Michihiro Ogasawara
Michihiro Ogasawara (小笠原 道大, born October 25, 1973 in Mihama-ku, Chiba, Chiba Prefecture, Japan) was a Japanese professional baseball player. He is currently the second team coach for Chunichi Dragons in Japan's Central League. He had an illustrious career spanning 18 years with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, Yomiuri Giants, and the Chunichi Dragons.
Career
Ogasawara was one of the most consistent hitters in Japanese baseball. He won two consecutive batting titles from 2002–2003, and led the league in home runs and RBIs in 2006 to win the Pacific League MVP award. He led the league in hits from 2000–2001, and has won 6 Japanese Golden Glove awards at first base and third base. He participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics held in Athens, Greece, winning a bronze medal. He also played for the Japanese national team in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, where he hit a home run off Esteban Loaiza at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. In 2006, he helped the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters win their first Pacific League pennant since 1981, sweeping the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in the playoffs to reach the Japanese championship series against the Chunichi Dragons. The Fighters beat the Dragons in 5 games to win the Japanese championship series.
He became a free agent in 2006, and signed a four-year contract with the Yomiuri Giants during the off-season.
Following 6 successful years with the Giants, Ogasawara would move to the Chunichi Dragons in 2013 and retired with the team at the conclusion of the 2015 season.
After Retirement
Following retirement, Ogasawara was instated as the head coach of the Chunichi Dragons' minor league "ni-gun" team, playing in the Western League.
External links
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