Koji Yamamoto was named the manger of Team Samurai Japan for the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
Yamamoto has been a superstar in NPB, the japanese Major Leagues, playing for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp from 1969 until 1986, when he retired at age 40 and after being named the Central League MVP 2 times (1975 and 1980), the batting champion in 1975, the home run King 4 times (1978, 1980, 1981 and 1983, when he also hit for the cycle) and after having been selected 14 times for the All Star Game.
He also manager the Carp and led them to win the Central League in 1991. His last season as a manager was 2005.
“We need to get everyone on the same page” Yamamoto said at a press conference “I received a request to become the manager at the end of last month” Yamamoto added “It’s an extreme honor and I humbly accepted. It’s been some 10 days since then, and I’ve been gradually feeling the pressure building in myself. But once I take this job, I’m going to aim at (Japan’s) third straight championship in March’s WBC.”
Yamamoto‘s coaching staff will consist of two former managers in Osamu Higashio and Masataka Nashida, along with Tsuyoshi Yoda, Kazuyoshi Tatsunami, Nobuhiro Takashiro and Koichi Ogata.
Yamamoto‘s first action will come in a pair of exhibition games against Cuba on November 16 in Fukuoka and November 18 at the Sapporo Dome.
