On the 13th, Hideki Hashigami (60), acting manager of the Professional Baseball Giants, reported on this season to owner Juichi Yamaguchi in Tokyo.
In the regular season, they competed with Hanshin for the championship until the final stage, but finished in second place. In the first stage of the Climax Series (CS), they lost two consecutive games to 3rd place DeNA and were eliminated. Acting manager Hashigami is expected to retire at the end of this season, and the team will select a new manager.
Acting Director Hashigami reported, ``I was able to fulfill my minimum responsibility as acting director. That gave me the most peace of mind.'' The owner, Yamaguchi, expressed his gratitude, saying, ``It was a shame that we ended up with so many things going on, but thank you for sticking with us until the end.''
One of the team's issues was long-hitting ability. He has 103 home runs, which ranks fourth in the league. ``It was a very important point, including this CS. (The owner) told me that this season was an important one for us to continue winning in the future, and I felt the same way,'' he said.
In May of this year, after former manager Shinnosuke Abe was arrested red-handed on suspicion of assault (later, charges were dismissed), he was appointed acting manager from the position of chief offensive coach.
He described the time since he was suddenly given the top position of the NPB team as, ``It's been about half a year of turbulence.''
Still, he said, ``It was a valuable experience for me as a baseball player.I am very grateful to have been given the opportunity to serve as acting manager.It was a season that made me keenly aware of the role that the Yomiuri Giants play in the world of professional baseball.''
When asked about his hardships, he expressed a sense of fulfillment.
``Of course, there were a lot of tough times.However, as someone who is in the baseball world, I couldn't be happier and felt more rewarded.The pain outweighed the suffering.''
Although he had experience as a manager in Niigata in the independent league BC League (at that time), this was his first time being in the top position for an NPB team.
He expressed his gratitude, saying, ``The level of attention and the amount of enthusiasm from the fans was something I had never felt before.''
On the other hand, there were also things I gained as a leader. While proactively hiring young, inexperienced players, we strived to create an environment where players could easily demonstrate their abilities.
``I realized once again that even with the Yomiuri Giants, the organizational management and coaching required in this day and age are the same everywhere.If I were to give any guidance in the future, I felt that my current style would fit the times.''
He expressed his desire for the young players not to let this season be a one-off experience.
"This season, we didn't have many regular players, so we had no choice but to use young players, and we had a team that was easy to use. I don't want to just experience what we've gained, but I think it's an experience that can be used as a positive for something in the future. I really hope that happens."
His future was not particularly discussed in today's report.
When asked if he had been approached by other teams regarding personnel matters, his expression deteriorated.
"Maybe even if they were coming, they wouldn't say 'I'm coming' (lol). They're not coming. As expected, they wouldn't say that."
He maintained his usual "Hashigami smile" until the end.
