2021 Baseball Bookstore Awards

No pandering! The owner of the "Baseball Bookstore" has arbitrarily selected the most interesting baseball book read in 2021! I will be announcing one grand prize winner and four runners-up! This year, there are two grand prize winners!

【Grand Prize Winners】

"Testament: What Katsuya Nomura Said in His Final Year"

(Emi Iida / Bungeishunju)

An overwhelming number of books about Katsuya Nomura have been published. Honestly, the impression of "not again..." is hard to shake. I initially thought the same about this book. However, this book is a non-fiction account following Katsuya Nomura's final year, setting it apart from all previous books about him.

"I don't have the respect of others," "Was I able to leave people behind?"

The old manager, having lost his wife Sachiyo and seemingly lost the will and meaning to live, repeats these self-doubts. Former beat reporters and his beloved disciples continue to encourage him, giving him hope to live. I shed tears at the description of him holding hands with Shigeo Nagashima, both in wheelchairs, behind the scenes at Masaichi Kaneda's funeral. This is a book I would like every professional baseball fan of the generation that thrilled to the battles between the Nagashima Giants and the Nomura Swallows to read. It is far too valuable to be buried as just another "Katsuya Nomura book," and it is a work worthy of the 2021 Grand Prize.

"The Hated Manager: How Hiromitsu Ochiai Changed the Chunichi Dragons"

(Tadahira Suzuki / Bungeishunju)

Starting with Opening Day pitcher Kenjiro Kawasaki, the stripping of regular status from team face Kazuyoshi Tatsunami, the replacement of Yamai just before a perfect game, and the shuffling of the Araiba positions—Ochiai's baseball style caused ripples both inside and outside the team. The eight years of his managerial era left many questions for both fans and players. Ten years after his retirement, the answers are finally becoming clear. Even if you couldn't understand the player selections and tactics by looking at the "trees," by reading this book and seeing the "forest," you can understand that "I see, there was a consistent logic to what Ochiai was doing." Because he had affection, he lost the 2004 Japan Series. To win, he had to eliminate that affection. I felt I saw the figure of a professional in Ochiai, who carried that through to the end. As a contrarian, I considered leaving this book off the grand prize list, but I couldn't. Because it is overwhelmingly interesting. You cannot end the year without reading this.

【Runners-up】

"A Complete History of Professional Baseball 'Management': The Rise and Fall of 55 Team Owners"

(Yusuke Nakagawa / Nihon Jitsugyo Shuppansha)

For example, if you trace the history of the Yakult team, you find it was born from a relay of connections between the Communist Party and the Army. You also learn that the famous owner Mr. Matsuzono did not actually found Yakult. Incidentally, you even learn that the founder of Yakult was Mr. Nagamatsu, who, like the bookstore owner, is from Oita. It's full of trivia that you don't necessarily need to know, but once you do, you'll want to tell someone. Since this covers all 12 teams for all time, this is the professional baseball version of "Family History (NHK)." From railways, newspapers, movies, and food, to IT now—you can see the transition of parent companies from the dawn of professional baseball both macroscopically and microscopically. It is a book that allows you to enjoy professional baseball from a different angle and perspective.

"Eiji Sawamura: The Betrayed Ace"

(Toshiaki Ota / Bungeishunju)

Even if people know the "Sawamura Award," aren't there almost no professional baseball players or fans who can talk about what kind of player Eiji Sawamura was or what kind of life he led? The superstar of the "first generation" of professional baseball died in battle at 27, the same age as modern superstar Shohei Ohtani. Sawamura, who fell in love and had a family just like any ordinary young man, eventually had a daughter. However, just three months later, he would head to the battlefield for the third time, never to return. What a cruel era it was. How tragic war is. About 100 new players enter the world of professional baseball every year, and this is a book I wish they would all read.

"Why Was Orix Able to Win the Championship? 25 Years of Struggle and Reform"

(Masanori Kise / Kobunsha)

Due to the corporate culture of the parent company seeking short-term results, the Orix Buffaloes repeatedly engaged in myopic team building and languished for a long time. However, Kato, who stood at the top of the team organization, and Setoyama, who became the team's general manager, built a team with a five-year outlook, and by combining that with an excellent commander named Satoshi Nakajima, they were able to reap the fruits of a championship for the first time in a quarter-century. It is clear that this year's championship was not a coincidence, but an inevitability. However, because of that "myopic team building," Orix has already driven Kato and Setoyama out of the team without seeing the results. I cannot help but hope that they will cherish the legacy left by the two so that the next championship does not take another quarter-century. This is a book that can be enjoyed even by those who are not Orix fans.