Shigeru Mizuhara

1.1. Collegiate Career

Mizuhara attended the old Takamatsu Commercial School, now known as Kagawa Prefectural Takamatsu Commercial High School. During his time there, he gained renown as both a pitcher and a third baseman. Alongside his senior, Saburo Miyatake, who would later become the first captain of the Hankyu Braves, Mizuhara led his team to two national championships at the Koshien Tournament, winning the 11th tournament in the summer of 1925 and the 13th tournament in the summer of 1927.

Mizuhara and Miyatake both went on to attend Keio University and remained teammates, maintaining their senior-junior relationship within the Keio University Baseball Club. At Keio, Mizuhara became a star player, excelling as a third baseman and occasional pitcher in the Tokyo Big6 Baseball League. During his collegiate career, Keio University won five league championships across spring and autumn seasons. However, his time at Keio was marred by disciplinary issues, including the infamous "Apple Incident" and his arrest for involvement in mahjong gambling, which ultimately led to his expulsion from the baseball club. As a hitter in the league, he played in 63 games, recording 48 hits in 193 at-bats for a batting average of .249, with no home runs and 24 runs batted in. As a pitcher, he appeared in 30 games, achieving a record of 13 wins and 8 losses. Despite his expulsion from the baseball club, Mizuhara later contributed to Keio University by designing the masthead for "Keio Sports," the student newspaper published by the Keio University Sports Newspaper Association.

1.2. Professional Player Career

Mizuhara's professional career began when he joined the Tokyo Kyojin (later renamed the Yomiuri Giants) in the autumn of 1936. He quickly established himself as the regular third baseman, taking over from Hachiro Maekawa. He typically batted in the second or third spot in the lineup, playing a crucial role in the Giants' offense. In the 1937 autumn league, he recorded a .290 batting average and 31 runs batted in, both ranking second on his team.

When Eiji Sawamura left the team due to military conscription in 1938, Mizuhara stepped in to pitch during the autumn league. He posted an impressive 8 wins against 2 losses, second only to Victor Starffin, and maintained a 1.76 earned run average, which was also the second-best in the league. He assumed the role of team captain in 1939. In 1940, he was selected for the Best Nine Award. Despite his military conscription in August 1942, which forced him to leave the team mid-season, Mizuhara's immense popularity and leadership qualities led to him being voted the Most Valuable Player of the Japanese Baseball League for that year.

His defensive prowess as a third baseman was notable. He played from a deep position, covering a wide range, and possessed a strong arm and wrist that allowed for accurate and quick throws, enabling him to throw out runners at first base even from deep in the infield. He was particularly skilled at fielding slow ground balls in front of third base barehanded and then throwing underhand to first to narrowly get the runner out. This unique technique was reportedly adopted after receiving guidance from Hisashi Koshimoto, then manager of the Keio University Baseball Club, and observing American players during an overseas tour. As a batter, his strong wrists meant he tended to hit more with his hands than his hips.

Mizuhara also developed a significant rivalry with Osamu Mihara of Waseda University, which originated during their collegiate days. In a key Sokeisen game on June 14, 1931, Mihara famously stole home against Mizuhara, a play that sealed Waseda's victory and became a legendary moment in Sokeisen history. This rivalry intensified when they both became professional managers, leading to intense battles in the Japan Series, particularly from 1956 to 1958, a contest dubbed the "Ganryujima Showdown."

Before his professional debut, Mizuhara was selected as a member of the All-Japan team for games against Major League Baseball All-Star teams visiting Japan in 1931 and 1934. His playing career with the Giants concluded in 1950.

1.3. Military Service and Siberian Captivity

During World War II, Shigeru Mizuhara was conscripted into the Japanese military. He was deployed to the Asian continent and subsequently experienced Siberian Internment as a prisoner of war.

After the war, Mizuhara returned to Maizuru Port on July 20, 1949. Just four days later, upon his arrival at Tokyo Station at 10:30 AM, he went directly to Korakuen Stadium. There, before a doubleheader between the Giants and Daiei Unions, he announced his return to the fans, famously declaring, "水原茂、ただいま帰ってまいりました_{Mizuhara Shigeru, I have just returned.}^Japanese".

Although he was already 40 years old and had suffered from extreme malnutrition during his Siberian captivity, the Yomiuri head office, responding to fervent fan demand to see him play again, requested his return to active duty. Despite the visible decline in his physical condition due to his wartime experiences, he briefly resumed playing. However, he did not appear in any official games during the remainder of the 1949 season. In 1950, with the establishment of the two-league system, Mizuhara was appointed player-manager but only played in seven games before retiring as a player at the end of the season. During his time as a prisoner of war in Siberia, Mizuhara is noted for introducing baseball to both his fellow prisoners and his captors, demonstrating his enduring passion for the sport even under dire circumstances.

2.1. Yomiuri Giants Manager

Shigeru Mizuhara's tenure as manager of the Yomiuri Giants began under contentious circumstances. Following the 1949 season, a player revolt against then-manager Osamu Mihara led to Mizuhara's appointment as the seventh manager on December 31, 1949. Mihara, who had just led the team to its first post-war championship, was relegated to a general manager role. While it is widely believed that players, discontent with Mihara's treatment of Mizuhara, effectively staged a coup to seize control, Mizuhara himself initially opposed the move, stating that it was "illogical to dismiss a manager who had led the team to a championship."

In his first year as player-manager in 1950, the Giants finished third. However, from 1951 to 1953, Mizuhara led the team to three consecutive league championships and Japan Series titles, ushering in the Giants' "second golden age." This successful period was fueled by a roster of star players including Tetsuharu Kawakami, Shigeru Chiba, Wally Yonamine, Jun Hirota, and Takehiko Bessho. In 1953, his fourth year as manager, Mizuhara introduced the iconic black and orange team colors for the Giants' uniforms, drawing inspiration from the New York Giants of MLB.

The Giants' dominance was briefly interrupted in 1954 when they finished second, losing the pennant to the Chunichi Dragons, led by pitching ace Shigeru Sugishita. However, Mizuhara quickly returned the Giants to the top, winning the league again in 1955. In the 1955 Japan Series, the Giants faced the Nankai Hawks for the fourth time. After winning Game 1, the Giants lost three consecutive games, putting them in a precarious position. Mizuhara made bold personnel changes for Game 5, replacing catcher Jun Hirota with Shigeru Fujio, second baseman Shigeru Chiba with Hirofumi Naito, and left fielder Kazuo Higasa with Minoru Kakurai. These young players proved instrumental, leading the team to three consecutive victories and a remarkable comeback championship.

During this period, Mizuhara's relationship with newly appointed team president Kazue Shinagawa became strained. Shinagawa perceived Mizuhara as overly reliant on the authority of owner Matsutaro Shoriki, while Mizuhara viewed Shinagawa as an amateur interfering in baseball matters. This mutual disdain led to frequent clashes.

The rivalry with Osamu Mihara intensified when Mizuhara's Giants faced Mihara's Nishitetsu Lions in the Japan Series for three consecutive years from 1956 to 1958. The media dubbed these encounters the "Ganryujima Showdown."

• In **1956**, despite being favored, the Giants lost to Nishitetsu 2-4, overwhelmed by young talents like Kazuhisa Inao and Futoshi Nakanishi. Following this defeat, Shinagawa pushed for a team overhaul, advocating for the dismissal of coaches and player retirements. Mizuhara initially resisted, but some changes were implemented.
• In **1957**, the Giants again won the league but lost to Nishitetsu in the Japan Series, finishing with a dismal 1-4-1 record, failing to win a single game outright. This prompted strong criticism of Mizuhara within the Giants organization. Shinagawa pushed for further coach dismissals and player retirements. Mizuhara vehemently opposed the dismissal of pitching coach Goro Taniguchi and threatened to resign if he was removed. Owner Shoriki, who also served as Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, summoned Mizuhara to his office. Shoriki ordered Mizuhara to accept Shinagawa's coaching dismissals on the condition that Mizuhara could select the new coaches. Mizuhara retracted his resignation, but Shinagawa publicly chastised him, calling him a "fox borrowing the tiger's might" and demanding an apology. Shoriki intervened to de-escalate the situation, which became known as the "Personnel Affairs Incident" or the "Apology Incident." Eventually, Taniguchi and Hideyo Fujimoto were dismissed, and Mizuhara appointed retired players Hiroshi Nakao and Kazuo Higasa as their replacements.
• The **1958 Japan Series** marked the third consecutive clash with Mihara's Nishitetsu Lions. The Giants took a commanding 3-0 lead, needing just one more win for the championship. However, Game 4 was controversially cancelled due to rain (despite clear weather at game time, citing consideration for fans traveling from Kyushu). The Giants and Mizuhara protested vehemently but unsuccessfully. Nishitetsu then mounted an unprecedented comeback. In Game 5, the Giants held a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth, but a controversial fair call on a hit by pinch-hitter Daisuke Kobuchi (which Mizuhara and third baseman Shigeo Nagashima argued was foul) led to the tying run. Nishitetsu won in the tenth on an unprecedented walk-off home run by Kazuhisa Inao. Before Game 6, a dispute erupted over Nishitetsu's last-minute lineup change, leading to a heated confrontation between Mizuhara and Mihara before Commissioner Nobori Inoue. This disruption led to a delayed start and affected Giants pitcher Motoshi Fujita, who surrendered a decisive two-run home run to Futoshi Nakanishi in the first inning. Nishitetsu, powered by Inao's four consecutive starts, completed the historic comeback, winning four straight games after being down 0-3. Mizuhara again offered his resignation, but Shinagawa, surprisingly, urged him to stay, telling him, "If you withdraw like this, you lose. A man should break Nishitetsu." Mizuhara reportedly wept upon hearing these words and decided to stay.

In the offseason of 1958, Mizuhara clashed with pitcher Takehiko Bessho, who demanded guaranteed starts in his contract. Mizuhara strongly criticized this, asserting that player deployment was solely the manager's prerogative. The dispute garnered significant media attention, but it was resolved when Bessho apologized, and Mizuhara agreed to accommodate Bessho's preferences as much as possible. Bessho, who had 294 career wins at the time, was aiming to surpass Victor Starffin's 303-win record.

The Giants won the league again in 1959, but in the Japan Series, they were swept in four games by Tadashi Sugiura and the Nankai Hawks. This defeat extended the Giants' Japan Series losing streak to eight consecutive games (from Game 4 of the 1958 Series to Game 4 of the 1959 Series), a club record that stood until Tatsunori Hara's team surpassed it in 2020.

In 1960, the "Ganryujima Showdown" was rekindled when Osamu Mihara became manager of the Taiyo Whales, also in the Central League. Mihara skillfully transformed the last-place Taiyo team, leading them to a fierce pennant race against the Giants. The Giants ultimately succumbed to Taiyo, finishing second and missing the league championship. In October, with the championship out of reach, Mizuhara reportedly became enraged when a photographer persistently took his picture after a game, striking the photographer and confiscating his film (though some accounts suggest he only threw a lit cigarette at him, and that Tatsuro Hirooka intervened to take the film). Having missed the Japan Series title for five consecutive years, Shoriki's evaluation of Mizuhara declined significantly. On November 19, Mizuhara resigned as Giants manager, famously stating, "グラウンドの恥は、グラウンドでそそぐ_{The shame on the field shall be avenged on the field.}^Japanese". This was effectively a dismissal. He was offered a front office position at half his previous salary (100.00 K JPY) and a severance payment of 10.00 M JPY, but he refused the offer after consulting his wife, who viewed it as a humiliation. Consequently, he did not receive the severance pay.

During his final year with the Giants in 1960, the team's pitching staff suffered from poor performance and a lack of depth. Mizuhara heavily relied on rookie pitcher Ritsuo Horimoto, who appeared in 69 games and achieved an outstanding record of 29 wins and 18 losses, earning both the Most Wins title and the Rookie of the Year award. However, this heavy workload led to severe shoulder injuries, forcing Horimoto to retire after just six professional seasons. Mizuhara later expressed deep regret to Horimoto, acknowledging that he had shortened his career. Hirooka, then a Giants player, criticized Mizuhara's reliance on a few star players, arguing that a long season required proper management and deployment of the entire pitching staff.

2.2. Toei Flyers Manager

On December 8, 1960, Shigeru Mizuhara accepted an offer to manage the Toei Flyers, having been convinced by owner Hiroshi Okawa with the promise of "I'll provide the money, but won't interfere." The Flyers had historically been a perennial "B-class" team, consistently finishing in the lower half of the league standings.

Upon his arrival, Mizuhara personally redesigned the team's uniforms. The new design featured a stylish breast logo with the letter "F" stylized as a soaring bird. The color scheme, with dark brown caps and undershirts, bore a resemblance to the Giants' black and orange, leading to some confusion among fans who would sometimes mistake the Flyers for the Giants, especially since Mizuhara also continued to coach third base, as he had with the Giants.

In his first year, 1961, Mizuhara orchestrated a dramatic turnaround. The Flyers finished second, battling the Nankai Hawks for the league title until the very end of the season. Their record of 83 wins, 52 losses, and 5 ties, with a +31 run differential, was the best in franchise history at the time. Although they ultimately fell short of the championship, Mizuhara instilled a new winning mentality. Pitcher Osamu Kubota, who was primarily a short reliever with 9 wins the previous year, was strategically deployed on days following Masayuki Dobashi's starts and achieved an impressive 25 wins. Mizuhara also confronted headstrong players like Hachiro Yamamoto, lecturing him that "Professional baseball means nothing if the team doesn't win. Even if you win a home run title, a batting title, or 20 wins, if the team is B-class, your salary won't go up. It's about how to unite and forge ahead, how to sacrifice yourself for the team." Isao Harimoto later recalled feeling that Mizuhara was "completely different" from other managers. The 1961 season saw Harimoto win the batting title, Dobashi record 30 wins, Kubota 25 wins, Akio Saionji lead the league with 97 runs, and Shoichi Busujima lead with 11 triples, indicating a balanced performance in both pitching and hitting.

In the 1961 offseason, Mizuhara initiated a major player reinforcement strategy. He brought in Yukio Ozaki, a second-year high school student from Naniwa Commercial High School, convincing him to drop out and sign with the team. He also acquired talented college players like Motohiro Ando from Keio, Shuzo Aono from Rikkyo University, and Koichi Iwashita from Shibaura Institute of Technology. Ozaki quickly became the team's ace, winning 20 games and the Rookie of the Year award in 1962. Aono and Iwashita formed a successful double-play combination as the starting middle infielders. Harimoto had an MVP season in 1962, batting .333 (4th in league) with 31 home runs and 99 RBI (both 2nd in league). Kubota also earned the Best ERA title with a 2.12 ERA.

The Flyers' success culminated in 1962 when they won the league championship. In the 1962 Japan Series, they faced Sadayoshi Fujimoto's Hanshin Tigers. After losing the first two games and extending Mizuhara's personal Japan Series losing streak to 10 games, the Flyers tied Game 3 and then remarkably won four consecutive games to clinch the championship. Dobashi, who started the first two games, moved to a relief role from Game 3 onwards, winning two games and sharing the Japan Series MVP award with catcher Masayuki Tanemo. Mizuhara's strategic move to switch from catcher Junzo Ando to Tanemo from Game 3 proved crucial; Tanemo, adept at data analysis, led the pitchers effectively with his bold calling and also delivered key hits. Mizuhara's decisive, sometimes ruthless, management was evident, such as substituting his star slugger Harimoto for a defensive replacement in Game 7 to solidify the team's defense. The Flyers maintained A-class finishes under Mizuhara until 1967.

Harimoto later reflected on Mizuhara, alongside Osamu Mihara, Kazuto Tsuruoka, and Tetsuharu Kawakami, as one of the four great commanders in over 80 years of Japanese professional baseball history. He noted that Mizuhara's departure from Toei was due to the team's unwillingness to invest further in strengthening the team after their championship, despite Mizuhara's desire to do so. Harimoto believed Mizuhara endured the last two years with the team out of patience.

An anecdote from 1965 illustrates Mizuhara's strict discipline: during an exhibition game in South Korea, Katsuo Osugi became enraged by the perceived biased calls of a local umpire favoring the Korean amateur team and swore at him. Mizuhara immediately called Osugi over and slapped him. This decisive action reportedly earned the respect and admiration of the Korean spectators, many of whom were moved to tears.

Mizuhara also made impactful player position changes. In 1966, he converted Baek In-chun, who had become the team's starting catcher in 1965, to an outfielder. In 1967, he boldly selected rookie Tsuyoshi Ohshita as the starting shortstop, with Ohshita later expressing gratitude to "Oyaji" (father), as he affectionately called Mizuhara.

Players who played under Mizuhara described him as a "gambler" and a "competitor" who clearly understood what it took to win. Shoichi Busujima commented that Mizuhara's arrival brought team unity and a fierce determination to win, introducing a more detailed style of baseball compared to the previously loose approach. Masayuki Dobashi described Mizuhara as a "bloodless and tearless" manager but acknowledged that such toughness was necessary for a team to win. Dobashi, who had Mizuhara as his wedding matchmaker, noted that he never had a casual conversation with Mizuhara nor was he ever praised by him during the season.

Ultimately, Mizuhara's successful tenure with the Toei Flyers concluded on November 25, 1967, when owner Hiroshi Okawa notified him of his dismissal.

2.3. Chunichi Dragons Manager

On November 6, 1968, Shigeru Mizuhara was appointed manager of the Chunichi Dragons, serving from 1969 to 1971. At 62 years old at the start of the 1971 season, he was the oldest manager in Chunichi Dragons history until Morimichi Takagi's appointment in 2011. Mizuhara's strong standing within the club was bolstered by the support of influential business figures from the Chūkyō region whom he brought with him upon his appointment.

During his three seasons with the Dragons, the team finished 4th, 5th, and 2nd, respectively, but did not secure a championship. Despite this, Mizuhara dedicated himself to developing young talent, notably nurturing future stars such as Senichi Hoshino, Kinji Shimatani, and Kenichi Yazawa. His focus on player development laid the essential groundwork for the Dragons' 1974 league championship, which famously halted the Giants' bid for ten consecutive titles under Mizuhara's successor, Wally Yonamine, who had served as Mizuhara's head coach. Conversely, Mizuhara released Shinichi Eto from the team in his first year due to a personal conflict.

A notable anecdote from his time with the Dragons involves Senichi Hoshino, who blossomed into a professional under Mizuhara. As a rookie in 1969, Hoshino pitched poorly and took a loss in a game against the Giants. He approached the coaching staff, pleading, "Please let me pitch again tomorrow! I will definitely get my revenge!" Despite the coaches' hesitation about a consecutive start, Mizuhara declared, "Sen wants to pitch, so let him!" Hoshino pitched well the next day against the Giants but again suffered a loss due to a lack of run support. As Hoshino slumped in the dugout, feeling disgraced, Mizuhara gently offered his hand. Mizuhara told him, "Well done. Listen, in the world of professionals, if you are beaten, you must always get revenge. Never forget this spirit. If you lose that, your life as a professional is over. Never forget what happened today. Well done." Hoshino later stated that Mizuhara's words and the warmth of his handshake were unforgettable, crediting Mizuhara with teaching him the true spirit of a professional.

Following his practice at Toei, Mizuhara also took charge of designing the Chunichi Dragons' uniforms. At the time, vibrant uniforms were popular in MLB, and Mizuhara was reportedly inspired by the vivid red uniforms of the St. Louis Cardinals that had shocked Japanese fans during their visit. However, given that his own 1950-1951 Giants uniforms and the Dragons' previous year's red uniforms had not been successful, he opted for a bright sky blue as the primary color, with red used sparingly as an accent. Furthermore, he modified the "Dragons" chest logo, extending the "whiskers" below the "o" all the way to the "D," similar to the Los Angeles Dodgers logo. This design element would be carried over into subsequent uniform iterations for the team.

On October 4, 1971, with the conclusion of the regular season, Mizuhara announced his resignation as Chunichi Dragons manager, bringing an end to his career in uniform. His final game as manager was against his old rival, Osamu Mihara, who was then managing the Yakult Atoms. Mizuhara's Dragons won this game, evening their 1971 season record against Yakult to 12 wins, 12 losses, and 2 ties. After the second game of the day against the Taiyo Whales, Mizuhara was ceremonially tossed into the air by his players.

4.1. Baseball Commentator and Critic

As a commentator and critic, Mizuhara continued to share his profound insights and analysis of the sport. In October 1978, he caused a stir on a TV Asahi news program by openly criticizing Shigeo Nagashima's managing of the Yomiuri Giants for missing the championship. Mizuhara stated that Nagashima's leadership had errors and questioned if Nagashima "might not know baseball" based on his performance that year, a direct critique that was considered taboo at the time due to Nagashima's iconic status.

4.2. Baseball Hall of Fame Induction and Death

Shigeru Mizuhara's significant contributions to Japanese baseball were formally recognized with his induction into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977.

In January 1982, Mizuhara traveled to South Korea alongside Shigeo Nagashima and Isao Harimoto to offer advice for the launch of the Korean professional baseball league. However, he was hospitalized in February of that year due to hematemesis. Shigeru Mizuhara passed away shortly thereafter on March 26, 1982, at the Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital in Shinjuku, Tokyo, at the age of 73, due to liver failure. His funeral was conducted as a Yomiuri Giants club funeral, a rare honor previously extended only to Toshio Kurosawa, whose jersey number 4 was permanently retired after his sudden death from typhoid fever in 1947. Mizuhara's final resting place is at Sōji-ji Temple in Tsurumi, Yokohama City.

4.3. Influence and Evaluation

Shigeru Mizuhara's influence on Japanese baseball is profound and multifaceted. His managerial strategies and player development philosophy left an indelible mark on the sport. He is widely recognized for introducing modern baseball concepts from Major League Baseball, such as the strategic use of one-point relief pitchers and complex block signs, which significantly advanced tactical play in Japan.

Mizuhara possessed a reputation as a fierce "gambler" and "commander" who prioritized winning above all else. His coaching style was famously described as "bloodless and tearless," reflecting his demanding and uncompromising approach, which many believed was essential for achieving championships. Despite his strictness, he was deeply respected by the players he managed, even those with strong personalities like Isao Harimoto and Senichi Hoshino. Hoshino, in particular, credited Mizuhara with teaching him the fundamental "spirit of a professional" through a crucial moment in his rookie year. Mizuhara's ability to transform perennial B-class teams, like the Toei Flyers, into championship contenders underscored his exceptional leadership and strategic acumen. He laid the foundation for future success for the Chunichi Dragons by meticulously nurturing young talent.

Historically, Mizuhara is remembered as one of the "four great commanders" in Japanese baseball history, a group that includes his longtime rival Osamu Mihara, Kazuto Tsuruoka, and Tetsuharu Kawakami. His contributions to developing players, innovating strategies, and elevating the competitive level of Japanese professional baseball solidified his enduring legacy.

• Bold rank indicates Japan Series championship.
• 1953-1960, 1962, 1966-1996 seasons had 130 games.
• 1961 and 1965 seasons had 140 games.
• 1963-1964 seasons had 150 games.
• In 1960, Tetsuharu Kawakami served as acting manager on October 3 and 5 due to Mizuhara's suspension following an incident with a photographer.