Hideki Kuriyama
is a Japanese former Nippon Professional Baseball manager, former player, and former journalist. He was the manager for the Japan national baseball team and the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, leading the Fighters to a Japan Series title in 2016. He also planned to be a teacher at Tokyo Gakugei University, but pursued a career in baseball instead, signing with the Yakult Swallows. His career came to a short end after an injury in 1990, and like other short careered baseball players, he pursued a career within sports media. He is also well known as the mentor of the two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, who was drafted by the Fighters despite him wanting to pursue an MLB career instead. He retired from management following the 2023 World Baseball Classic. References External links 1961 births Living people Baseball people from Tokyo Metropolis People from Kodaira, Tokyo Tokyo Gakugei University alumni Japanese baseball players Nippon Professional Baseball outfielders Yakult Swallows players Managers of baseball teams in Japan Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters managers