Many of you are probably aware of the fact that the Hanshin Tigers have a long history of scandal and notoriety. During the weeks before the upcoming season, we will look at ten of the most interesting ones. We continue here with a manager whose strategy displeased fans to the point of him losing his job – and having his life threatened.
← #7 ||| Back to Top Ten ||| #5 →
After a disastrous 1978 season, the first last-place finish in team history, they went outside the organization for managerial help. Not only out of the club, but out of the country! Don “Blazer” Blasingame had ample experience in Japan, and actually helped begin a new era in Japanese baseball history. As Katsuya Nomura’s teammate with the Nankai Hawks, he brought “thinking baseball” to Japan. This new approach to the game transformed Nomura into the greatest catcher in league history, and ultimately, its greatest manager as well.
In any case, after approving the Koichi Tabuchi trade that offseason (see here), Blazer led the team to a respectable 61-60-9 record in 1979, and was ready to bring the team to new heights in 1980. In fact, the team had won a draft lottery to acquire the rights to ringer Akinobu Okada. The problem: he was a third baseman, but the team already had Masayuki Kakefu at the hot corner. The suggestion was made that Okada learn to play second base.
Blazer believed in bringing him along slowly, and kept him on the bench in favor of Dave Hilton, whom Blazer had signed from the Swallows that offseason. When Hilton began the year slowly, fans and media erupted and clamored for Blazer to give Okada more playing time. “Stars need time to develop, and should not be put into such high-pressure environments so suddenly,” Blazer stubbornly reasoned.
Front office cringed at his words, and the media precipitated his fall from grace. Furthermore, fans yelled at him throughout games, calling out for Okada during Hilton’s at bats. Hilton did not perform well, which exacerbated the problem. Fans sent death threats to both player and manager, inserting razor blades into letters sent to them. They threw batteries at Hilton as he left the field. They even surrounded and rocked a taxi that his pregnant wife had boarded.
Long story short, the club let both men go in May 1980 – Hilton was fired by the club. When Blazer found out the club did so without his permission, their relationship ended soon after. For the record, Okada went on to win rookie of the year.