Tsutomu Ito said Monday he has accepted the Chiba Lotte Marines' offer to manage the team for a fifth season in 2017 on a one-year contract.
Lotte finished third in the Pacific League this season to advance to the Climax Series. The Marines lost to the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in the first stage.
"I'm taking the job," Ito said. "The deal started coming together around five days ago. The team said it would go all in. They said they will do what it takes to build a strong team."
