Past managers
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Futoshi Nakanishi1974-1975

Born April 11, 1933. Originally from Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture.
Known as the "prodigy" since his time at Takamatsu First High School, he joined Nishitetsu in 1952. He made his starting debut in the opening game, batting .281 with 12 home runs and 65 RBIs, winning the Rookie of the Year award. In 1953, he won two titles: most home runs with 36 and most RBIs with 86. In addition to a .314 batting average, he also recorded 36 stolen bases, becoming the youngest player in history to achieve the Triple Crown. He won the most home runs in 1954, the batting title and most home runs in 1955 and 1958, the most home runs and most RBIs in 1956, and the most RBIs in 1957, winning batting titles every year. Along with Kazuhisa Inao and Yasumitsu Toyoda, he helped build Nishitetsu's golden age, and was selected as the Pacific League MVP in 1956. In 1962, he became both player and manager, leading Nishitetsu to their last championship in 1963. He retired from playing and also stepped down as manager at the end of 1969. In 1971, when his father-in-law, Osamu Mihara, became the manager of the Yakult Swallows, he supported Mihara as head coach. In 1974, when Mihara became the team president, he became the first manager of the Nippon Ham Fighters. In his first year, the team finished 6th in both the first half (25 wins, 36 losses, 4 ties) and second half (24 wins, 39 losses, 2 ties). In his second year, the team finished 4th in both the first half (27 wins, 30 losses, 8 ties) and second half (28 wins, 33 losses, 4 ties). From 1980, he managed the Hanshin Tigers for two years. As he himself said, "I'm more suited to being a coach than a manager," he later served as a coach for the Yakult Swallows and Kintetsu Buffaloes, developing many players such as Tsutomu Wakamatsu, Ralph Bryant, and Akinori Iwamura. In total, as a manager, he spent 12 years, managed 1640 games, with a record of 748 wins, 811 losses, and 81 ties, and a winning percentage of .480.

Keiji Osawa 1976-1984

Born March 14, 1932. Originally from Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture.
He went from Kanagawa Commercial High School to Rikkyo University and joined Nankai in 1956. He was one of the first to adopt data-driven baseball, changing defensive positions depending on the batter, and made a great defensive play that saved the team from a jam in the 1959 Japan Series. In 1965, he transferred to Tokyo (now Chiba Lotte) and retired from playing that year. From 1966, he became a coach for Tokyo, and from 1969, he was the manager of the minor league team. Midway through the 1971 season, he was promoted to manager of the first team and managed the team until the end of 1972. In 1976, he became the manager of Nippon Ham and chose the number 86, a nod to the team's name "Ham". In 1981, he acquired Yutaka Enatsu from Hiroshima and led Nippon Ham to their first league championship. In the offseason of 1983, after six consecutive years of A-class performance, he transitioned to a management position for the team. However, his successor, manager Yoshinobu Uemura, resigned midway through the 1984 season due to poor performance, and he was hastily returned as manager. He became manager again in 1993. He demonstrated his skills by appointing Tetsuro Hirose as captain and using Akihito Kaneshi as closer, pushing the team to second place, just one game behind Seibu. He also enlivened the league with his unique words and actions, and in the offseason he was awarded the Pacific League Special Achievement Award, and his nickname "Oyabun" (boss) was chosen as a popular phrase. The following year, in 1994, when the team finished in last place, he prostrated himself on the mound at Tokyo Dome after the final game to apologize to the fans. From 1995 he became a commentator. He served as the chairman of the Japan Professional Baseball OB Club, dedicating himself to promoting baseball, and at the same time, he gained popularity as a respected opinion leader in the baseball world with his outspoken remarks. As a manager, he spent 13 years, played 1547 games, with a record of 725 wins, 723 losses, and 99 ties, and a winning percentage of .501.

Yoshinobu Uemura, 1984

Born January 5, 1935. Originally from Ashiya City, Hyogo Prefecture.
At Ashiya High School, he participated in the Koshien tournament for three consecutive years starting in the summer of 1951. In the summer of his third year, he recorded five wins, including three consecutive shutouts, leading his team to victory. In 1953, he joined Mainichi (now Chiba Lotte). In 1954, he pitched both as a starter and reliever, recording nine wins and an ERA of 2.25. In 1955, he recorded 17 wins, following the 18-win trio of Jun Aramaki, Takashi Nakagawa, and Isao Wada. His ERA of 2.13 was also the second best in the league, behind Nakagawa. In 1956, he achieved a career-high 19 wins and an ERA of 2.01, winning his first title, the highest winning percentage, with a winning percentage of .792. In the opening game on March 30, 1957 (at Heiwadai), he pitched a complete game victory without issuing a walk, tying the professional baseball record for the fewest pitches thrown with just 71 pitches against the previous year's Japan Series champions, Nishitetsu. In 1959, he achieved 14 wins, his first double-digit win season in three years, and made his second All-Star appearance. After retiring from playing in 1961, he served as a coach for 36 years with Mainichi (Lotte), Hankyu, Yakult, Nippon Ham, and the Giants. At Nippon Ham, he nurtured players such as Mikio Kudo, Shigeaki Mashiba, and Isamu Kida. In 1984, he became the manager of Nippon Ham. He got off to a decent start in April with 10 wins, 12 losses, and 2 ties, but faltered in May with 5 wins, 16 losses, and 3 ties. From late May, the team suffered eight consecutive losses, including a tie. They recovered in June with five consecutive wins, but announced his resignation on June 28. Even after leaving Nippon Ham, his leadership skills were highly regarded, and he continued as a coach until 2000. As manager, he played 67 games in one year, with a record of 21 wins, 37 losses, and 9 ties, for a winning percentage of .362.

Shigeru Takada 1985-1988

Born July 24, 1945. Originally from Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture.
He went from Naniwa Commercial High School (now Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences Naniwa High School) to Meiji University and joined the Yomiuri Giants as the first overall pick in the 1967 draft. He secured a regular position from his first year and won the Rookie of the Year award. He received his first Best Nine award in 1969 and won the stolen base title in 1971, playing a central role in the Giants' V9 dynasty. After retiring from playing in 1980, he became the manager of the Nippon Ham Fighters in 1985. From his first year, he shifted to bringing in new talent. In 1985, he selected 25-year-old Fujio Tamura as the starting catcher. In 1986, he gave rookie Yukio Tanaka experience in the first team. In terms of pitchers, in 1987, he used third-year high school graduate Hiroaki Matsuura in relief for 48 games. Rookie college graduate Yukihiro Nishizaki was in the starting rotation from the opening day and won 15 games. With the development of young players, the team's performance, which was 5th in 1985 and 1986, rose to 3rd place in the A-class in 1987. However, in 1988, two foreign players who were expected to be the core of the batting lineup left before the season started. The pitchers, led by Nishizaki and Matsuura, recorded the league's best ERA, but they could only manage third place. After stepping down at the end of that year, he coached the Giants before returning to Nippon Ham as GM in the fall of 2004, and in his first job as GM, he selected Yu Darvish as the first overall pick in the draft. In 2006, Yukio Tanaka, whom he selected as the first overall pick in his first year as manager, and Darvish, whom he selected as the first overall pick in his first year as GM, contributed to winning the Japan Series. From 2008 to 2010, he managed the Yakult Swallows. From 2011, he became the first GM of the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. In total as manager, he played 7 years, 854 games, with a record of 385 wins, 433 losses, and 36 ties, for a winning percentage of .471.

Sadao Kondo 1989-1991

Born October 2, 1925. Originally from Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture.
As a powerful-hitting infielder, he went from Okazaki Junior High School (now Okazaki High School) to Hosei University. In 1943, he dropped out of university and joined Nishitetsu (now defunct), switching to pitching. In 1944, he transferred to the Giants, and in 1946, after the end of the war, he recorded 23 wins and an ERA of 2.18. In the fall of the same year, he nearly got hit by a jeep of the occupying forces and injured his right hand. The following year, he finished the season without a win and transferred to Chunichi. He mastered the technique of pitching without using his injured finger and achieved 10 wins in 1950. He retired from playing at the end of 1954. The following year, 1955, he became a coach for Chunichi. From the 1960s, he advocated and practiced the division of labor among pitchers. From 1969, he coached Lotte, and from 1972, he coached Chunichi again, becoming the manager of Chunichi in 1981. In 1982, he led them to a league championship. In 1985, he was invited to manage Taiyo (now DeNA), where he used the speedy players Takagi Yutaka, Kato Hirokazu, and Yashiki Kaname in the first three spots in the batting order, promoting them as the "Super Cart Trio." In 1989, he became the manager of Nippon Ham. In his first year, 1989, the pitching staff was in poor form, and the team finished in 5th place. In April, he was ejected from a game, becoming the first person to be ejected in the Heisei era. In 1990, the pitching staff recovered, with five players achieving double-digit wins. Among the position players, Winters recorded 35 home runs, and although the team finished in 4th place, their winning percentage was above 50%. In 1991, Takeda won the Best Relief Pitcher award, but only Nishizaki, who was sidelined due to injury, achieved double-digit wins. The batting lineup also struggled, and the team finished in 4th place, and he retired from playing after that year. In total, as a manager, he played for 9 years, 1050 games, with a record of 470 wins, 521 losses, and 59 ties, and a winning percentage of .474.

Masayuki Tsuchihashi, 1992

Born December 5, 1935. Born in Taito Ward, Tokyo.
After graduating from Nihonbashi High School, he played amateur baseball while helping out at his family's fish shop. In 1954, he took a tryout for Toei and joined the team. In his third year, 1957, he achieved his first victory with a shutout. The following year, 1958, he made a leap forward with 21 wins and an ERA of 2.12. On May 31 of the same year, in a game against Nishitetsu (Komazawa), he set an NPB record with 9 consecutive strikeouts, and then broke the Japanese record with 16 strikeouts. In 1961, he achieved a career high with 30 wins and an ERA of 1.90. In 1962, he won 17 games and contributed to the team's first championship. In the Japan Series, he had a record of 2 wins and 1 loss with an ERA of 1.71, and shared the MVP award with Masayuki Tanemochi. From 1963, he achieved 20 wins for two consecutive years. After 1965, he was plagued by injuries and retired from playing in 1967. From 1969, he became a coach for Toei, and was promoted to manager in the latter half of 1973 during the Nittaku era. He led the team from 5th place in the first half of the season to 3rd place, but resigned at the end of that year. In 1984, he became a coach for the Yakult Swallows, and was promoted to acting manager and then manager mid-season. He managed the team until 1986, and in 1992, he returned to the Nippon Ham Fighters as manager. That year, new players such as Akihito Kaneshi, who transferred from Hiroshima, won 14 games, and rookie Atsushi Kataoka had a batting average of .290, and the team maintained a .500 winning percentage by the end of July, but suffered an eight-game losing streak in August and faltered. They finished in 5th place with a deficit of 19 games, and he left the team with one year left on his contract. After leaving Nippon Ham, he worked as a commentator and also served on the selection committee for the Sawamura Award. In total, as manager, he played 549 games, with a record of 221 wins, 303 losses, and 25 ties, and a winning percentage of .422.

Toshiharu Ueda 1995-1999

Born January 18, 1937. Originally from Kaifu District, Tokushima Prefecture.
After graduating from Kainan High School and Kansai University, he joined Hiroshima as a catcher in 1959, but retired in 1961 without achieving any notable results as a player. After retirement, he served as a coach for Hiroshima and Hankyu, and became the manager of Hankyu in 1974. From 1975, he achieved four consecutive league championships and three consecutive Japan Series championships, bringing a golden age to Hankyu. In the 1978 Japan Series, he lodged a fierce 1 hour and 19 minute protest against the call on a hit by Yakult's Katsuo Osugi. He stepped down as manager at the end of that year, but returned as manager of Hankyu in 1981 and won the league championship in 1984. In 1995, he became the manager of Nippon Ham. In his second year, 1996, Gross and Yukihiro Nishizaki showed stability with 17 wins and 14 wins respectively, and young pitchers such as Masaru Imaseki and Tsutomu Iwamoto also emerged. They finished the first half of the season in first place. However, in September they suffered eight consecutive losses. During the losing streak, he resigned as manager due to "family reasons". The team was overtaken by Orix and finished the season in second place. He withdrew his resignation that offseason and returned as manager, but in 1997, a series of injuries to the pitching staff led to a fourth-place finish. In 1998, the "Big Bang Lineup," named through a public contest, worked well. After a seven-game winning streak in May, they pulled away from the pack and took the lead by a wide margin. At one point, they had a 9.5-game lead over second place. However, they faltered in August with a nine-game losing streak. They also suffered a significant losing record in September and were overtaken by Seibu, missing out on the championship. In 1999, he achieved his 1300th career win as manager, but he retired from managerial career at the end of that year. In his 20-year managerial career, he played 2574 games, with a record of 1322 wins, 1136 losses, and 116 ties, for a winning percentage of .538.

Yasunori Oshima 2000-2002

Born October 16, 1950. Originally from Nakatsu City, Oita Prefecture.
He was a member of the volleyball club until junior high school. He started playing baseball seriously at Nakatsu Technical High School and joined the Chunichi Dragons in 1968 as the third overall pick in the draft. In 1971, his third year, he hit a home run in his first game in the first team and established himself in the first team. From 1972, he recorded double-digit home runs for three consecutive years, and in 1976, when he was active as a pinch hitter, he hit seven pinch-hit home runs, setting a new Japanese record. The following year, 1977, he became a regular player and recorded a batting average of .333. In 1983, he won his first title, the most home runs, with 36 home runs. In 1988, he was traded to the Nippon Ham Fighters. In 1990, he became the oldest player in history to achieve 2000 hits. He retired from playing at the end of 1994. After retirement, he worked as a commentator before becoming the manager of the Nippon Ham Fighters in 2000. In his first year, he got off to a good start in April, leading the league with a 6-game lead, but from there it was a whirlwind season, with winning and losing records alternating every month. Although the pitching staff lacked consistency, the team recorded the league's best batting average, home runs, runs scored, and stolen bases, securing a top-three finish. In his second year, injuries plagued the team, resulting in a last-place finish. In 2002, the team's relocation to Hokkaido was announced before the season began. He managed to unite the unsettled players and staff, finishing the first half of the season with a positive win-loss record of one. However, they faltered in August, suffering 18 losses, and finished in fifth place. After the final game, he was hoisted on the shoulders of his players as he retired at the end of that year. In 2006, he became the hitting coach for the Japanese national team in the World Baseball Classic, leading the team to victory. As a manager, he spent three years, playing 413 games, with a record of 181 wins, 225 losses, and 7 ties, for a winning percentage of .446.

Trey Hillman 2003-2007

Born January 4, 1963. Originally from Potter County, Texas, USA.
In 1985, he signed with the Cleveland Indians. After playing in the minor leagues for three years, he became a scout before moving into coaching. From 1990 to 2004, he managed the New York Yankees in the minor leagues, winning the Manager of the Year award three times. In 2003, he became the manager of the Nippon Ham Fighters, the team's first foreign manager. In 2004, the team's first year in Hokkaido, he actively used new players in both pitching and hitting, securing a top-three finish. He led the team to the playoffs, which were introduced that year. In 2006, he implemented a small ball strategy, more than doubling the number of sacrifice bunts from the previous year. This, combined with a pitching staff that recorded the league's best ERA, led the team to victory in a three-way battle against Seibu and SoftBank, finishing first in the pennant race. They also won the playoffs, leading the team to a league championship in their third year in Hokkaido. In the Japan Series against Chunichi, they gave no chance to gain an advantage, winning 4-1 to become the champions of Japan. They also won the subsequent Asia Series. His catchphrase "I can't believe it!" uttered during a victory interview became widely known and was among the top 10 most popular phrases of the year. In 2007, he led the team to a 14-game winning streak, including 12 consecutive wins in interleague play, achieving the team's first-ever consecutive league championships. He retired at the end of that year. After leaving the team, he served as manager and coach in the United States and South Korea. In 2023, he signed a consulting contract with the Nippon Ham Fighters. His career as a manager in NPB spanned 5 years, 683 games, with a record of 349 wins, 320 losses, and 14 ties, for a winning percentage of .522.

Masataka Nashida 2008-2011

Born August 4, 1953. Originally from Hamada City, Shimane Prefecture.
At Hamada High School, he participated in the Koshien tournament in both spring and summer during his third year. In 1971, he was drafted second overall by Kintetsu. He rose to prominence with his strong arm, but was often used in conjunction with Shuzo Arita. In 1979, he became the starting catcher and contributed to the team's first league championship. From that year, he won the Best Nine and Diamond Glove awards for three consecutive years, becoming one of the league's leading catchers. After retiring from playing in 1988, he returned to Kintetsu as a coach in 1993. After serving as the minor league manager, he took charge of the first team from 2000. In 2001, he led the team to their first league championship in 12 years, but Kintetsu ceased to exist in 2004 due to a merger with Orix. He resigned at the end of that year. In 2008, he became the manager of Nippon Ham. In 2008, despite having many injured players, he secured third place. In 2009, the team suffered three consecutive losses at the start of the season, but quickly recovered and won the championship after a close battle for first place against SoftBank. They also won the Climax Series, but lost to the Giants in the Japan Series. He lost in all four Japan Series appearances, both as a player and manager. In July 2011, the team achieved its 4000th victory. That year, they were in contention for first place with SoftBank from the start, but lost momentum in the second half. They finished the season in second place and were eliminated in the first stage of the Climax Series after suffering two straight losses. His record during his four years as manager was 3rd place, 1st place, 4th place, and 2nd place. He had a winning record in all seasons. After stepping down, he became the manager of Rakuten in 2018. As a manager, he spent 12 years, played 1612 games, with a record of 805 wins, 776 losses, and 31 ties, for a winning percentage of .509.

Hideki Kuriyama 2012-2021

Born April 26, 1961. Born in Kodaira City, Tokyo.
He went on to Tokyo Gakugei University after graduating from Soka High School. In 1983, he took the professional tryout for the Yakult Swallows and joined the team as an undrafted free agent. He captivated fans with his outfield defense, utilizing his speed. In 1989, he won the Golden Glove Award. However, he suffered from Meniere's disease, a serious illness affecting the semicircular canals, and retired from playing in 1990. In 2012, he became the manager of the Nippon Ham Fighters. Although expectations were not high, especially after ace pitcher Yu Darvish moved to the major leagues, his strategy of fixing Sho Nakata as the cleanup hitter and actively using young players such as Haruki Nishikawa and Takuya Nakajima paid off, and he won the league championship in his first year as manager. In the offseason, he drafted Shohei Ohtani of Hanamaki Higashi High School, who had expressed his desire to play in the major leagues. He personally took on the negotiations and guided Ohtani to join the team. In 2013, he made headlines by using the high school rookie Ohtani as a two-way player, both pitching and hitting. In 2016, despite trailing by as much as 11.5 games, he went on a 15-game winning streak from the latter half of June, fiercely chasing down the leading SoftBank Hawks. He won the direct confrontation in September and led his team to victory. In the Climax Series, his strategy of placing Ohtani in the leadoff spot resulted in a leadoff home run, proving to be a success. In the Japan Series, he came back from a two-game deficit to win four straight games and become the champion. After the end of the 2021 season, he stepped down as manager. In December of the same year, he became the manager of the Japanese national team and led them to victory in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. From 2022, he took on the newly created "Professor" position at Nippon Ham. From 2024, he will hold a key position in the front office. In total as manager, he spent 10 years, managed 1410 games, with a record of 684 wins, 672 losses, and 54 ties, for a winning percentage of .504.

Tsuyoshi Shinjo 2022-

Born January 28, 1972. Originally from Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture.
After retiring from professional baseball in 2006, he transitioned into a career as a television personality. His involvement with the baseball world had waned, but in 2019 he announced his return to active play on social media. He participated in the 12-team joint tryout in 2020, but no team offered him a contract. In October of the following year, 2021, it was announced that he would become the manager of the Nippon Ham Fighters, and before the start of the 2022 season, he changed his registered name to BIGBOSS. At the home opener, he surprised fans with a performance where he appeared on a hoverbike. He declared 2022 to be a "tryout season," and with the exception of the injured John Gant, he used all 68 registered players in official first-team games. As a result of encouraging the rise of young players, pitchers such as Kosei Yoshida, Naoya Ishikawa, Yuri Furukawa, and Yuka Nemoto, and fielders such as Kotaro Kiyomiya, Go Matsumoto, and Masanori Manami, significantly increased their number of games played. In 2023, the first year at the new stadium, he changed his registered name to Tsuyoshi Shinjo. In July, they suffered their first 13-game losing streak in 39 years, finishing in last place for the second consecutive year. However, Manami had a breakout year in his fifth year, winning Best Nine and Golden Glove awards. Tanaka Masayoshi, who joined the team that year, established himself as the closer and recorded 25 saves. After the season ended, they held an autumn training session at Escon Field. In addition to strengthening their defense, they provided fan service by opening the stands to the public free of charge. In the offseason, they made reinforcements such as free agent Yamazaki Fukuya from Orix and Taiwanese 156 km/h left-handed pitcher Sun Yi-Lei, aiming to make a comeback. He served as manager for two years until 2023, managing 286 games with a record of 119 wins, 163 losses, and 4 ties, a winning percentage of .422.