Hiromitsu Ochiai Lecture 2025

This afternoon, I went to Kariya to listen to the "Hiromitsu Ochiai Lecture 2025."
The final performance was held in Kariya, Aichi. Since photography and similar activities were prohibited at the event, I am writing a report instead.

Speaking of Mr. Ochiai, he is affectionately known for his "Ore-ryu" (My Style) approach. With the Dragons, he won the championship in 1988. In the 10.8 showdown, he hit a home run off Shinji Imanaka as the Giants' cleanup hitter and retired at the age of 44.
From 2004, for eight seasons as manager of the Chunichi Dragons, he achieved four league championships, one Japan Series title (in 2007, winning it all after finishing second in the league), and the team's first consecutive league titles.

In the first part, it was great to hear reflections on the Japan Series, the World Series, and this season's Chunichi Dragons. Mr. Ochiai made the same comments as Advisor Akinobu Okada, but well, that's to be expected, isn't it?

(Guests & Secret Guest)
Shigekazu Mori: A member of the Lions' golden era. He served as head coach during Hiromitsu Ochiai's time as manager. He was the Dragons' manager for two years starting in 2017 (having served as acting manager in 2016). Nicknamed Morishige. Affiliated with Yoshimoto.

Hitoki Iwase: The first professional baseball player from Nishio City. He made 1,002 appearances on the mound. He was the winning pitcher for the 2007 Japan Series title and recorded 407 career saves (59 wins, 51 losses). A Chunichi Sports commentator.

Kenshin Kawakami: He excelled as a university junior to then-manager Senichi Hoshino and won the Rookie of the Year award. He threw a no-hitter against the Giants in 2002 (the first no-hitter of the 21st century). In 2004, he won six awards, including the Sawamura Award. He was an Opening Day starter seven times. He recorded 125 wins, 98 losses, and 1 save in his combined career in Japan and the U.S. A Chunichi Sports commentator.

Kosuke Fukudome: After the opening of Nagoya Dome, he was the first to record 30 or more home runs and 100 or more RBIs (in 2006, he recorded a .351 batting average, 31 home runs, and 104 RBIs). He was the 2006 Central League MVP. He recorded the cycle twice, once with the Dragons and once with the Tigers (ironically, the cycle with the Tigers was against the Dragons). He retired in 2022. No homegrown Dragons player has recorded 30+ home runs and 100+ RBIs since Kosuke Fukudome in 2006. He is a harsh commentator for Dragons games. He recorded 2,450 hits and 327 home runs in his combined career in Japan and the U.S. A Chunichi Sports commentator and affiliated with Yoshimoto.

Masahiro Araki: He achieved great success as part of the "Araiba" duo with Hirokazu Ibata (current Japan national team manager). He reached 2,000 career hits in 2017. He finished with 2,045 hits and retired in 2018. Nicknamed Tora. He was the stolen base leader in 2007. A Chunichi Sports commentator.

Junki Ito (Secret Guest): He made his professional debut in Kazuyoshi Tatsunami's retirement game. He remained with the team until he was released in 2020 and retired. He switched to being a professional darts player.

1 -> Who is faster, Araki or Kariya City native Norihiro Akahoshi (then of the Hanshin Tigers)?
* Mr. Akahoshi is famous for being a huge fan of Senichi Hoshino. In his private life, he married in 2022.
2 -> Secret story about Hirokazu Ibata's long phone calls.
3 -> A treasured story from Manager Ochiai about hugging Tyrone (Tyrone Woods) when they won the championship in 2006.
4 -> Is Alex Ochoa weak in twilight conditions?
5 -> Are there many people who can't get used to Masahiro Kawai's teachings?
6 -> Kosuke (then of the Hanshin Tigers) hit an RBI single off Iwase in an exhibition game, effectively pushing Iwase toward retirement!

And so on.
Even though it was the second part, it was a fun and lively discussion.

Speaking of Mr. Ochiai, he also streams on "Hiromitsu Ochiai's Ore-ryu Channel," and the content of the talk was mostly from there. He doesn't just talk about baseball; he occasionally talks about other sports (influenced by his eldest son, Fukushi, who is a talent and voice actor and also his classmate), but the comments are all very much like Mr. Ochiai.

Mr. Ochiai's lecture was fun, and I was happy to see Kosuke, whom I wanted to see the most. Even though it was 11,000 yen, the stories were worth 50,000 yen. However, since I had canceled all my credit cards, I used the postpaid app "atone" and will pay for the ticket at a convenience store later. If you are buying tickets on Pia and don't have a credit card, using atone (which can be used without a credit card, though there is a limit) to pay later is an option, so it's a good way to use it for Dragons off-season events.

Next time, if the schedule and budget allow, I would like to go to the "Hiromitsu Ochiai Memorial Museum" in Wakayama Prefecture, even if it's just a day trip.

Thank you, Hiromitsu Ochiai, and all the golden era members who have a connection to him!!