The Pacific League's Seibu Lions said Thursday they will hire interim skipper Norio Tanabe to run the club next season on a one-year deal.
The 48-year-old Tanabe, who began the season as the Lions' batting coach, took over from 65-year-old Haruki Ihara, who returned to managing this season but took a leave of absence on June 4 over the club's poor results.
One of Tanabe's first acts was to abandon Ihara's ban on facial hair and requirement that his players wear their uniform pants with old-style high socks.
Ihara had been brought in to replace Hisanobu Watanabe, who resigned when Seibu was eliminated from the postseason a year after finishing second in the PL. One of the first candidates named to replace Watanabe at that time was farm manager Tetsuya Shiozaki. The former pitcher was once more considered for the first-team job, but passed over in favor of Tanabe.
Tanabe will formally become manager at the start of the team's autumn training camp.