Future Hall of Famer Tomoaki Kanemoto said Monday that as the new manager of the Hanshin Tigers, he would like to get the job done with the players currently with the hugely popular Central League club.
"My ideal is to win with the players we have now — if possible without new signings," the 47-year-old former outfielder told a press conference. "But even if I say that, we must seek results. From now, I'd like to think on this carefully."
Kanemoto, who was known as "Iron Man," started his career with the CL's Hiroshima Carp before joining the Tigers as a free agent in 2003, when he helped Hanshin to its first pennant in 18 years. He holds Nippon Professional Baseball's record for consecutive innings played with 13,686. During that stretch, he played in every inning of 1,492 games. He retired after the 2012 season.