Tatsuya Ozeki

1.1. Childhood and Education

Ozeki attended Kokugakuin Tochigi High School, where he was a prominent figure on the baseball team. He served as the team's ace pitcher, captain, and cleanup hitter. In his third year, during the summer prefectural tournament, he pitched a complete game in the third round, recording 14 strikeouts over 12 extended innings, though his team ultimately lost. Notably, his classmate and fellow pitcher on the team was Shunsuke Watanabe, who later went on to play for the Chiba Lotte Marines.

1.2. Pre-Professional Career

After high school, Ozeki attempted to gain admission to Keio University through a recommendation-based entrance exam but was unsuccessful. In the 1994 professional baseball draft, he was selected in the second round by the Seibu Lions (now Saitama Seibu Lions) as a pitcher. However, upon joining the team, he transitioned from a pitcher to a batter, a move that would define his professional playing career.

2.1. Seibu Lions Era

Ozeki made his professional debut with the Seibu Lions on October 4, 1996, in a game against the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes at Seibu Lions Stadium. He appeared as a pinch-hitter for Seiji Tomashino in the eighth inning, striking out in his first at-bat. This was his only appearance that season, and he played just one game in 1997.

His breakthrough came in 1998 when he appeared in 104 games, recording his first professional hit on April 8 against the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks (now Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks) at Fukuoka Dome. He was subsequently named the Pacific League Rookie of the Year, becoming the first player in the Pacific League to win the award in his fourth year as a professional, a unique achievement that remained unmatched as of 2021. He was also the last high school position player to win the award in the Pacific League until Sosuke Genda emerged.

In 1999, Ozeki played in 123 games, achieving a batting average of .268 with one home run, 34 runs batted in (RBI), and 16 stolen bases, marking his first season reaching the qualified for batting title (規定打席, *kitei daseki*). By 2002, he recorded a career-best batting average of .314. He formed an unshakeable leadoff and second-spot batting combination with Kazuo Matsui and led the league with 43 sacrifice bunts. That year, he experienced his first league championship. In Game 2 of the 2002 Japan Series against the Yomiuri Giants at Tokyo Dome on October 27, Ozeki, who was on third base with two outs and the bases loaded in the first inning, attempted to steal home after Giants pitcher Masumi Kuwata threw a pickoff to second base. However, the return throw was quick, and Ozeki was tagged out, costing the Lions a crucial scoring opportunity. The Lions were subsequently shut down by Kuwata and lost the series in a four-game sweep.

In 2003, Ozeki narrowly missed batting .300 but recorded five triples and led the league again with 32 sacrifice bunts. The 2004 season saw a reduction in his playing time to 90 games due to the emergence of younger outfielders like Shogo Akada and Tomoaki Sato. However, in Game 5 of the Pacific League Playoff Second Stage, which decided the league championship, Ozeki led off the tenth inning with a double off Koji Mise, igniting the rally that secured the winning run.

In 2005, Ozeki was appointed as the player representative, but he lost his starting position to Akada and Sato. Although Sato suffered a long-term injury in April, Ozeki was unable to capitalize on the opportunity, playing only 47 games and batting a career-low .198. Following the season, he was offered a significant pay cut. Ozeki requested to challenge Major League Baseball, and the Seibu Lions, recognizing his contributions, granted him free agency.

2.2. MLB Attempt and Yomiuri Giants Era

On February 8, 2006, Ozeki signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers, who valued his defensive skills and strong throwing arm. However, on April 13, it was discovered that the foreign player slots in the Brewers' minor league system were already filled. Negotiations for his retention failed, and two days later, on April 15, he passed a tryout with the Yomiuri Giants, marking his return to NPB.

In 2006, Ozeki was involved in a rare incident in NPB history, often referred to as the "phantom home run." On June 11, during an interleague game against the Chiba Lotte Marines at Chiba Marine Stadium, Lee Seung-yeop hit a ball directly into the right-field stands with two outs and Ozeki on first base. However, after play resumed, Marines third baseman Toshiaki Imae appealed that Ozeki had failed to touch third base. Third base umpire Kinji Nishimoto upheld the appeal, ruling Ozeki out. Since it was already two outs, Lee's run and home run were nullified, and the hit was recorded as a single. Ozeki later stated in a 2009 radio interview that he believed he had touched the base, citing a feeling that it would have been noticeably different if he hadn't, and claimed that Fuji TV had footage confirming he touched the base. He expressed his lasting resentment towards the umpire's decision and appreciated that Giants representative Hidetoshi Kiyotake had asserted that Ozeki did touch the base. Despite the Giants suffering numerous injuries that year, Ozeki's performance was modest, batting .258 with no home runs, and he did not become the "savior" the team needed. It was also noted that Ozeki had previously been called out for missing third base in a game against the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks on June 25, 1999, during his time with Seibu.

In 2007, with the rise of younger players, Ozeki found his opportunities limited even in the minor leagues and was eventually released by the Giants. He subsequently participated in the 12-team joint tryout, where he hit two home runs, leading to his signing with the Yokohama BayStars (now Yokohama DeNA BayStars). His former teammate Takuro Ishii, who was from the same hometown and had trained with Ozeki, revealed on his blog that Ozeki had called him to express his excitement about joining the team before the official announcement.

2.3. Yokohama BayStars Era

Ozeki started the 2008 season strong with the Yokohama BayStars, appearing in the opening day lineup and recording multi-hit games in his first four appearances, including one three-hit game. However, his performance declined in May, and he was primarily used as a left-handed pinch-hitter thereafter. He was removed from the active roster in mid-August and did not make any further first-team appearances that season. On October 1, he received a release notification. Despite his offensive struggles, Ozeki maintained his strong defensive reputation, recording no errors during his time with the team.

Following his release from Yokohama, Ozeki attempted a second challenge in Major League Baseball in March 2009, trying out for the Colorado Rockies, but he was unsuccessful. On April 14, 2009, he announced his official retirement from professional baseball.

3.1. Playing Style and Skills

As a regular right fielder for Seibu, Ozeki was distinguished by his exceptionally wide defensive range, often covering more ground and handling more batted balls than even the team's center fielder. His fielding was also remarkably clean, with very few errors. This was evidenced by his holding the Pacific League record for consecutive errorless innings by an outfielder (658 innings, from his professional debut until September 6, 2000, against the Chiba Lotte Marines). This record stood until May 25, 2013, when it was surpassed by Ryo Hijirisawa.

Ozeki was an aggressive baserunner, often attempting stolen bases, and he recorded double-digit stolen base totals in multiple seasons. However, his success rate was a consistent challenge, leading to a high number of times caught stealing. In 2002, for instance, he attempted 28 stolen bases, succeeding 15 times but being caught 12 times, which was the highest in the league that year. Offensively, he was also a significant contributor through his proficiency in executing sacrifice bunts.

3.2. Notable Traits

Throughout his career, Ozeki was associated with several unique traits, including his distinctive walk-up music and changes to his uniform number and registered name.

When the Seibu Lions Stadium was converted into the Seibu Dome, players were asked to choose theme songs for their at-bats and during pitching practice between innings. Ozeki decided to solicit ideas from fans through the TBS television program "Let's Go! Lions." As a result, he chose "Jeep-san Keiji no Theme" (Theme of Detective Jeans), an instrumental piece from the popular TV drama "Taiyō ni Hoero!" (Roughly, "Howl at the Sun!"). Over time, some Seibu fans began chanting "Ozeki call" in rhythm with the song whenever he came to bat. This practice eventually spread beyond home games, with the team's cheering squad even playing the tune on trumpets during away games. Ozeki continued to use the song as his theme after moving to the Giants, and the "Ozeki call" followed him. However, due to limited playing opportunities during his two years with the Giants, especially in 2007 when he only played five games, the song was heard only twice at Tokyo Dome. Upon moving to Yokohama, Ozeki again chose the same theme, stating, "It's become my theme song, and I want to liven up Yokohama with that song." In 2009, Seibu's Hidekazu Hoshi even used the song with Ozeki's direct permission.

Ozeki's uniform number also changed several times during his career. He initially wore number 51 from 1995 to 1999. He then changed to number 31 from 2000 to 2005. This change was partly because he disliked being compared to Ichiro Suzuki, who also wore number 51 and played the same position. Ozeki cited his admiration for players like Masayuki Kakefu and Tomonori Maeda, both of whom wore number 31, as another reason for the switch. (Interestingly, Ichiro himself later wore number 31 for the New York Yankees after Ozeki's retirement). When Ozeki moved to the Giants in 2006, he wore number 49, but he reverted to his preferred number 31 in 2007. For his final playing season with Yokohama in 2008, he wore number 0. After transitioning to coaching, he wore number 74 (2011-2017), 84 (2018), and 79 (2020-present).

Additionally, Ozeki made a temporary change to his registered name. From August 14, 2003, to 2004, his registered name was changed to 小関 竜弥_{Ozeki Tatsuya}^Japanese, though the pronunciation remained the same. He reverted to his original registered name, 小関 竜也_{Ozeki Tatsuya}^Japanese, from 2005 onwards.

4.1. Coaching Roles

Ozeki began his coaching career with his former team, the Yomiuri Giants. From 2011 to 2016, he served as the minor league outfield defense and baserunning coach. In 2017, he transitioned to the role of minor league hitting coach before leaving the Giants organization after the 2018 season.

In 2020, Ozeki returned to the Saitama Seibu Lions as the first team outfield defense and baserunning coach. In 2022, he was reassigned to the role of farm (minor league) overall fielder and hitting coach. During that year, he also served as an interim farm manager from July 14 to July 25 due to the primary farm manager, Fumiya Nishiguchi, testing positive for COVID-19. In 2024, his title was adjusted to farm overall fielder coach. Although his official title is overall coach, Ozeki has been acting as the manager for the third squad's external games since 2023. It has been announced that effective January 1, 2025, Ozeki's role will officially change from farm overall fielder coach to **farm manager** for the Saitama Seibu Lions.

4.2. Commentary and Other Activities

Before and between his coaching stints, Ozeki worked as a baseball commentator. He provided analysis for J SPORTS, including programs like "Baseball Lovers News" and "J SPORTS STADIUM," and also covered Major League Baseball broadcasts. His first commentary role was as a guest analyst for "NACK5 SUNDAY LIONS." Beyond baseball, Ozeki is involved in social contribution activities with the Saitama Seibu Lions, giving lectures based on his experiences at elementary and junior high schools within Saitama Prefecture.

5.1. Major Awards

• Rookie of the Year (Pacific League): 1998
• Best Nine (Outfielder): 2002
• Golden Glove Award (Outfielder): 2002

5.2. Career Milestones and Records

• First Appearance:** October 4, 1996, against the Kintetsu Buffaloes at Seibu Lions Stadium, as a pinch-hitter in the 8th inning.
• First At-Bat:** October 4, 1996, against the Kintetsu Buffaloes at Seibu Lions Stadium, striking out against Shigeki Sano.
• First Hit:** April 8, 1998, against the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks at Fukuoka Dome, a single to left field off Shintaro Yamazaki in the 2nd inning.
• First RBI:** April 19, 1998, against the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks at Seibu Dome, an RBI double to left field off Shintaro Yoshitake in the 6th inning.
• First Stolen Base:** April 21, 1998, against the Orix BlueWave (now Orix Buffaloes) at Kagoshima Prefectural Kamoike Baseball Stadium, stealing second base in the 5th inning (pitcher: Takayoshi Ito, catcher: Tsuyoshi Hidaka).
• First Sacrifice Bunt:** April 22, 1998, against the Orix BlueWave at Kagoshima Prefectural Kamoike Baseball Stadium, a sacrifice bunt to first base off Shinobu Hoshino in the 2nd inning.
• First Home Run:** April 22, 1998, against the Orix BlueWave at Kagoshima Prefectural Kamoike Baseball Stadium, a two-run home run to right field off Nobuyuki Ebisu in the 8th inning.
• 200th Sacrifice Bunt:** August 28, 2004, against the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks at Seibu Dome, a sacrifice bunt to the catcher off Nagisa Arakaki in the 1st inning. He was the 26th player in NPB history to reach this milestone.