receive a huge amount of sponsorship fees.Former manager Kuriyama was highly regarded for his experience as manager of Nippon Ham and his ability to bring in big-name major leaguers such as Shohei Otani (29). Mr. Ibata is popular among professional baseball fans, but he is not well known to the general public. It would be nice if he had a “gadget” that we don’t know about. …… In the end, I think he will settle on a conductor who satisfies fans and sponsors, such as Hara (Tatsunori Hara, 65) or Kudo (Kimiyasu Kudo, 60),” said an NPB official.
I wonder if Mr. Ibata would be happy to have the manager of his dreams, even if it is only a “one-point” choice. Will Mr. Ibata be the one to win the WBC again, or will he be the one to lead the team to a second consecutive championship?
