When Hiromitsu Ochiai is inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame this coming summer, it will be a very convenient situation. As manager of the defending Central League champion Chunichi Dragons, Ochiai will also pilot the 2011 CL All-Star team, and the HOF induction ceremony will take place prior to Game 1 of the Nippon Pro Baseball All-Star series.
This year's formal entrance procedure is scheduled for the Dragons home stadium, Nagoya Dome, on July 22. Ochiai was chosen for membership in the Hall last week, along with former Nankai Hawks pitching great Mutsuo Minagawa, who will enter posthumously.
Ochiai and Minagawa will become the 172nd and 173rd members, respectively, of the Japanese Hall of Fame.