Samurai Japan held a press conference on Saturday evening, officially introducing Tadahito Iguchi as the new manager of the senior national team.
“I want to build a team that embodies Japanese baseball,” the former star second baseman said. “Above all, I believe Japan has the strongest team unity in the world.”
Iguchi had been considered one of the leading candidates to take over since Hirokazu Ibata stepped down following the World Baseball Classic. Other candidates reportedly included Satoshi Nakajima, Kimiyasu Kudo, and Hideki Matsui, among others.
While it is customary for Japan to appoint a new manager after each international cycle, the manner of the team’s elimination — its earliest exit in WBC history, at the hands of eventual champion Venezuela — placed considerably more weight on the next appointment.
Ibata’s tenure is largely viewed in a negative light, as Japan won just one major tournament under his leadership and failed to defend its titles at both the Premier12 and World Baseball Classic.
News of Iguchi’s selection first broke on July 17. The three-time Japan Series winner and 2005 World Series champion is set to make his Samurai Japan managerial debut at the Asia Professional Baseball Championship in November. As a player, Iguchi won a silver medal with the national team at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Iguchi previously managed the Chiba Lotte Marines from 2018 to 2022, guiding the club to two postseason appearances and compiling a 324-338-30 career record. He will become the first manager in Samurai Japan history to have played in Major League Baseball, bringing a unique perspective from a successful career spanning both NPB and MLB.
The 51-year-old remains a popular figure who is highly respected across Japanese baseball, with particularly strong ties to the Chicago White Sox, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, and Chiba Lotte Marines organizations.
Iguchi also has a close connection to Roki Sasaki, leading many to believe he could help secure Sasaki’s participation in major international tournaments, much like Hideki Kuriyama did with Shohei Ohtani in 2023.
He drew the winning card in the lottery for Sasaki’s negotiation rights in the 2019 NPB Draft and entrusted pitching coach Masato Yoshii with overseeing the young phenom’s development. He was also at the helm when Sasaki delivered his legendary 19-strikeout perfect game on April 10, 2022.
Iguchi is expected to lead Japan through the 2026 Asia Professional Baseball Championship, 2027 Premier12, 2028 Olympics, and 2029/2030 World Baseball Classic.
Photo: Tadahito Iguchi, of the Chicago White Sox’s 2005 World Series team, greets fans at the baseball team’s SoxFest annual fan convention, Friday, Jan. 23, 2015, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Andrew A. Nelles)
