Senichi Hoshino was a Nippon Professional Baseball player and manager.
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23 Facts About Senichi Hoshino
2.
In October 2010 Hoshino was hired as manager of the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
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4.
Senichi Hoshino was born the third of three children in Kurashiki, Japan.
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5.
Senichi Hoshino's father died three months after he was born, and his mother raised him and his two sisters alone.
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6.
Senichi Hoshino played baseball throughout his high school years, but was unable to advance to the Koshien baseball tournament.
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7.
Senichi Hoshino entered Meiji University, and became a starter from his first year.
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9.
Senichi Hoshino was drafted in the first round by the Chunichi Dragons in 1968, led by manager Shigeru Mizuhara.
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10.
Senichi Hoshino signed with the Dragons in 1969, and pitched both as a starter and reliever, quickly becoming the ace of the Dragons pitching staff.
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11.
Senichi Hoshino led the league in saves in 1974, and won the Eiji Sawamura Award.
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12.
Senichi Hoshino was known as the "Kyojin Killer" because he seemed to pitch unusually well against the Giants.
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13.
Senichi Hoshino's team won another league championship in 1982, and Hoshino retired after that year.
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14.
Senichi Hoshino was an extremely popular figure during his career, not because of his skill as a pitcher, but because of his persona.
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15.
Senichi Hoshino stayed with the Dragons for his entire career, and was very well respected by his teammates.
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16.
Senichi Hoshino worked as a commentator for NHK after retiring, and his popularity with both fans and players called him back to the Chunichi Dragons as a manager in 1987.
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17.
Senichi Hoshino made a number of big trades, and led the Dragons to a league championship in 1988.
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18.
Senichi Hoshino stepped down in 1991, and returned to his job as a commentator and sports writer.
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19.
Senichi Hoshino won his second league championship in 1999, but stepped down again after his team placed fifth in 2001.
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20.
In 2002, Senichi Hoshino was called to take over as manager of the Hanshin Tigers, who had been in last place for the last four years under Katsuya Nomura.
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21.
Senichi Hoshino raised the team to fourth place in his first year, and made huge cuts during the off-season while recruiting free agents like Tomoaki Kanemoto and Hideki Irabu.
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22.
Senichi Hoshino stepped down after the 2003 Japanese championship series due to health reasons, allegedly due to high blood pressure and heart arrhythmia, but was the assistant senior director of the Hanshin Tigers until 2010.
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23.
Senichi Hoshino died of pancreatic cancer in Tsu, Mie on January 4,2018 at the age of 70.
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