Hiroshi Yagi (八木 裕; born June 8, 1965) is a retired Japanese baseball player for the Hanshin Tigers. He was an All-Star…Hiroshi Yagi (八木 裕; born June 8, 1965) is a retired Japanese baseball player for the Hanshin Tigers. He was an All-Star in 1990 and a member of the Tigers' 2003 championship team. In the later years of his career, he was known as the team's "God of Pinch Hitting". After retiring at the end of the 2004 season, he spent some time in the media before becoming a hitting coach for Hanshin in 2009. He was named as the hitting coach for the club's second team for the 2015 season. Yagi was hospitalized with swelling and bleeding on the brain after being hit in the head by a broken bat while in the dugout during a game on September 9, 2025.
Masaji Hiramatsu (平松 政次, Hiramatsu Masaji; born September 19, 1947) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher…Masaji Hiramatsu (平松 政次, Hiramatsu Masaji; born September 19, 1947) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He played for the Taiyo Whales / Yokohama Taiyo Whales from 1967 to 1984. He won the Eiji Sawamura Award in 1970. In his career, he had 2,045 strikeouts (in 3,360.2 innings), which is currently 22nd among all NPB players in history. He was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017.
Nobuo Yana (Japanese: 八名信夫, Hepburn: Yana Nobuo; born 19 August 1935) is a Japanese film actor. He is most famous for…Nobuo Yana (Japanese: 八名信夫, Hepburn: Yana Nobuo; born 19 August 1935) is a Japanese film actor. He is most famous for playing villains. Before he started his acting career, he was a professional baseball player of Toei Flyer's. In 1956, he joined Toei Flyer's but in 1958, he retired because of an injury. He joined Toei film company and made his film debut in 1959. He debuted as a director with his film Dagashiya Koharu in 2018.
Noboru Akiyama (秋山 登, Akiyama Noboru; born February 3, 1934, died August 12, 2000) was a Japanese Nippon Professional…Noboru Akiyama (秋山 登, Akiyama Noboru; born February 3, 1934, died August 12, 2000) was a Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher, originally from Okayama, Okayama. He played with the Taiyo Whales. He is a member of the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame.
Kiyoshi Doi (土井 淳, Doi Kiyoshi) is a former baseball player from Japan. He played in the Central League for Taiyō…Kiyoshi Doi (土井 淳, Doi Kiyoshi) is a former baseball player from Japan. He played in the Central League for Taiyō Whales Doi played as a catcher. He coached the Whales in various stints and served as a manager for two seasons.