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The Mainichi
a day ago
- Sport
- The Mainichi
Baseball: Fujioka, Ishikawa lift Marines to victory over Giants
CHIBA (Kyodo) -- Yudai Fujioka homered and drove in three runs to back a scoreless outing by Shuta Ishikawa as the Lotte Marines beat the Yomiuri Giants 5-3 on Wednesday. A moment of silence was observed prior to the game at Zozo Marine Stadium, following Tuesday's death of former Giants star third baseman and manager Shigeo Nagashima at the age of 89. Fujioka hit a two-run homer in the second inning and an RBI single in the third to help Lotte build a 5-0 lead through three innings. Yomiuri got three runs back in the eighth but the rally ended there. Ishikawa (1-2) scattered three hits, three walks and a hit batter over seven innings. Haruto Inoue (3-5) took the loss. Among the day's other games, the Nippon Ham Fighters edged the Hanshin Tigers 5-4 in a matchup between the Pacific League and Central League first-place teams, respectively. Jun Maeda (2-1) struck out 10 and allowed just two hits in eight scoreless innings in the SoftBank Hawks' 8-2 rout of the Chunichi Dragons.
NZ Herald
2 days ago
- Business
- NZ Herald
On The Up: Inside the provincial football team taking on and beating cashed-up big city clubs
And they certainly don't have a playing roster featuring some players who are paid enough by their respective football clubs to coach junior players so they can forget about having to do a day job. Napier City Rovers' playing stocks include two painters, two ice truck drivers, a plumber, a builder, an outdoor pursuits trainer, and several teacher aides. What they also have is a record of making the most of what they have and defying the odds in taking on their big-city rivals. Since 2022 – when they ended a 20-year absence from New Zealand Football's (NZF) National League – they have been the only provincial-based club to make the top-tier domestic football competition. From 2022-24, the Jim Hoyle-captained team is one of only five clubs to have made the 10-team league over the three successive seasons. Napier City Rovers head coach Bill Robertson, (left), and the side's goalkeeping coach Kyle Baxter. Photo / Neil Reid The National League during that period has been made up of: the top four finishers in the Northern League; the Wellington Phoenix Reserves and the top three from the Central League; and the Southern League's top two sides. To make Napier City Rovers' achievement even more profound, one of the five other clubs – the Wellington Phoenix Reserves – are guaranteed a National League spot regardless of where they finish in the Central League via their participation agreement with NZF. Napier City Rovers captain Jim Hoyle has had another strong year with the football club he's called home since 2015. Photo / Neil Reid As Napier City Rovers hunt a hoped-for fourth successive qualification to the competition, coach Bill Robertson has opened up on how his side has bucked the otherwise big-city domination of the league spots. 'There's a lot of hard work that goes into our success,' he said. 'There's no stone unturned in terms of how we train, how we prepare for oppositions, and how we travel. Don't forget the amount of travel we have to do. Impressive Napier City Rovers players Cameron Emerson and George Andrew shake hands after their side's Central League win over Miramar Rangers at Bluewater Stadium. Photo / Neil Reid 'We've looked at how we make sure we have the best preparation we can for the players so we're able to get the results on the road.' The travel factor is huge for Napier City Rovers. As the only non-Wellington-based team in the Central League, the side face almost 6000km of mini-van travel to and from away games in the capital every second weekend. Before the 2023 season, the team used to travel both ways on game day to Wellington. For the past two years, the side have driven south the night before game day. The club's investment in hotel accommodation has paid off with consistently strong results on the road. Napier City Rovers' hard work in getting ready for 2025 has included training sessions as dawn breaks in the city. Photo / Neil Reid Using precious dollars wisely is a must at Napier City Rovers. While the history of the club is rich – having previously won five Chatham Cups and four National League titles – financially some of the other teams they face in the Central and National leagues are in a different ballpark. Auckland City pull in around $1 million solely from gaming trusts; a figure further increased by sponsorship deals. Napier City Rovers' entire first-team season budget is less than 10% of the gaming trust sum received by the national champions. NZF regulations cap weekly player payments to $150 a game. But some sides offer their top players high six-figure contracts as youth coaches; some of those deals are also richer than the budget Napier City Rovers' entire side operates with. Napier City Rovers don't complain about the at-times uneven playing field they're faced with. In some ways, it has added to a strong resolve and culture that has grown in strength in recent seasons. That culture is paramount when it comes to Robertson recruiting players from outside the region. The camaraderie and positive culture that has been developed within Napier City Rovers' first team is infectious. Photo / Neil Reid 'We haven't got a huge budget like some other clubs have to sign any player I want. We have to be strategic with our recruitment,' he said. 'We've got a good track record of bringing in good players and, most importantly, good people that buy into what we're trying to achieve here. It's not an easy task, but we've got a model here that seems to be working well for us.' Napier City Rovers hope to take another step towards the hoped-for fourth successive National League qualification on Sunday when they host Wellington team Western Suburbs in round-10 Central League action. Robertson's team go into the match in fourth place, two competition points ahead of their weekend rivals. The coach is after his team to concentrate on their 'processes' rather than the points table; saying if they do that successfully, the results will follow. Napier City Rovers coach Bill Robertson wants his players to concentrate on their processes, not the Central League points table. Photo / Neil Reid But there's no mistaking the burning desire throughout the coaching, management, and playing group to again reach the National League. 'That would be an incredible achievement,' Robertson said. 'The consistency we've shown to perform at a high level and secure the results we need to qualify for the past three years is fantastic. We're obviously trying to do that again. 'We're in the hunt.' The side's achievements over the past three seasons have helped financially. Billboards of returning and new sponsors surround the playing arena at Bluewater Stadium. Crowds have also been dramatically on the up, especially over the past two seasons. Game day at Bluewater Stadium is now a 'must-do' day out on a Sunday for a growing number of families, including hundreds of kids decked out in Napier City Rovers replica kit. Mason Johnson signing autographs at Bluewater Stadium post-match. Photo / Neil Reid And the scenes that happen post-match at the venue are a throwback to the amateur era of sport in New Zealand, where crowds are welcome to flock on to the pitch and a line of autograph hunters stretching dozens of metres await the players before they can head to the changing rooms. 'We always speak about the players being role models in the region and trying to inspire the future generations of young players,' Robertson said. 'It's absolutely fantastic to see the crowds and the number of kids here that are at games watching. At the end of the game, when you see the kids lining up for autographs with their heroes, it is a really powerful sight.' It was another big crowd that flocked to Bluewater Stadium last Sunday to watch the side claim a deserved 3-1 win over the Wellington Phoenix Reserves in the second round of the knockout Chatham Cup. Sam Lack has been there every step of the way since Napier City Rovers' return to the National League in 2022 and has scored six goals in 10 games in 2025. Photo / Neil Reid The goals came via a double to Jordan Annear, while another from Sam Lack takes his 2025 tally to six from 10 games. Robertson took the chance to rotate his squad. The changes included captain Jim Hoyle, fellow defensive rock Matt Jones and impressive English import Mason Johnson starting the match from the substitutes bench. Striker Jordan Annear - pictured having a break after a training session - was outstanding in Napier City Rovers' Chatham Cup second round win over the Wellington Phoenix Reserves. Photo / Neil Reid In came Annear – later rightly judged man of the match after a storming performance – Kaeden Atkins, and Jack Albertini. Like Annear, Atkins and Albertini also took their chance to remind Robertson of just how well they can contribute. 'The boys that came in did well,' Robertson said. 'There's good depth in the squad and we need that. 'All the other games we've played, aside from the Central League loss to the Wellington Phoenix, we've been very competitive. 'And I think we can improve in the second half of the season which is a positive. There's definitely more to see from us in the second half of the season.' >> Inside the Rovers video series: Episode 1: Match Fit Episode 2: Teen's Dream Episode 3: New Beginnings Episode 4: For Keeps Episode 5: Kiwi Steve Episode 6: Capital Punishment Episode 7: Bouncing back Episode 8: The Centurion Episode 9: The Running Man Neil Reid is a Napier-based senior reporter who covers general news, features and sport. He joined the Herald in 2014 and has 33 years of newsroom experience. Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Yomiuri Shimbun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Shigeo Nagashima Passes Away: Eternal Mr. Pro Baseball Brightened An Era
With his spectacular plays and beaming smile, Shigeo Nagashima brightened an era. He was truly a sun- or sunflower-like figure. Together with fans across Japan, we pray for him to rest in peace. Nagashima, the lifetime honorary manager of the Yomiuri Giants, has passed away. He was 89. As a player and manager, he achieved numerous accomplishments and solidified the popularity of professional baseball in Japan. He was a national star worthy of the title 'Mr. Pro Baseball.' The bigger the stages were, the more the 'man with the burning spirit' demonstrated his abilities. In the game attended by the then Emperor and Empress in 1959, he hit a dramatic walk-off home run off Hanshin Tigers pitcher Minoru Murayama in the bottom of the ninth inning. With slugger Sadaharu Oh, Nagashima was the driving force for the Giants known as the 'O-N' pair during a period called the Giants V9 campaign when they won nine consecutive Central League and Japan Series titles. And the two earned a description as the 'record-breaker Oh, memory-maker Nagashima.' During Japan's high-growth period of the Showa era (1926-1989), many people related to Nagashima with his energetic plays in a thriving society and drew inspiration from him for days to come. Nagashima was probably the only player who could make fans cheer even after making an error. Even people who rooted against the Giants loved him deeply. After retiring in 1974 with the famous speech, 'My Giants are forever immortal,' Nagashima managed the Giants over two stints. In 1994, Nagashima led the team to victory in the 'Oct. 8 showdown' against the Chunichi Dragons to win the league championship and went on to win the Japan Series. In 1996, he managed the team as they came from behind to overcome an 11.5-game deficit against the first-place Hiroshima Carp to win the league championship. In the 2000 'millennium showdown' Japan Series against the Daiei Hawks managed by Oh, the entire nation was abuzz. Dramatic developments occurred around Nagashima one after another, probably because he was a superstar. He always maintained a positive attitude, leaving behind numerous memorable quotes such as 'Make Drama' and 'Miracle Again.' At times, he also made humorous remarks that charmed fans like 'Let's pretend to go for 'utsu' [a hit], but instead we will go for hitting,' mixing English and Japanese words both meaning same thing, and 'I've reached my first 60th birthday.' One thing that must not be forgotten is Nagashima's contribution to nurturing Hideki Matsui into an indisputable cleanup hitter. Nagashima set a '1,000-day plan' to turn Matsui into an elite hitter in three years, and Nagashima was always with Matsui to tirelessly practice hitting. When Matsui retired, Nagashima said, 'I have refrained from praising him openly until now, but I would like to call him the 'greatest home run hitter of the modern era.'' Matsui still reflects on the days he spent swinging the bat under Nagashima's watch and speaks of his appreciation for Nagashima. In 2004, Nagashima suffered a cerebral infarction and was left with paralysis on the right-side of his body and other aftereffects. Despite this, he continued his rehabilitation saying, 'I want to run again.' Although he was often called a genius, he was also a man of relentless effort. (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, June 4, 2025)
The Mainichi
2 days ago
- General
- The Mainichi
Tributes to Shigeo Nagashima pour in from Japanese sports world
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japanese baseball luminaries and other sporting figures have paid tribute to Yomiuri Giants icon Shigeo Nagashima, who died of pneumonia at 89 on Tuesday. Among them was former Giants teammate and fellow Japanese Baseball Hall of Famer Sadaharu Oh, who visited Nagashima's house to see his body laid out. "He was always forward-thinking and someone who pulled us in with his character, before we knew it. He was just a special presence," Oh said. "Shigeo Nagashima was still there like before and I was relieved to see his face. These days will eventually arrive for everyone, but it came to the last person I wanted it to." While the pair, known by the nickname "O-N," helped the Giants forge a dynasty with nine straight Central League and Japan Series titles from 1965 to 1973, the 85-year-old Oh, whose 868 home runs are the most in Nippon Professional Baseball history, said he was always looking up to his older teammate. "I couldn't match him at all in terms of presence, so I had to show it with my bat. I could only compete with him with my numbers," Oh said. "Shigeo Nagashima was the man inside the head of every pro baseball player." Japan's 2009 World Baseball Classic-winning skipper Tatsunori Hara, who hit 382 homers for the Giants before managing them for 17 seasons, winning nine CL pennants and three Japan Series titles, said Nagashima was "rigorous when it came to winning and losing." "But he was nice to people and loved by everyone," said the 66-year-old Hara, who played and coached under Nagashima, known as "Mr. Giants," before succeeding him as skipper in 2002. "He was my idol, the symbol of the sport and a god-like figure. He was always shining brightly and influenced me the most as a player, coach and manager." Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers offered his "sincere condolences" in an Instagram post featuring three photos of him and Nagashima together. Ohtani, who hit his MLB lead-tying 23rd home run of the season after the news of Nagashima's death broke, met Nagashima at Tokyo Dome in March when the Dodgers played their two-game season-opening series against the Chicago Cubs. The San Diego Padres' Yu Darvish wrote on social media site X, "It's been a sad day," as he sent his prayers to Nagashima, while Kodai Senga of the New York Mets called him "a legend among legends." Nagashima's 59-year-old son Kazushige, who played for the Yakult Swallows and the Giants, said, "Baseball was his life and what he loved most." "I feel he had the happiest 89 years, more than anyone, in his baseball life," he said in a statement. "He has returned to the planet of baseball. I'm sure he'd wish that much of the passion he left in the ballpark will help develop Japanese pro baseball, even if only slightly." Saburo Kawabuchi, the inaugural chairman of both football's J-League and basketball's B-League, who was born in 1936 like Nagashima, said he was "grateful for his distinguished service that kept providing Japan with energy, courage and hope." Japan Sports Agency Commissioner Koji Murofushi, who won the men's hammer gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics, said Nagashima's "each word and action was made with the fans in mind." "He was a star who provided the public with positive news," the 50-year-old said. "He really supported me when I was competing and I thought he was so broadminded. I send my condolences." Yokozuna Onosato, sumo's new 24-year-old grand champion, said he recalled Nagashima receiving the People's Honor Award in 2013 along with the wrestler's fellow Ishikawa Prefecture native and former New York Yankee Hideki Matsui. "He's a legendary, historic figure with great records. It's sad news," he said.
Kyodo News
2 days ago
- General
- Kyodo News
Tributes to Nagashima pour in from Japanese sports world
KYODO NEWS - 13 hours ago - 20:14 | Sports, All, Japan Japanese baseball luminaries and other sporting figures have paid tribute to Yomiuri Giants icon Shigeo Nagashima, who died of pneumonia at 89 on Tuesday. Among them was former Giants teammate and fellow Japanese Baseball Hall of Famer Sadaharu Oh, who visited Nagashima's house to see his body laid out. "He was always forward-thinking and someone who pulled us in with his character, before we knew it. He was just a special presence," Oh said. "Shigeo Nagashima was still there like before and I was relieved to see his face. These days will eventually arrive for everyone, but it came to the last person I wanted it to." While the pair, known by the nickname "O-N," helped the Giants forge a dynasty with nine straight Central League and Japan Series titles from 1965 to 1973, the 85-year-old Oh, whose 868 home runs are the most in Nippon Professional Baseball history, said he was always looking up to his older teammate. "I couldn't match him at all in terms of presence, so I had to show it with my bat. I could only compete with him with my numbers," Oh said. "Shigeo Nagashima was the man inside the head of every pro baseball player." Japan's 2009 World Baseball Classic-winning skipper Tatsunori Hara, who hit 382 homers for the Giants before managing them for 17 seasons, winning nine CL pennants and three Japan Series titles, said Nagashima was "rigorous when it came to winning and losing." "But he was nice to people and loved by everyone," said the 66-year-old Hara, who played and coached under Nagashima, known as "Mr. Giants," before succeeding him as skipper in 2002. "He was my idol, the symbol of the sport and a god-like figure. He was always shining brightly and influenced me the most as a player, coach and manager." Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers offered his "sincere condolences" in an Instagram post featuring three photos of him and Nagashima together. Ohtani, who hit his MLB lead-tying 23rd home run of the season after the news of Nagashima's death broke, met Nagashima at Tokyo Dome in March when the Dodgers played their two-game season-opening series against the Chicago Cubs. The San Diego Padres' Yu Darvish wrote on social media site X, "It's been a sad day," as he sent his prayers to Nagashima, while Kodai Senga of the New York Mets called him "a legend among legends." Nagashima's 59-year-old son Kazushige, who played for the Yakult Swallows and the Giants, said, "Baseball was his life and what he loved most." "I feel he had the happiest 89 years, more than anyone, in his baseball life," he said in a statement. "He has returned to the planet of baseball. I'm sure he'd wish that much of the passion he left in the ballpark will help develop Japanese pro baseball, even if only slightly." Saburo Kawabuchi, the inaugural chairman of both football's J-League and basketball's B-League, who was born in 1936 like Nagashima, said he was "grateful for his distinguished service that kept providing Japan with energy, courage and hope." Japan Sports Agency Commissioner Koji Murofushi, who won the men's hammer gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics, said Nagashima's "each word and action was made with the fans in mind." "He was a star who provided the public with positive news," the 50-year-old said. "He really supported me when I was competing and I thought he was so broadminded. I send my condolences." Yokozuna Onosato, sumo's new 24-year-old grand champion, said he recalled Nagashima receiving the People's Honor Award in 2013 along with the wrestler's fellow Ishikawa Prefecture native and former New York Yankee Hideki Matsui. "He's a legendary, historic figure with great records. It's sad news," he said. Related coverage: Japanese baseball legend Shigeo Nagashima dead at 89
