Source: Nikkan Sports 1 2 3 4 5 6
Hanshin held a press conference for newly-hired manager Akinobu Okada (64) at a hotel in Osaka City on October 16. Next season will mark 15 seasons since he last wore a Tigers uniform. Here is a part of his press conference translated into English for your reading pleasure.
－How are you feeling right now?
Okada: Well, it’s been 15 years since I’ve been with the Tigers. I did those three years with Orix, but the Tigers are the team that won the right to draft me, and as a player I got to win it all with the Tigers. Then we won when I was manager in 2005, but who would have thought there would be no more pennants between then and now? Well anyways, I have been watching the team from the stands for nearly the past 10 years, and I felt I wanted to do something for the team. I mean, it was a pretty strong feeling. And so in that sense, getting this chance, I know age-wise, I can’t do this job for too long, but for the Tigers, it is worth putting the uniform back on.
－This is your second time becoming Hanshin manager. When the team approached you, was it an easy decision, or did you hesitate at all?
Okada: I mean, this year it was really early on, right? When Yano made his announcement, I mean a lot of people were talking about me, but I don’t know… to me, it was just a natural decision. It’s not a question of whether or not I would do the job. Just want to get strong. I want this team to be a winner. But they weren’t winning. And it was kind of irksome to me. I mean, I watched it all from the stands. So when the team approached me, I was like, ‘Let’s do this.’
－You want to win, to help the team win…
Okada: They’ve always been strong. Roster-wise, well pardon me for saying it, but there were dark ages when the team was really weak, finishing in last a lot. But the team is not weak anymore like it was back then. I feel it will totally be worth it.
－What was your aim in wearing that design of shirt and that color of necktie?
Okada: This? The yellow? The other day, Takahiro Arai wore a red tie to his press conference, so (media laughs) I figured I had no choice but to wear yellow. That’s all there is to it (media laughs).
－What are your impressions of the present Tigers?
Okada: The pitchers, especially the young guys on the farm, have really come into their own. It’s a really well-balanced team, but this year, scoring was… well, there was a shortage and it left a bad aftertaste. If they hit a little more it would have been different, but with just a few changes I think they’ll be able to hit more.
－What specifically do you have in mind?
Okada: I think it comes down to having the core players – Yusuke Ohyama and Teruaki Sato – to hit cleanup and remain in the same position. That is how I think this team needs to be. If they are fixed at specific positions, the younger players will fall in line and fit in. So it’s key that they have one position. Same goes for their spots in the order. Now to be honest, I have not seen them practice, so I can’t say anything for sure, but from what I have seen from the stands, those two need to be in the heart of the order.
－What kind of baseball can we expect to see under your direction?
Okada: It’s all about playing good defense. It would be weird of me to say I do not expect anything from the hitters, but even .300 batters make outs the majority of the time. Just like last time, we are going to be a pitcher-centered team. And from there, we need to just score more runs than we did this year. That and… reduce the number of errors. That’s just… yeah.
－You just mentioned a couple of position players. Which pitchers are you expecting big things from?
Okada: Well, Koyo Aoyagi and Masashi Itoh both kept their spots in the rotation pretty much all year. I guess I hope for more from the guys behind them in the rotation. I don’t have any specific names in mind, but I hope the young pitchers will break out and battle for mounds.
－If you could say something to the players now, what would it be?
Okada: I don’t want to always bring up the pennant, but it’s been 17 years that the team has gone without. But I believe we have that possibility in us, so… among other things, all the players we have on the roster now, everyone just has to do a little better. That’s the starting point for this team.
－How do you want to improve the roster through the draft?
Okada: I haven’t looked at much yet. I still haven’t talked to the scouts. I’ll be heading to the draft on the 19th (the day before) and meeting with all the scouts then, so I’ll make all the final decisions at that time.
－What about import players?
Okada: We are not going to rush anything… they are still not even playing the World Series out their way. Once that is done we will narrow down our list. We still have a bit of time. I’m not worried about that at all. We’re going to get a few new players, but we haven’t decided how many or exactly who.
－What is your impression of the fans?
Okada: Ummm, they’ve really calmed down a lot because of the pandemic. It used to be so much rowdier. Lots of ups and downs, you know. Well, the crowds have gone down some recently, but we want to fill the stadium and make the fans happy. From my point of view, there are fans who cheer for the team, but when the team is really strong, fans will come out just to see one specific player sometimes. That is the sign of a truly strong team. When there aren’t really many individual players that fans come out to see and cheer for, and they just come out hoping the team will win, the team is weaker. But if fans are thinking, “Let’s go watch Ohyama” or “Let’s go see Sato,” well, obviously wins are still important then, but fans will come, and stay, to watch all four at-bats regardless of the score. I hope we can develop more players with that kind of fan appeal.
－Other teams are aggressively offering services to the fans. What are your ideas of how to please the fans?
Okada: I don’t know, I mean, there are experts in the organization for things like that. I think the fans are more interested in seeing the team win, rather than lose, so I think we have to win more games in order to please the fans more.
－Do you have a message for the fans?
Okada: Well, ummm, well last time I was manager, I was inheriting a pennant-winning team, so there was a lot of pressure involved. This time, especially compared with last time, I am really excited. So maybe the players need to put a little more meat on their bones, take their game up as individuals, and I think that will lead to some pretty big changes. I really feel that strongly this time around. I will not say “We’re going to win a pennant.” I always just referred to it as “that” and even though I will not say we’re going to win the pennant, I will say that I think fans can look ahead with excitement for the end of upcoming seasons.
－Fans are waiting for “that” to happen…
Okada: No doubt. Winning pennants is not easy task, but there is definitely an expectation there… but…
－In a word, what kind of team are you hoping to become?
Okada: Well, a team that wins. Yeah. That’s what it comes down to. Like, when the dust settled, we won. I don’t think we need to be so focused on winning itself… but when the 9th inning ends, we win. You know, the 143-game season is a long one, and you just can’t make it if you get too up or down about every single game. But over the spant of six months, that is what I want our team to be about.
－What kind of fall practices and fall camp do you want to have?
Okada: Naturally, we will focus mostly on the younger players. I mean when it comes to the guys who played the whole season… well, there are also exhibition games for next year’s WBC, right? So I don’t expect those players to participate in camp. But November is the most important time of year when it comes to making improvements. It is a crucial month. The reason is that when February rolls around if your body is in good shape, all you have to think about is technique. But some players are not ready for February. But November is the best time for players to experience growth. Guys who never had chances on the top squad will try to find that next level. So November is a really exciting month for me to check out the players.
－Do you have special feelings about Giants games?
Okada: Not especially, but back in the day, people talked about the Giants games in a special way. I do not feel like today’s players have that same feeling, though. No matter who you beat, a win’s a win. If you look at the results from this year, the Giants probably had a few strategies in mind, but I don’t think they were particularly focused on us, either. I have no problems with their manager, Hara. I’ve known him for a long time, so there’s nothing to us. No matter what he does, it’s OK. I am not too focused on them. I mean, Yakult is a greater foe these days, right? I feel like next year we need to focus on toppling the Swallows… so I’m not particularly focused on the Giants, no.
－And you want to reduce the number of errors on defense…
Okada: I don’t think errors are about numbers. I think the fact that we have had the most errors in the Central League or whatever really stands out. I was the defensive coach back in 2003. I honestly am not looking for players to make outstanding plays… but they need to make outs on the plays that can be turned into outs. We have to get back to the basics and even if a specialist comes in to coach players during the spring or whatever, the bottom line is, the players themselves are the ones who have to improve. It comes down to what the guys do. The hardest errors to take are the throwing errors. Maybe it’s about how focused we are in warmups when we are playing catch. We need to make the outs that can be made outs. We need to get back to the basics, practice hard, and not necessarily worry about players being versatile defenders.
－This team might be able to try to win “that” in your first year….
Okada: There was a time when this team would finish in sixth, sixth, sixth… so compared to those years, naturally, we can compete. I led the team to the Climax Series just two years, 2007 and 2008. There is a different way of competing in those types of series, and hopefully as we gain more experience we will be able to figure that out.
－It has been 15 years since you were manager last time. The age gap between you and the players has increased. There are 40+ years between you and Sato. Do you feel any anxiety about communicating with the younger players?
Okada: Communication? I’ll talk to them. They can’t hit the ball with words, though. But if they start hitting the ball better in practice, maybe that is the first sign that communication has occurred. You can’t hit with words. So this talk about me and communication and the age gap… I mean, maybe I’m like the age of their parents or something. Maybe a little more. But I don’t worry about that at all.
－Do you think you will change your communication style from how you did it 15 years ago?
Okada: Fifteen years ago, we were a strong team, but so were the Giants and Dragons. When I look around now, there really aren’t very many strong teams out there. I wonder how much we will need to raise our game to start winning more. I think I will figure that out as I spend some time down in the trenches. I mean now, there are a lot of pitchers who throw more than 150 km/h, and back in the day if such a pitcher came out, he was unhittable. But now guys can hit that same ball. I don’t think that is an upgrade in how the game is played, though. I feel like it’s something else. So we have to look at what other teams are doing, analyze the data a little, and get the advanced scouts and staff involved in that part of the game.