SAPPORO — After the Chunichi Dragons won the Central League Climax Series title, there were no wild celebrations, no beer fights and certainly no managers being tossed into the air. Hardly traditional, which is exactly what you would've expected from Hiromitsu Ochiai.
Dragons manager Hiromitsu Ochiai, left, and Fighters skipper Trey Hillman have guided their respective
teams to the Japan Series for the second straight season. Game 1 is slated for Saturday night in Sapporo.
KYODO PHOTOSince his playing days, the Chunichi skipper has been known as a man who plays by his own rules. Ochiai defied convention and ran his career the way he saw fit during his playing days, and in his fourth season as a manager he has brought that same mentality into the Dragons' dugout.