Playback ’94] Nagashima wins the championship by winning the “10.8 decisive battle! Nagashima’s letter of apology to the fans

What did “FRIDAY” report 10, 20, or 30 years ago? In “Playback Friday,” we take a look back at the topics that were hot at the time. This time, we introduce ” An Apology to Giants Fans from Manager Shigeo Nagashima,” which appeared in the October 28, 1994 issue 30 years ago.

The final game between the Giants and the Chunichi on October 8, 1994 at Nagoya Stadium became a “national event,” according to then Giants manager Shigeo Nagashima (58), because whichever team won the game would win the league championship. The Giants won the game that would go down in professional baseball history as the “10.8 decisive battle. The article introduces the “letter of apology” that manager Nagashima sent to this magazine after winning the league championship. (The statements in parentheses below are quotes from past articles.)

I am very sorry.

The Giants’ victory over Chunichi, who had tied for the lead in the standings, on October 8 was so dramatic that even a week later, many fans may still be reeling from the excitement of the victory. After the first victory in 17 years, manager Shigeo Nagashima sent an “apology” message to these fans.

I am very sorry for making the fans who had been waiting for the championship so anxiously in the latter half of the season. I don’t care what happens to me as a manager, but I fought together with the players for the sake of the fans, and I feel that I have managed to put a face on it by winning the championship. I think that the fans must have been especially happy because the race went all the way to the final game.

As manager Nagashima said, the Giants had made their fans very anxious this season, and with the acquisition of Hiromitsu Ochiai (40 at the time), then Chunichi’s main gunner, and other major reinforcements, they made a strong start to the season in April, and by early July were in sole possession of second place, 9.5 games ahead of the Giants. However, in the second half of the season, their batting lineup stagnated, and they were tied for the lead with Chunichi, who had been in hot pursuit in the closing stages of the season. At any rate, they managed to win the league championship. The next goal was to win the Japanese championship.

Fighting with faith in only one thing: “We will win in the end.

“We will participate in the Japan Series after all, and our opponent will be Seibu. It has been my dream and my main goal to beat Seibu ever since I became manager. Of course, Seibu has the most talented and experienced team of the 12 teams, and they have the obvious ability to outscore the other teams when the time comes. As for the Giants, they are their strongest opponent and a formidable foe. However, since the game is a matter of luck, we will not know the outcome until we face them. We will just have to fight with all our might to achieve our long-cherished goal of becoming the number one team in Japan. I believe that the fact that the players fought hard and overcame challenges in the final stages of the season in a battle in which they could not afford a single loss gave them great confidence and strength. In the Japan Series, as in the pennant race, I want to fight with the belief that we will win in the end.

Nagashima’s coaching was criticized in the second half when the Giants faltered, but he made no excuses. In the final six games against Chunichi and Yakult, he led the team to the championship with a bold move, mobilizing all three pillars of his lineup, Makihara, Kuwata, and Saito. He responded to the criticism with results. What will he do against Seibu?

“Seibu’s manager Mori’s baseball is theory-oriented and unswerving. If we simply played baseball according to the theory, we would have a tough time against them. We would like to stir things up with a bold strategy, as if we were the challengers. Right now, I am relieved that we were able to win the league championship and meet the expectations of our fans nationwide. However, we would also like to do well in the Japan Series to further boost baseball’s popularity.

What will the outcome of the Japan Series be?

The first raising of the torso on the stage of Japan’s No. 1 baseball team

On October 22, 1994, the Giants won their 18th Japan Series title in five years, defeating the Seibu 4-2 in the final game at Tokyo Dome. This was the first time Nagashima had flown to the top of the Japan Series stage. Nagashima retired from coaching the following year after leading the team to another Japan championship in the 2000 season.

The Giants won the league championship this season in a dead heat with the Hanshin Tigers reminiscent of 30 years ago, but will they be able to win the Climax Series starting on October 16 and advance to the Japan Series for the first time since 1964?