Masanori Taguchi

2.1. Childhood and Introduction to Baseball

Taguchi began playing softball in the second grade of elementary school and transitioned to baseball in the fourth grade. During his time at Ibaraki Prefectural Fujishiro Shisui High School, he quickly established himself as a regular player starting from his first year. In the fall of his second year, his team achieved victory in the prefectural tournament. Despite participating in the Kanto tournament, the team was defeated in the first round, preventing them from advancing to the prestigious Koshien Tournament. Throughout his high school career, Taguchi showcased his power, hitting a total of 38 home runs.

2.2. University Baseball Career

Following high school, Taguchi enrolled in Komazawa University. He took over the catcher position from Koichi Sekikawa, who was two years his senior. In his third year, he formed a battery with Kenichi Wakatabe, who was one year his senior and the team captain, and Jun Takeshita. In the spring of his fourth year, with significant contributions from his teammates Tai Tsuruta (same year) and two-years-junior Junichi Kawahara, as well as pitcher Hiroyuki Takagi, the team won the All Japan University Baseball Championship Series. Another notable teammate was Mitsuru Honma, who was two years his junior. During his university career in the Tohto University Baseball League, Taguchi played in a total of 49 games, recorded 37 hits in 130 at-bats, achieving a batting average of .285. He also hit 8 home runs and drove in 26 RBIs. His performance earned him the Best Nine award twice. In the 1992 NPB Draft, Masanori Taguchi was selected in the fourth round by the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, marking his entry into professional baseball.

3.1. Nippon-Ham Fighters (1993-2002)

Taguchi joined the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters after being drafted in 1992. In his third professional season, in 1995, manager Toshiharu Ueda recognized and selected him for his lead skills as a catcher, leading to an increase in his game appearances. In 1996, after the long-standing starting catcher Fujio Tamura transferred to the Chiba Lotte Marines during the 1995 off-season, Taguchi stepped into the role of the primary catcher. He appeared in 101 games that season, contributing to the team's commendable second-place finish. However, his performance at the plate and his stolen base prevention rate remained areas for improvement. By 1998, with the emergence of Toshihiro Noguchi, who had transferred from the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, Taguchi's role gradually shifted, and he began to serve more frequently as a reserve catcher.

3.2. Fukuoka Daiei/SoftBank Hawks (2002-2005)

Midway through the 2002 season, Masanori Taguchi was traded to the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks in exchange for Takaya Hayashi. During his tenure with the Hawks, he played a crucial role as a catcher, particularly when the team's primary catcher, Kenji Johjima, was sidelined due to injuries or absent for international duties, such as the Athens Olympics. However, in 2003, Johjima achieved a remarkable feat by playing every single inning as a catcher throughout the season, which meant Taguchi had no appearances as a catcher that year. He appeared in only 10 games in 2003, with three of those appearances being at first base.

Despite his limited playing time, Taguchi was known for his bright personality and often served as a mood maker in the team's dugout, alongside Yusuke Torigoe, who also frequently found himself in a reserve role. His lively character led to numerous appearances on local television programs. He was often noted for his resemblance in character, facial features, and speaking style to Naoyuki Naito, a former professional baseball player known for his comedic antics, affectionately called "Gyaosu Naito." While he often faced criticism as a top-team catcher due to Johjima's dominant presence, Taguchi was highly regarded for his contributions to nurturing young pitchers in the minor leagues. He was known for giving flexible and insightful instructions while catching in minor league games.

3.3. Retirement as a Player

Masanori Taguchi concluded his professional playing career at the end of the 2005 season after 12 years in Nippon Professional Baseball.

4.1. Team Staff and Minor League Coach

In 2006, Taguchi transitioned from player to team staff, specifically in the management and development department, continuing his contribution to the organization's player development efforts. From 2009 to 2010, he served as a minor league battery coach, focusing on the development of pitchers and catchers within the team's farm system.

4.2. Scouting Activities

In 2011, Taguchi took on the role of a scout, primarily involved in discovering and recruiting new talent for professional baseball teams. This position allowed him to utilize his extensive experience and keen eye for potential players, contributing to the future of the sport from a different perspective.

4.3. Major League Battery Coach

Taguchi's coaching career at the highest level of professional baseball began in 2015. On November 10, 2014, it was announced that he would join the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles as a top-team battery coach for the 2015 season. However, he left the team at the end of the 2015 season. For the 2016 season, he was appointed as the top-team battery coach for the Saitama Seibu Lions. He resigned from this position on October 1, 2016. In 2017, he became the top-team battery coach for the Chiba Lotte Marines. His contract with the Marines was not renewed for the following year, with the announcement made on October 11, 2017.

4.4. University and Junior Academy Coaching

Expanding his coaching endeavors beyond professional teams, Taguchi also took on roles in collegiate and youth baseball. In June 2019, he was appointed as the battery coach for the Seinan Gakuin University baseball team. In April 2020, he further committed to developing young talent by becoming the head coach of the International Pacific University baseball team in Okayama Prefecture. Since 2023, he has been coaching at the Hawks Junior Academy, continuing his dedication to fostering the next generation of baseball players.

5.1. Notable Incidents and Character Traits

On June 29, 2002, during a game against the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes, Taguchi caused a peculiar incident when he mistakenly took the field wearing pitcher Masakazu Watanabe's uniform. This "rare play" was highlighted on Nippon Television's "Yuusha no Stadium Pro Baseball Good/Bad Plays" show, where he was awarded the "Chin Play Award" (MVU) for that year. On July 9 of the same year, during his first and effectively only hero interview as a Hawk after a game against Seibu, he famously took the microphone from the announcer and introduced himself by simply stating, "It's Taguchi!"

In 2003, during the Hawks' spring training, Taguchi set a personal goal to play as many games as possible as a catcher. However, the team's primary catcher, Kenji Johjima, declared his intention to play every single inning as catcher, a feat he remarkably achieved. As a result, Taguchi did not play as a catcher in any official NPB games that season. His first appearance as a catcher in 2003 was during a send-off game for the Japan National Team (led by Shigeo Nagashima) against a Japan Select team, managed by Sadaharu Oh.

During the 2003 Japan Series victory celebration, Taguchi humorously grabbed attention by exclaiming, "Look closely! This is a real face shower!" as he sprayed beer on his teammates, an act that drew a lighthearted retort from Masaharu Miyake on Fuji TV's "Sports!" live broadcast. In a separate celebration for the 2003 Japan Series victory, Taguchi appeared on the popular TV show "Sekiguchi Hiroshi no Tokyo Friend Park II" as the "Comedy Captain" alongside his teammates. Despite the title, he was so engrossed in the show's attractions that the host, Masayuki Watanabe, jokingly pointed out his lack of comedic contributions. Adding to the humor, Taguchi notably landed on the "scrub brush" prize in the show's final dart roulette.

His positive influence extended to his teammates, as evidenced by his junior, Ryoken Kato, who, during his own rookie announcement, stated his goal was to be a "mood maker" like Taguchi. In July 2006, while serving as a batting practice pitcher for the minor league team, Taguchi accidentally hit Shotaro Ide in the face with a pitch, causing a broken nose. Feeling immense responsibility, Taguchi waited for Ide to return from the hospital without changing out of his uniform and continued to check on his well-being for several days, showing his deep concern, much to Ide's humble reassurance that it was not necessary to worry so much.

5.2. Singing Ability and Retirement Ceremony

Masanori Taguchi is also known for his surprisingly high singing ability. During his appearance at the Professional Baseball All-Star Sports Festival, while players from other teams sang popular songs seriously, Taguchi captivated the audience by appearing in a Holstein cow costume and passionately performing "Yodel Tabehoudai" (ヨーデル食べ放題_{Yodel Buffet}^Japanese) by Jakusaburo Katsura with Manpuku Brothers, eliciting laughter from the fans in attendance.

His unique flair for performance was again on display during his retirement ceremony, held on November 6, 2005, at Fukuoka Yahoo! JAPAN Dome (now Fukuoka PayPay Dome). Since he had only stood on the hero interview platform once during his time in Fukuoka, he expressed this as a lingering regret. The team promptly prepared an interview platform for him. Standing atop it, Taguchi passionately sang "Izayuke Wakataka Gundan" (いざゆけ若鷹軍団_{Go, Young Hawks Team!}^Japanese), the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks' fight song. He concluded his farewell by placing his catcher's mitt and microphone on home plate, in a dramatic parody of Momoe Yamaguchi's iconic retirement concert, as he left the field.

6.1. Professional Statistics

The following tables detail Masanori Taguchi's batting and fielding statistics throughout his professional career in Nippon Professional Baseball.

• Bold numbers indicate league leader for that year.
• Daiei (Fukuoka Daiei Hawks) changed its team name to SoftBank (Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks) in 2005.

6.2. Key Records and Achievements

During his professional and amateur careers, Masanori Taguchi achieved several notable milestones and records.

• Best Nine Awards: Awarded twice during his university career in the Tohto University Baseball League.

; First Records in Professional Baseball

• First appearance: June 24, 1994, against the Orix BlueWave in the 13th game of the season at Tokyo Dome. Entered as a catcher in the 9th inning.
• First hit: June 26, 1994, against the Orix BlueWave in the 15th game of the season at Tokyo Dome. As a pinch-hitter for Kiyoshi Yamanaka, he singled off pitcher Takahito Nomura in the 7th inning.
• First start: July 3, 1994, against the Chiba Lotte Marines in the 13th game of the season at Tokyo Dome. Started as the 9th batter and catcher.
• First RBI: September 18, 1994, against the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes in the 25th game of the season at Fujiidera Stadium. Hit a 2-run RBI single off pitcher Hiroki Sakai in the 8th inning.
• First home run: May 6, 1995, against the Kintetsu Buffaloes in the 7th game of the season at Fujiidera Stadium. Hit a 2-run home run off pitcher Hidehiro Koike in the 1st inning.
• First stolen base: May 12, 2001, against the Orix BlueWave in the 11th game of the season at Tokyo Dome. Stole second base in the 4th inning (pitcher: Shinichi Kato, catcher: Tsuyoshi Hidaka).

; Other Noteworthy Records

• Slowest First Stolen Base: His first professional stolen base occurred in his 425th career game, making it the slowest first stolen base by a position player in the Pacific League's history.

6.3. Uniform Numbers

Throughout his professional career, Masanori Taguchi wore several different uniform numbers, reflecting his changing roles and teams.

• 31 (1993 - Mid-2002) - with Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters
• 57 (Mid-2002 - 2003) - with Fukuoka Daiei Hawks
• 22 (2004 - 2005) - with Fukuoka Daiei Hawks / Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
• 96 (2006 - 2008) - as team staff / coach (likely with Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks)
• 72 (2009 - 2010) - as minor league battery coach (likely with Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks)
• 88 (2015) - with Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (top-team battery coach)
• 82 (2016) - with Saitama Seibu Lions (top-team battery coach)
• 86 (2017) - with Chiba Lotte Marines (top-team battery coach)