Akinobu Okada

Akinobu Okada
Akinobu Okada
	Okada in 2023
	Infielder / Manager
	Born: November 25, 1957 (age 66); Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
	Batted: Right Threw: Right
NPB debut
	April 11, 1980, for the Hanshin Tigers
Last NPB appearance
	October 2, 1995, for the Orix BlueWave
NPB statistics
Batting average	.277
Hits	1,520
Home runs	247
RBIs	1434
Managerial statistics
Wins	747
Losses	639
Teams
	As player Hanshin Tigers (1980–1993); Orix BlueWave (1994–1995); As manager Hanshin Tigers (2004–2008); Orix Buffaloes (2010–2012); Hanshin Tigers (2023–2024);
Career highlights and awards
	2× Japan Series champion (1985, 2023); 1980 Central League Rookie of the Year;

Akinobu Okada (岡田彰布, Okada Akinobu) (born November 25, 1957) is a Japanese former professional baseball infielder and manager. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) from 1980 to 1995 for the Hanshin Tigers and Orix BlueWave.

Career

Playing career

Okada played, mostly as a second baseman, for the Hanshin Tigers from 1980 to 1993, winning the Central League Rookie of the Year in 1980. In 1993, he was traded to the Orix BlueWave. He played there until 1995.

Coaching career

He managed the Hanshin Tigers from 2004 to 2008, leading the team to the Central League pennant in 2005.

In November 2008, he entered into a contract with the Daily Sports Company as a commentator. In 2009, he appeared on Asahi Broadcasting Corporation (ABC, AM radio, Terrestrial TV), Sky A Sports Plus (SKY PerfecTV!, satellite TV) and other broadcasting stations in the Kansai region.

Okada returned to the field in 2010, managing the Orix Buffaloes from 2010 to 2012.

On September 26, 2022, Okada was hired to serve as the manager for the Hanshin Tigers, marking his second managerial stint with the club.^[1] During his first season back in 2023, the Hanshin Tigers defeated Okada's former team he managed, the Orix Buffaloes, 4-3 in the 2023 Japan Series. This not only gave Okada a championship as a manager for Hanshin, but also ended the Tigers' championship drought that started back in 1985. On October 2, 2024, Okada announced that he would be stepping down following the season.^[2]

References

^ "Akinobu Okada Named New Manager". thehanshintigers.com. October 17, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
^ "x.com".

External links

Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)
Nippon Professional Baseball career statistics from JapaneseBaseball.com

Sporting positions
Preceded by Senichi Hoshino Akihiro Yano	Hanshin Tigers manager 2004–2008 2023–2024	Succeeded by Akinobu Mayumi Kyuji Fujikawa
Preceded by Daijiro Oishi	Orix Buffaloes manager 2010–2012	Succeeded by Hiroshi Moriwaki

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[1] "Akinobu Okada Named New Manager". thehanshintigers.com. October 17, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2023.

[2] "x.com".

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