Hideaki Matsuyama

1.1. PL Gakuen High School

Matsuyama attended PL Gakuen High School, where he was a classmate of the renowned "KK Duo" (Kazuhiro Kiyohara and Masumi Kuwata) and served as the team captain in his third year. Together, they established a golden era for PL Gakuen baseball. In 1985, as a third baseman, he participated in the 57th Spring Koshien Tournament, where PL Gakuen was defeated in the semifinals by Ino Commercial High School. In the same year, he moved to second base for the 67th Japanese High School Baseball Championship (Summer Koshien). PL Gakuen won the tournament, and Matsuyama delivered a crucial walk-off hit in the final game against Ube Commercial High School, securing the championship and drawing significant attention. His extensive experience as a utility infielder and strong leadership qualities were highly valued during his high school years. Other professional players from his graduating class included Shigeyuki Imakurusu and Masahiro Takumi.

1.2. Aoyama Gakuin University

After graduating from high school, Matsuyama enrolled in Aoyama Gakuin University. In the Tohto University Baseball League, with his 同期_dōki^Japanese (classmate) ace Naoki Yoshida, he contributed to the team's first league championship in 106 years during the 1988 autumn league. In the 1989 autumn league, playing alongside his junior Hiroshi Narahara in the middle infield and with the strong pitching of his high school junior Mitsuhiro Iwasaki, Aoyama Gakuin University secured their second league title. Matsuyama played in a total of 102 league games, achieving 87 hits in 369 at-bats, a batting average of .236, 7 home runs, and 40 RBI. He was also named to the Best Nine team twice as a second baseman.

2.1. Orix Braves / Blue Wave

On November 26, 1989, Hideaki Matsuyama was selected fifth overall by the Orix Braves in the 1989 Nippon Professional Baseball draft and subsequently joined the team. He played for the Orix Blue Wave for eight seasons, primarily as a second baseman and third baseman. Despite not consistently holding a starting position, he was highly regarded as a defensive specialist due to his extensive experience as a utility infielder and his ability to analyze opponents' tendencies. His uniform number, 4, remained unchanged throughout his active playing career. While he did not appear in any first-squad games in 1991, he started in eight games as a second baseman and third baseman at the end of the 1992 season. In 1995, he started 14 games due to an injury to Junichi Fukura, but he was unable to secure a regular spot. He officially retired during the 1998 season. His career statistics included 126 games played, 25 hits in 99 at-bats, 2 home runs, 7 RBI, and a .253 batting average.

3.1. Orix Blue Wave and Hanshin Tigers

After his retirement in 1998, Matsuyama immediately transitioned into coaching. From 1999 to 2001, he served as the first squad infield and base coach for his former team, the Orix Blue Wave. In 2002, he moved to the Hanshin Tigers as their first squad infield and base coach. He then continued with the Hanshin Tigers as the second squad infield and base coach from 2003 to 2004. In 2005, he returned to the Orix Buffaloes as the first squad infield defensive base coach, a position he held until the 2011 season. On October 29, 2011, he was informed that his contract would not be renewed for the following season.

3.2. Kia Tigers

In 2012, Matsuyama took on a new challenge in Korean baseball, joining the KBO League's Kia Tigers as their defense and base running coach under manager Sun Dong-yol. However, the team experienced defensive issues during the season, and his contract was terminated before the end of the season, leading to his return to Japan.

3.3. Chiba Lotte Marines

From 2013, Matsuyama joined the Chiba Lotte Marines. He initially served as the second squad infield defensive base coach from 2013. In 2015, he was promoted to the first squad infield defensive base coach, a role he continued until October 11, 2017, when he was notified that his coaching contract would not be renewed.

3.4. Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks

On November 9, 2017, it was announced that Matsuyama would join the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks as their second squad infield defensive base coach for the 2018 season. In 2021, he transitioned to the third squad infield defensive base coach. For the 2022 season, he returned to the second squad infield defensive base coach role. In 2023, he served as the first squad infield defensive base coach. Currently, since 2024, he has been the second squad manager for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, a position in which he led the team to a Western League championship in the same year. His enthusiastic coaching style is consistently highly regarded across all teams he has worked with, allowing him to maintain a continuous presence in professional baseball as a coach since his retirement as a player.

4.1. Notable Anecdotes

An enduring anecdote highlights Matsuyama's close relationship with Kazuhiro Kiyohara. In the 1985 NPB draft, when Kiyohara was not drafted by the Yomiuri Giants as he had hoped, leaving him in a state of despair, Matsuyama was reportedly the first person to approach him. The two then played catch together to help Kiyohara clear his head. Years later, from 2006 for a period of three years, Matsuyama and Kiyohara were reunited as teammates, but this time with Matsuyama as a coach and Kiyohara as a player, deepening their unique bond.

4.2. Family

Hideaki Matsuyama's son also played baseball at PL Gakuen High School. In 2012, his son became the team captain, marking the first instance of a "parent-child captain" in PL Gakuen High School's history. Despite this, his son's team did not make an appearance in the Koshien Tournament.

5.1. Educational Background and Teams

• PL Gakuen High School
• Aoyama Gakuin University

• Player Career:**

• Coaching Career:**

5.2. Professional Career Milestones

• First appearance:** June 21, 1990, against the Lotte Orions (12th game) at Hankyu Nishinomiya Stadium, appearing as a third baseman in the top of the 8th inning, replacing Hiromi Matsunaga.
• First start:** September 27, 1992, against the Seibu Lions (26th game) at Green Stadium Kobe, starting as the 8th batter and third baseman.
• First hit:** September 27, 1992 (same as first start), a double off Hisanobu Watanabe in the bottom of the 3rd inning.
• First RBI:** September 29, 1992, against the Chiba Lotte Marines (22nd game) at Chiba Marine Stadium, off Kazuhiko Ushijima in the top of the 2nd inning.
• First home run:** October 1, 1992, against the Chiba Lotte Marines (24th game) at Chiba Marine Stadium, a solo home run off Yukinaga Maeda in the top of the 4th inning.

5.3. Uniform Numbers

• 4 (1990-1998)
• 74 (1999-2011, 2018-present)
• 72 (2012-2017)

5.4. Batting Statistics by Year