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Tatsunori Hara 原 辰徳
Hara in 2015
Infielder/Manager
Born: (1958-07-22) July 22, 1958 (age 66) Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan
Batted: RightThrew: Right
NPB debut
April 4, 1981, for the Yomiuri Giants
Last NPB appearance
October 8, 1995, for the Yomiuri Giants
NPB statistics
Batting average	.279
Hits	1675
Home runs	382
RBIs	1093
Teams
As player Yomiuri Giants (1981–1995) As manager Yomiuri Giants (2002–2003, 2006–2015, 2019–2023) Japan national team (2009) As coach Yomiuri Giants (1999–2001)
Career highlights and awards
1981 Central League Rookie of the Year 1983 Central League MVP 6× Japan Series champion (1981,1989,1994 (as a player) 2002, 2009, 2012 (as a manager))
Member of the Japanese
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction	2018

Tatsunori Hara (原 辰徳, Hara Tatsunori, born July 22, 1958) is a Japanese former professional baseball infielder and manager. He played 15 seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yomiuri Giants, and also spent 17 seasons as the club's manager.

Playing career

Hara was born in Sagamihara, Kanagawa. He played for the Giants during his professional baseball career from 1981 to 1995. He won the Central League Rookie of the Year award in 1981 and the Central League MVP in 1983. A hugely popular member of the Giants, during his playing career he was frequently the subject of newspaper, magazines, and television profiles.

Coaching career

Hara previously managed the Giants from 2002 to 2003, and again from 2006 until his abrupt resignation at the end of the 2015 season. During those tenures, he led the Giants to seven Central League pennants and three Japan Series championships. In October 2018, he was rehired as Giants manager for three seasons after Yoshinobu Takahashi announced his intention to step down.

Hara led the Japan national baseball team to victory in the final of the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

On July 30, 2019, Hara won his 1,000th game as a manager after the Giants beat the Hiroshima Carp, becoming the 13th manager in the history of the NPB to win 1,000 games.

On October 4, 2023, Hara announced that he would again be stepping down as manager, and named Shinnosuke Abe as his replacement. In his total tenure as a manager, he won 1,220 games while losing 355 games with 89 ties.

As result for player era

Sourse:Nippon Professional Baseball

As result for team manager era

(Source: Nippon Professional Baseball)

• Note 1: A regular season Central League champion, however, playoff (Climax Series) failed for second round in 2007.
• Note 2: A regular season Central League champion, however, Climax Series failed for second round in 2014.

Personal life

Hara's nephew, Tomoyuki Sugano, is a professional pitcher for the Giants.

References

1. Whiting, Robert. You Gotta Have Wa (Vintage Departures, 1989), pp. 68-70.
2. ^ "Baseball: Former WBC championship team skipper Hara rejoins Giants". mainichi.jp. Mainichi Shimbun. 23 October 2018. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
3. "Tatsunori Hara expected to manage Japan at World Baseball Classic". The Canadian Press. 2008-10-28. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
4. "Tatsunori Hara has shot at top 10 for most wins by a manager". 2 August 2019.
5. "Giants prepare to start new era as manager Tatsunori Hara walks away". japantimes.co.jp. 5 October 2023. Retrieved October 8, 2023.

External links

• Nippon Professional Baseball career statistics from JapaneseBaseball.com

• 1958 births
• Living people
• Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame inductees
• Japanese baseball players
• Managers of baseball teams in Japan
• Nippon Professional Baseball infielders
• Nippon Professional Baseball MVP Award winners
• Nippon Professional Baseball Rookie of the Year Award winners
• Sportspeople from Sagamihara
• Yomiuri Giants players
• Yomiuri Giants managers
• World Baseball Classic managers