In the offseason of 1993, after the Giants finished third in Nagashima’s first year back as manager, a sports newspaper ran the headline: “Giants’ Okazaki Requests Trade.” That season, I hadn’t been performing well and my number of games played had dropped by half from the previous year. As I mentioned earlier, it was a disappointing season.
That same offseason, the free agency system had just begun in Japan. Atsushi Kondo, who had been head coach under manager Fujita, became the manager of the Yokohama BayStars (now DeNA). Tokuhiro Komada, who had also endured a frustrating season with me, decided to move to Yokohama via free agency. Given that context, there were rumors that I might also transfer to the BayStars. A sports newspaper reporter I knew casually said something like, “Now that Kondo, who took care of you under Fujita, is managing the BayStars and has called up Komada, maybe you’ll be called too.” Instead of clearly denying it, I inadvertently replied, “Yeah, maybe,” thinking I was just giving a casual response. That got twisted into “Giants’ Okazaki Requests Trade.” I fell for the reporter’s leading question.
The next day was the team’s golf tournament. At the golf course, the sports newspapers were plastered with “Okazaki Wants to Move.” I thought, “Damn it,” but it was too late.
That same day, I had to fly to Osaka for a team event. After the golf tournament, I rushed to the airport and checked into a hotel. Immediately, the team manager told me, “Mr. Nagashima wants to see you.”
A trade request is essentially a criticism of the manager. I knew I had to apologize and clarify the misunderstanding. Nervously, I knocked on Nagashima’s door. The conversation that followed is still vivid in my memory.
“I saw the newspaper. Is this your true intention?” he asked.
“No, it’s not,” I replied.
“I thought so. I brought you into the Giants when you wanted to go to college. This year, your body wasn’t in good shape, and it was frustrating for you, and for me too.”
I was touched that Nagashima remembered how I joined the team.
“I told you back then, ‘I’ll be the Giants’ manager for ten years, and during that time I’ll make you into a real player.’ But I left in the middle,” he said.
Nagashima remembered every detail of what he had said when he visited my home. People might think he’s the type to quickly forget what he says, but actually he remembers everything. He has an incredible memory.
“When I came back (as manager after 13 years), honestly, you had become terrible. I thought you would be a much better player, so I was very disappointed. What were you doing? This year was the same. You got injured.”
He even scolded me like that. But I was happy to hear it.
“Next season, I see you as a starter. But if this report reflects your true intention, I’ll trade you. Decide now. But if it’s not your real intention, why not start over from scratch?”
When Nagashima said that, I had no choice but to give it my all.
“I understand. Then let’s pretend this (the trade frenzy) never happened. I’m counting on you next year,” he said.
We talked for about an hour. That very day, I made up my mind that no matter what happened next year, I would definitely carry Nagashima on my shoulders after winning the championship, and we would become Japan champions.
That’s what led to the league championship and Japan Series title in 1994. When Nagashima said, “You did well,” what he really meant was, “Okazaki, you kept your promise.”
After that, he also mentioned next season, saying, “Next year you’ll bat leadoff. Make sure to strengthen your legs and core during the offseason.” I ended up disappointing those expectations later, but that’s another story.
Nagashima was like a god, Oh was a god. Fujita was like a father. Hara was like an older brother.
From 1979 to 2021, this is the story of a man cherished by four very different managers, recounting his time with the Giants—the joys, angers, sorrows, and pleasures he showed only to me.
[This is an excerpt from Kaoru Okazaki’s book, *Nagashima-san, Oh-san, Fujita-san. Sometimes Hara-san: My Story with Four Giants Managers*.]