Yakult Swallows catcher Atsuya Furuta came to agreement with his Central League club Tuesday on a two-year deal that will make him the first player-manager in 29 years in Japanese professional baseball.
Yakult Swallows catcher Atsuya Furuta shakes hands with team president Yoshikazu Tagiku after deciding to accept an offer from the club to become a player-manager.
Furuta, 40, reached an agreement with team president Yoshikazu Tagiku and other top club officials and takes over from Tsutomu Wakamatsu who stepped down at the end of the season after a seven-year stint.