"I want to have three hits like myself." Japan's only 120 RBIs for three consecutive years, Matsunaka, the last-scoring hitting coach in Chunichi for five consecutive years

Oct 13, 2024

Matsunaka, a slugger who represented Japanese professional baseball in the early and mid-2000s. He is a member of the Japanese national team of the 2006 WBC. At that time, he played an active role with a batting average of around 40%. Matsunaka, who is in batting training for the Japanese national team. Sports Chosun DB

Lee Seung-yeop, who was a member of Yomiuri, and Matsunaka, a Softbank, talk at first base during an exhibition game in 2007. Sports Chosun DB

The main character of the triple crown, the first three-time batting champion of the 20th century, will return as a batting coach. Nobuhiko Matsunaka (51), a leading hitter of the Softbank Hawks, will join the Chunichi Dragons. Kazuki Inoue (53), the new coach who took the helm as Kazuyoshi Tatsunami's successor, reached out. This is the first time Matsunaka, who retired as a player in March 2016, has taken over as a professional team official coach.

Matsunaka was the best hitter in Japanese professional baseball in the early and mid-2000s. In 2004, he hit 358-44 home runs and 120 RBIs for Daiei, the predecessor of Softbank, recording his seventh triple crown in Japanese professional baseball history. At that time, the hit-scoring-on-base-base-base-base-base-base-base-base-base-base-base-base-. It was 18 years ago when Yakult Swallows' 'Monetaka Murakami (24) became the youngest three-time hitting champion in 2022.

In the Pacific League, there has been no three hits in 20 years since Matsunaka. This season, Softbank outfielder Kondo Kenske was close to winning three gold medals by the middle of the season, but failed due to his home run and RBI pace.

Left-handed Matsunaka joined Daiei in 1997 and played only as a Hawks player until 2015. He had a career batting average of 296-1767 hits, 352 homers, and 1168 RBIs in 19 seasons. As a central hitter, he won the Pacific League seven times and won the Japan Series five times.

He became the RBI king for three consecutive years from 2003 to 2005. He was the only player in Japanese professional baseball history to surpass 120 RBIs for three consecutive years. He was the two-time batting champion, home run king, and league MVP. He also has a great career in the national team. He competed in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He is the winner of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) tournament in 2006.

Batting coach Matsunaka's shoulders are heavy.

In 2022-2024, when Tatsunami led the team, Chunichi ranked last in the Central League for the third consecutive year. He finished at the bottom of the scoring list for the fifth consecutive year.

2006 WBC final against Cuba. Matsunaka, who dug home during Ichiro's timely hit, cheered. Sports Chosun DB

There is a problem with the attack. This year, he glistened at the beginning of the season and slumped to the floor in a bad hit. He has a team batting average of 243, 68 home runs and 373 points. He is the only one in the Central League who has not been out of the 300-point range. It was 149 points less than the No. 1 Yokohama BayStars. The batting average was also low, but the batters lacked cohesion. The team's scoring batting average is 2206.

Seiya Hosokawa, who moved from Yokohama last year, hit 292 (fourth place) and was the only one in the top 20 batting. The same goes for home runs and RBIs.

Matsunaka said at the retirement conference, "I want to grow a three-time batting champion someday." he once said. He expressed his ambition as a leader. Among the current Chunichi batters, Hosokawa is likely. Hosokawa played in all 143 games this season and posted 23 home runs (joint fourth) and 67 RBIs (10th).

Matsunaka's leadership career is neither spectacular nor many. In 2020, he served as the general manager and general manager of the Shikoku Island League, an independent league. Worked as interim coach for Chiba Lotte Marines in 2021. In other words, it has not been confirmed as a leader yet.

Matsunaka and Inoue, who are two years older, are from the same Kyushu. Director Inoue was born in Kumamoto, adjacent to Kagoshima and Matsunaka.

Matsunaka, who has been a broadcast commentator. Sports Nippon Headquarters Partnership

huelva@sportschosun.com