Tatsuro Hirooka


Tatsuro Hirooka is a Japanese retired professional baseball player and manager.
Hirooka played his entire career, from 1954 to 1966, for the Yomiuri Giants. He was awarded the Central League rookie of the year award in 1954. From 1961 to 1966, Hirooka was a player-coach for the Giants.
As a manager for the Yakult Swallows and then the Seibu Lions, Hirooka was known for his tough-love style. Nicknamed "The Iron Shogun", he thrice led his teams to the Japan Series championship — in 1978, 1982, and 1983. With his championships for Yakult and Seibu, he is the third and currently last manager to win the Japan Series with multiple teams. He won the Matsutaro Shoriki Awardpresented to a person who greatly contributes to the development of professional baseball — in 1978 and 1982. He was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992.