Shigekazu Mori

1.1. Early Life and High School Years

Born on November 18, 1954, in Ichiinomiya-machi, Chosei-gun, Chiba Prefecture, Mori attended Scientific Technology Industrial High School. He became the team's ace pitcher in his second year (1971), leading them to the best eight in the summer prefectural tournament. In his third year (1972), he recorded 16 strikeouts against Yachiyo High School in the spring Chiba Prefectural Tournament. That same year, the school was slated for closure. After a loss in the summer National High School Baseball Championship Chiba Tournament against Sakura High School, Mori's strong protest against an umpire's call caught the attention of Komazawa University's supervisor, Toshiaki Fujita. This led to his transfer to Komazawa University High School. However, having already retired from high school baseball, he began practicing with the Komazawa University team immediately.

1.2. Amateur Baseball Career

Mori's amateur career saw him achieve considerable success in both university and industrial league baseball, showcasing his potential as a top-tier pitcher.

2.1. Draft and Early Years

In the 1978 NPB draft, Mori was highly sought after, receiving first-round nominations from four teams: the Seibu Lions, Chunichi Dragons, Tokyo Yakult Swallows, and Nippon-Ham Fighters. The Seibu Lions ultimately won the lottery, and Mori joined the team. His scout was Shoichi Busujima. Mori had expressed a preference for teams in the Kanto region or popular Kansai teams like the Hanshin Tigers, but the Tigers had drafted Egawa. In 1979, as a rookie, Mori was immediately placed in the starting rotation, pitching from the second game of the season. Although he struggled with fatigue in mid-summer and was temporarily removed from the rotation, he returned in mid-August. He reached the minimum innings pitched (20th in the league with a 4.52 ERA) but finished the season with a disappointing 5 wins and 16 losses, partly due to the team finishing last in the league.

2.2. Peak Performance and Achievements

Mori improved his performance significantly in the following years. In 1980, he recorded 10 wins and 14 losses with a 4.70 ERA (18th in the league). In 1981, he achieved 14 wins and 11 losses with a 3.78 ERA (15th in the league), establishing himself as a core member of the Seibu pitching staff alongside Osamu Higashio and the Matsunuma brothers, Hirohisa Matsunuma and Masayuki Matsunuma.

Under manager Tatsuro Hirooka, Mori was named the opening day starter for the 1982 season. However, after four poor outings, Hirooka ordered him to transition to a relief pitcher role. Mori adapted quickly, becoming a dominant closer mid-season and significantly contributing to Seibu's first league championship since relocating to Tokorozawa. He appeared in three games during the 1982 Japan Series against the Chunichi Dragons. In the 1983 season, Mori had a stellar year, recording 5 wins, 5 losses, and 34 saves, which was a new Japanese record at the time. For this achievement, he received the Most Valuable Relief Pitcher award and the Fireman Award. In the 1983 Japan Series against the Yomiuri Giants, he was the losing pitcher in Game 3 after giving up a walk-off hit to Kiyoshi Nakahata, but he recorded a save in Game 4.

2.3. Injuries and Retirement

Following his peak in 1983, Mori's performance began to decline due to recurring injuries. In the 1986 season, he underwent shoulder surgery and was not registered as an active player. He then participated in the Arizona instructional league with the Houston Astros, focusing on rehabilitation and training. Mori retired from active play at the end of the 1988 season. According to Ochiai Hiromitsu's book, then-general manager Kazuo Fuchidani recognized Mori's potential as a coach and encouraged his early retirement to pursue a coaching career.

3.1. Seibu Lions (1989-1999)

Mori began his coaching career with the Seibu Lions. From 1989 to 1991, he served as the pitching coach for the Seibu Lions' minor league (ni-gun) team. In 1992, following the departure of Masaaki Koyama and Yagisawa Soichi becoming the manager of the Lotte, Mori was promoted to the first-team pitching coach. By 1995, he was the sole pitching coach for the first team after Shigeru Sugishita's departure. In 1997, the team's earned run average ranked second in the league, contributing to their first championship in three years. However, in 1998, manager Osamu Higashio implemented a two-pitching coach system with Mori and Masashi Sugimoto, but the pitching staff struggled with a 4.26 ERA by June 15. Mori was reassigned to the ni-gun team mid-season due to the team's pitching slump. He was eventually released by the team at the end of the 1999 season.

3.2. Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and Yokohama BayStars (2000-2003)

In 2000, Mori was recruited by Yasumori Oshima to become the first-team pitching coach for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. Pitcher Tsuyoshi Shimoyanagi credited Mori with his successful transition to a starting pitcher, stating that had he continued pitching nearly 60 games annually as a reliever, his career might have ended sooner. Mori served in this role until the 2001 season, but the team's ERA remained low, ranking fifth in the Pacific League for two consecutive years (2000 and 2001).

In 2002, Mori was invited by Masaaki Mori to join the Yokohama BayStars as the first-team pitching coach. He held this position until the end of the 2003 season. During his tenure, the team's ERA was 4.09 (5th in the Central League) in 2002 and 4.80 (last in the league) in 2003. Both the Nippon-Ham Fighters and the Yokohama BayStars experienced pitching slumps and finished in last place during Mori's time as pitching coach.

3.3. Chunichi Dragons (2004-2011, 2014-2016)

In 2004, Mori was invited by Hiromitsu Ochiai, who had just been appointed manager of the Chunichi Dragons, to become the team's first-team pitching coach. He was promoted to chief pitching coach in 2005 and then to battery chief coach from 2006 to 2009. In 2010, he was further promoted to first-team head coach. Mori remained with the Dragons until the end of the 2011 season, when he departed along with Ochiai. His 8-year tenure as a coach for the Chunichi Dragons saw the team finish in the A-class (top three) every year, win four league championships, and one Japan Series title.

After a period as a baseball commentator and critic, Mori returned to the Chunichi Dragons as the first-team head coach for the 2014 season, a decision announced on October 22, 2013, with his uniform number confirmed as 80 on November 1. From 2014 to 2015, the team's manager, Motonobu Tanishige, was a player-manager. During games when Tanishige played, Mori served as the acting manager. In the 2016 season, Tanishige became a full-time manager, and Mori continued as head coach. However, due to the team's continued poor performance and inability to contend for the championship, Tanishige was effectively dismissed on August 9, and Mori once again became the acting manager.

4.1. Interim and Permanent Appointment (2016)

On August 9, 2016, following the dismissal of then-manager Motonobu Tanishige, Mori was announced as the interim manager of the Chunichi Dragons. Later, on September 29, 2016, after the Dragons finished last in the Central League in the 2016 NPB season, Mori was officially appointed as the permanent full-time manager for the 2017 season. At 62 years old, he became the oldest first-time manager in NPB history, surpassing Hiroshi Gondo, who was 59 when he became manager in 1997. He was also the first pitcher-turned-manager from outside the Dragons' traditional coaching lineage since Hisashi Yamada. For his coaching staff, Mori brought in Masahiro Doi as hitting coach, Koji Moriwaki (in a head coach-equivalent role) and Hiroshi Narahara as infield and base-running coaches, and Tamio Tamura as battery coach.

4.2. Managerial Philosophy and Achievements (2017-2018)

Upon his appointment, Mori declared his "defense-first" philosophy as the team's core strategy. He also emphasized developing a "score with speed" style of baseball, encouraging aggressive base-running to generate runs. Mori aimed to instill a fundamental approach to the game. At his inaugural press conference, he described himself as a "connecting manager," indicating his role was to build a solid foundation for the team's future.

Mori actively promoted young players, fixing Yota Kyoda as the regular shortstop, designating Shinnosuke Ogasawara as the opening day starter, and transitioning struggling prospect Shuhei Takahashi to second base, yielding some positive results. During his tenure, the team also acquired veteran pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, who was a former teammate of Mori's at Seibu. According to Masahiro Araki, Mori entrusted the offensive strategy entirely to Koji Moriwaki.

A significant personal event during his managerial tenure was the passing of his eldest daughter due to breast cancer at the age of 35 on August 7, 2017. On August 13, for the game against the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, Mori left the stadium after the second inning to attend the wake, with Koji Moriwaki serving as acting manager for the remainder of the game. Ball club owner Bungo Shirai, former General Manager Ochiai, other top executives, and players attended the funeral the following day. Mori returned to manage the team from the August 15 game against the Yokohama DeNA BayStars (which was rained out).

4.3. Resignation

The Chunichi Dragons finished 5th in both the 2017 and 2018 seasons under Mori's leadership. At the end of the 2018 season, he resigned from his managerial position.

6.1. Baseball Commentator and Critic

Since 2012, after his first departure from the Chunichi Dragons coaching staff, and again from 2020 after leaving the Senior Director position, Mori has worked as a baseball commentator and critic. He has appeared on various media outlets, including Bunka Hoso and J SPORTS as a baseball commentator, and for Sports Nippon as a baseball critic. He has also been featured on programs such as Super Baseball (BS Asahi, Me-Tele), Tele Asa Channel Saitama Seibu Lions Home Game Broadcasts, Moe Yo Dragons! (CBC TV), Tokai TV Professional Baseball Broadcasts (Tokai TV), J SPORTS STADIUM, Bunka Hoso Lions Ni-tā, Bunka Hoso Home Run Ni-tā, CBC Dragons Ni-tā, and Major League Baseball Broadcasts (J SPORTS).

6.2. Publications

Mori has authored several books sharing his insights and experiences in baseball:

• Sanbō (参謀, Strategist): Published by Kodansha in April 2012.
• Kachi Tsuzukeru Chikara (勝ち続ける力, The Power to Keep Winning): Published by Business-sha in October 2012.
• Gunshi no Gyakushū (軍師の逆襲, The Strategist's Counterattack): Published by Yoshimoto Books in March 2014.

7.1. Playing Style

As a pitcher, Mori's distinctive style was characterized by a sharp fastball and sinker to overpower batters, followed by a forkball to secure outs. While he began his professional career as a starter, he transitioned to a relief role in 1982 when he faced a slump. This move proved highly successful, as he established himself as an exceptionally stable closer. His performance as a reliever was a significant factor in the Seibu Lions' two consecutive league championships and Japan Series titles in 1982 and 1983.

7.2. Coaching and Managerial Style

Mori developed a reputation as a demanding but ultimately supportive figure. For example, during his time as pitching coach for Seibu, he and then-battery coach Tatsuo Omiya (his former university battery mate) sternly reprimanded his Komazawa University junior, Jun Takeshita, for a poor pitching performance. Despite this strictness, he was widely admired as a "big brother" figure and commanded great respect. Pitcher Kazuki Yoshimi described Mori not as intimidating, but rather "like a very good father," noting that his true personality differed from his public image. However, Yoshimi also admitted that Mori had "only gotten incredibly angry once."

Mori's leadership was characterized by a deep understanding of players. He highly valued the abilities of Yuuri Tomori since their time coaching together at Seibu and Yokohama, even recommending his acquisition to manager Hiromitsu Ochiai at Chunichi. Tomori later served under Mori as a pitching coach when Mori was head coach and manager.

Mori had a particularly close relationship with manager Hiromitsu Ochiai during their time at the Chunichi Dragons. Ochiai placed immense trust in Mori, giving him complete authority over pitching decisions and never interfering with his pitcher usage. Mori also shared a mentor-protégé relationship with baseball legend Shigeru Sugishita, who, during their time together as pitching coaches for the Seibu Lions, stated that his job was primarily to train Mori rather than the players themselves, given the strong presence of ace pitchers like Tai-Yuan Kuo, Hisanobu Watanabe, Kimiyasu Kudo, Tetsuya Shiozaki, and Yoshitaka Katori. Sugishita, a Dragons alumnus, regularly visited Chunichi's spring camps to serve as an interim coach, further highlighting their bond.

7.3. Personal Traits

Mori is known for his discretion and reliability, particularly his ability to keep confidential information, such as pitchers' conditions, strictly private.

8.1. Titles and Awards

• Most Valuable Relief Pitcher: 1 time (1983)
• Fireman Award: 1 time (1983)

8.2. Career Milestones

• First appearance and first start: April 9, 1979, against Kintetsu Buffaloes (first half, game 2) at Nippon Life Baseball Stadium. Pitched 3.2 innings, allowed 5 earned runs, and was the losing pitcher.
• First strikeout: Same game, in the 2nd inning against Chris Arnold.
• First complete game: April 22, 1979, against Lotte Orions (first half, game 2) at Kawasaki Stadium. Pitched 8 innings, allowed 1 earned run, and was the losing pitcher.
• First win, first start win, and first complete game win: May 9, 1979, against Nankai Hawks (first half, game 3) at Osaka Stadium. Pitched 9 innings, allowed 3 earned runs.
• First save: May 16, 1979, against Nippon-Ham Fighters (first half, game 9) at Seibu Lions Stadium. Pitched 3 innings as the second reliever, allowed 2 earned runs, and completed the game.
• First complete game shutout: May 2, 1980, against Nippon-Ham Fighters (first half, game 4) at Seibu Lions Stadium.
• All-Star Game selections: 2 times (1981, 1983)