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.