Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks

Nankai Electric Railway Company ownership (1938–1988)

The franchise's original name was Nankai when it joined the Japanese Baseball League (JBL) in 1938, with the name originating with the Nankai Electric Railway Co., which owned the team at the time. The team's name was changed to Kinki Nippon^[1] in mid-1944 as it received partial sponsorship from Kinki Nippon Railway. After the 1945 hiatus in the JBL due to the Pacific War, in 1946 the team's name was changed to Kinki Great Ring^[2] and the team won the JBL championship. Throughout the name changes the club underwent between 1938 and 1946, Nankai Electric Railway Co. (in one form or another) maintained ownership of the franchise.

In mid-1947, Nankai settled upon its current moniker. The Nankai Hawks (南海ホークス). Under player-manager Kazuto Tsuruoka (known as Kazuto Yamamoto from 1946–1958)^[3] they became one of the most successful franchises through the first two decades of the Pacific League's existence, taking two Japan Series championships and 10 Pacific League pennants. (Kazuto managed the team from 1946–1968, becoming the full-time manager after his retirement as a player in 1952.)^[3][4]

In 1964, the Hawks team sent pitching prospect Masanori Murakami and two other young players to the San Francisco Giants single-A team Fresno as a baseball "exchange student". On September 1 of that year Murakami became the first Japanese player to play in Major League Baseball^[5] when he appeared on the mound for the San Francisco Giants. Disputes over the rights to his contract eventually led to the 1967 United States – Japanese Player Contract Agreement. Murakami returned to the Hawks in 1966, playing for them through 1974. He contributed to the team's league championship in 1973.

The team fell on hard times between 1978 and 1988, finishing no better than 4th place out of the 6 teams in the Pacific League in any year in the period. The team witnessed its fan base diminish as a result of the prolonged period of poor play, with attendance dropping and the club dealing with reduced profits.

The change in the club's financial performance led Nankai Electric Railway to question the value of maintaining ownership, even after considering the value the team represented as an advertising tool. The company's board of directors and union leadership put pressure on Den Kawakatsu, then-president of Nankai Railway and owner of the team, to sell the team, which he refused to do. However, Mr. Kawakatsu, who represented the most ardent supporter of Nankai's ownership of the Hawks, died in 1988, and the team was sold to the Daiei Corporation to become the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks after the 1988 season.

Katsuya Nomura, Mutsuo Minagawa, Hiromitsu Kadota, and Chusuke Kizuka are among the more notable franchise players that were active during the Nankai era.

Fukuoka Daiei Hawks (1988–2004)

After the franchise was acquired by department store chain Daiei, Inc., the Hawks were flush with new funds and a new home city in Fukuoka, the capital of the eponymous prefecture on Kyushu Island. However, in spite of those efforts of the new ownership, the Hawks still were usually in the cellar of the Pacific League, and continued to be at the bottom half of the league until 1997.

The Hawks front office adopted a strategy of drafting and developing younger players, supplemented by free agent signings, a policy overseen by team president Ryuzo Setoyama and his aides. Setoyama's most brilliant moves were the hiring of home run king Sadaharu Oh in 1995 to take the reins of manager, a title he would hold until 2008 before he moved into the general manager's position. Oh replaced then-manager Rikuo Nemoto, who was named team president and held that position until his death in 1999. Also tapped was Akira Ishikawa, a little-known former player, who was tasked with bringing in talented amateurs. He brought in the likes of current Hanshin Tigers catcher Kenji Johjima, Kazumi Saitoh, Nobuhiko Matsunaka, future Chicago White Sox and current Chiba Lotte Marines infielder Tadahito Iguchi, shortstop Munenori Kawasaki, and future team captain Hiroki Kokubo.

Supplementing the amateur signings were some free-agent acquisitions, most of them former Seibu stars from their 1980s championship teams. Among them were infielder Hiromichi Ishige, immensely popular outfielder (and Hawks manager from 2008–2014, replacing Oh in that capacity) Koji Akiyama, and ace left-handed pitcher and current manager Kimiyasu Kudoh.

These moves (and a few unpopular cost-cutting measures) helped to make the Hawks gradually more competitive with each passing year, and in 1999, the team finally broke through. That season, Daiei made their first Japan Series appearance since 1973, and defeated the Chunichi Dragons in five games, giving them their first championship since 1964. Kudoh was dominant in his Game 1 start (complete game, 13 strikeouts), and Akiyama was named Series MVP.

The following year, the Hawks again made the Japan Series, but this time lost to the powerful Yomiuri Giants in six games. Despite the shaky financial ground that Daiei was on thanks to their rampant expansion in bubble-era Japan, the team continued to be competitive. The team won their second Japan Series in five years, defeating the popular Hanshin Tigers in seven games in the 2003 Japan Series, an exciting series in which the home team won every game.

Home run record controversy

In 2001, American Karl "Tuffy" Rhodes, playing for the Kintetsu Buffaloes, hit 55 home runs with several games left, equaling Hawks' manager Sadaharu Oh's single-season home run record. The Buffaloes played a weekend series against the Oh-managed Hawks late in the season, and Rhodes was intentionally walked during each at-bat of the series. Video footage showed Hawks' catcher Kenji Johjima grinning as he caught the intentional balls. Oh denied any involvement and Hawks battery coach Yoshiharu Wakana stated that the pitchers acted on his orders, saying, "It would be distasteful to see a foreign player break Oh's record." Rhodes completed the season with 55 home runs. League commissioner Hiromori Kawashima denounced the Hawks' behavior as "unsportsmanlike." Hawks pitcher Keisaburo Tanoue went on record saying that he wanted to throw strikes to Rhodes and felt bad about the situation.^[6][7]

In 2002, Venezuelan Alex Cabrera hit 55 home runs with five games left in the season, with several of those to be played against Oh's Hawks. Oh told his pitchers to throw strikes to Cabrera, but most of them ignored his order and threw balls well away from the plate. After the game, Oh stated, "If you're going to break the record, you should do it by more than one. Do it by a lot."^[7] In the wake of the most recent incident involving Cabrera, ESPN listed Oh's single-season home run record as #2 on its list of "The Phoniest Records in Sports."^[8]

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (2005–present)

Daiei Inc had been under financial pressure to sell its 60% stake in the team over the previous few years, with reports in 2003 suggesting the company would sell the team and the Fukuoka Dome. Daiei attempted to hold on to the team and held discussions with its primary lenders, including UFJ Bank, to see if it could find a way to retain the team, but ultimately the sale went through to SoftBank in January 2005.

The Hawks continued their winning ways after the sale of the team to SoftBank. Following the sale, the Hawks represented one of the richest teams in Japan, with a player core still intact from the last years of the Daiei era. Particularly strong was the team's starting pitching behind Saitoh, Tsuyoshi Wada, Nagisa Arakaki, and Toshiya Sugiuchi. In 2005, the Hawks finished in first place during the regular season, but fell to the eventual Japan Series champions, the Chiba Lotte Marines in the second stage of the Climax Series. In 2006, a dramatic pennant race led to an even more exciting playoff run that ended in the Sapporo Dome at the hands of the eventual Japan Series Champions, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. Team manager Sadaharu Oh missed most of the 2006 season due to stomach cancer.

The Hawks' 2007 season was plagued by injuries and general ineffectiveness and inconsistency, leading to another 3rd-place finish and first-stage exit in the playoffs at the hands of the Marines. In 2008, though various injuries still affected the Hawks' bench (especially the bullpen), the club claimed its first Interleague title in June, winning a tiebreaker against the Hanshin Tigers. However, injuries caught up with them in the final month of the season, and the Hawks finished in last place with a 54–74–2 record. The finish represented their worst since 1996.

At the end of the 2008 season, Oh announced his retirement, and former Hawk and fan favorite Koji Akiyama was named as Oh's successor. In 2009, the team cracked the playoffs once again on the backs of breakout seasons from surging starting pitcher D. J. Houlton, outfielder Yuya Hasegawa, Rookie of the Year Tadashi Settsu and another stellar season from ace Sugiuchi. However, the team still was unable to get out of the first stage, as the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles ousted the Hawks in a 2-game sweep.

The Hawks finally reclaimed the Pacific League regular season title in 2010 after a seven-year wait. The title came after a see-saw season in which the team recovered several times after extended losing streaks. Starting pitcher Wada, back from injury through much of the previous two seasons, was, along with fellow ace Sugiuchi, at his best. Wada set career highs in wins and games started. The reliable "SBM" relieving trio of Settsu, Brian Falkenborg, and Mahara limited opponent offenses late in games. The bullpen also benefited from the emergence of Keisuke Kattoh and Masahiko Morifuku, with the latter blossoming in the second half of the season.

The Hawks offense was largely composed of role players who seemed to take turns having big games and off days, and it was the team's speed that drove the team as the Hawks led the league in stolen bases in the regular season with 148, well ahead of their nearest challenger, who had 116. Yuichi Honda stole 59 bases while Kawasaki stole 30. However, despite putting forward a strong group, the Hawks failed to make it to the Japan Series, losing to the Lotte Marines in six games in the Climax Series despite having a 3–1 series lead.

SoftBank won the Pacific League again in 2011, with a dominating season on all fronts. The offense was bolstered further by the acquisition of former Yokohama BayStars outfielder Seiichi Uchikawa, who led the league in batting in 2011. Pitching from Sugiuchi, Wada and an excellent bounce-back season from Houlton also helped propel the team to the best record in NPB. After sweeping the Saitama Seibu Lions in the Pacific League Climax Series, the Hawks took on the Chunichi Dragons to win the Japan Series, a rematch of the 1999 Japan Series. The Dragons pushed SoftBank to the full seven games, but the Hawks shut out the Dragons 3–0 in the seventh game to win their first Japan Series since 2003.

The 2012 season started with losses for the Hawks. During the off season, they lost their star starters Tsuyoshi Wada (to the Baltimore Orioles), Toshiya Sugiuchi and D.J. Houlton (to Yomiuri Giants) through free agency. All star shortstop Munenori Kawasaki also left the team for the Seattle Mariners. Closer Takahiro Mahara would sit out the season through injury. To compensate for these losses, the team acquired outfielder Wily Mo Peña and starter Brad Penny from the MLB, in addition to starter Kazuyuki Hoashi from Seibu Lions. However, of the 3 major signings, only Peña made regular contributions. Hoashi was injured in his first regular season start and did not rejoin the team for the rest of the season. Penny was in the downward spiral of his career and started only 1 game for the Hawks before being released.

The team had to deal with their off season losses to their pitching staff from within the organization. Settsu was elevated to the team's ace, while young pitchers such as Kenji Otonari and Hiroki Yamada were given bigger roles. Nagisa Arakaki returned from long term injury to join the rotation. However, new closer Falkenborg had to sit out most of the season through injury, eventually handing over the role to Morifuku. Arakaki could not regain his former numbers. In the end, the losses could not be mitigated. The team could only finish third in the Pacific League regular season and eventually lost out to the Nippon Ham Fighters in the P.L. Climax Series Final Stage. The bright spark of the season came from rookie starter Shota Takeda, who went 8-1 with an ERA of 1.07.

In 2014 the Hawks won the Japan Series. They won for a second consecutive season in 2015, with outfielder Yuki Yanagita winning league MVP and the batting title. The Hawks also won the 2017 Japan Series.^[9]

Current coaching staff

First squad coaching staff
Position	No.	Name	Japanese notation	Bats	Throws	Career
Manager	81	Kimiyasu Kudoh	工藤 公康	Left	Left	2015 –
Bench coach	79	Mitsuo Tatsukawa	達川 光男	Right	Right	1995,2017 –
Pitching coach	94	Shinji Kurano	倉野 信次	Right	Right	2009 –
	72	Kenichi Wakatabe	若田部 健一	Right	Right	2017 –
	98	Hiroshi Takamura	高村 祐	Right	Right	2016 –
Hitting coach	94	Yoshiie Tachibana	立花 義家	Left	Left	1998–2001,2009–2012,2017 –
	76	Hiroshi Fujimoto	藤本 博史	Right	Right	2011 –
Infield and base running coach	80	Yoshio Mizukami	水上 善雄	Right	Right	2014 –
Outfield and base running coach	93	Arihito Muramatsu	村松 有人	Left	Left	2014 –
Battery coach	95	Kenj Yoshithuru	吉鶴 憲治	Right	Right	2017 –
Operations and battery coach	86	Hiroyuki Mori	森 浩之	Right	Right	2017 –
Second squad coaching staff
Manager	71	Kazuo Ogawa	小川 一夫	Right	Right	2011–2013,2018 –
Pitching coaches	84	Yasuo Kubo	久保 康生	Right	Right	2018 –
	91	Masahiro Sakumoto	佐久本 昌広	Left	Left	2015 –
Hitting coach	75	Noriyoshi Omichi	大道 典良	Right	Right	2013 –
	78	Tetsuya Iida	飯田 哲也	Right	Right	2015 –
Infield and base running coach	74	Hideaki Matsuyama	松山 秀明	Right	Right	2018 –
Outfield and base running coach	87	Tatsuya Ide	井出 竜也	Right	Right	2007 –
Battery coach	85	Tetsuya Matoyama	的山 哲也	Right	Right	2009 –
Third squad coaching staff
Manager	88	Koichi Sekikawa	関川 浩一	Left	Right	2016,2018 –
Pitching coaches	82	Keisaburo Tanoue	田之上 慶三郎	Right	Right	2008–2012,2015 –
	99	Yusaku Iriki	入来 祐作	Right	Right	2015 –
Hitting coach	70	Ryo Yoshimoto	吉本亮	Right	Right	2018 –
Infield and base running coach	97	Takashi Sasagawa	笹川 隆	Right	Right	2011–2013,2017 –
Outfield and base running coach	92	Fumikazu Takanami	高波 文一	Right	Right	2012–2013,2017 –
Battery coach	96	Ryota Kato	加藤 領健	Right	Right	2018 –
Rehabilitation coach	73	Manabu Saitoh	斉藤 学	Right	Right	2001 –

Current roster players

Roster players
No.	Country	Name	Japanese notation	Bats	Throws	Draft year /Debut year	No.	Country	Name	Japanese notation	Bats	Throws	Draft year /Debut year
Pitchers							31		Ryoya Kurihara	栗原 陵矢	Left	Right	2014
10		Koutaro Ohtake	大竹 耕太郎	Left	Left	2017	39		Tamon Horiuchi	堀内 汰門	Right	Right	2014
11		Kenichi Nakata	中田 賢一	Right	Right	2004	45		Kenta Tanigawara	谷川原 健太	Left	Right	2015
13		Akira Niho	二保 旭	Right	Right	2008	62		Takuya Kai	甲斐 拓也	Right	Right	2010
14		Ren Kajiya	加治屋 蓮	Right	Right	2013	65		Ryuhei Kuki	九鬼 隆平	Right	Right	2016
16		Nao Higashihama	東浜 巨	Right	Right	2012	77		Masahiro Harimoto	張本 優大	Right	Right	2013
17		Sho Iwasaki	岩嵜 翔	Right	Right	2007	Infielders
18		Shota Takeda	武田 翔太	Right	Right	2011	0		Tomoki Takata	高田 知季	Left	Right	2012
19		Ariel Miranda	アリエル・ミランダ	Left	Left	2017	00		Hikaru Kawase	川瀬 晃	Left	Right	2015
20		Hayato Terahara	寺原 隼人	Right	Right	2001	1		Seiichi Uchikawa	内川 聖一	Right	Right	2000
21		Tsuyoshi Wada	和田 毅	Left	Left	2002	2		Kenta Imamiya	今宮 健太	Right	Right	2009
25		Seigi Tanaka	田中 正義	Right	Right	2016	3		Nobuhiro Matsuda	松田 宣浩	Right	Right	2005
26		Haruto Yoshizumi	吉住 晴斗	Right	Right	2017	4		Keizo Kawashima	川島 慶三	Right	Right	2005
28		Rei Takahashi	高橋 礼	Right	Right	2017	8		Kenji Akashi	明石 健志	Left	Right	2003
29		Shuta Ishikawa	石川 柊太	Right	Right	2013	22		Tetsuro Nishida	西田 哲朗	Right	Right	2009
34		Arata Shiino	椎野 新	Right	Right	2017	27		Yurisbel Gracial	ジュリスベル・グラシアル	Right	Right	2017
35		Liván Moinelo	リバン・モイネロ	Left	Left	2017	33		Shū Masuda	増田 珠	Right	Right	2017
38		Yuito Mori	森 唯斗	Right	Right	2013	36		Taisei Makihara	牧原 大成	Left	Right	2010
40		Reiji Kozawa	小澤 怜史	Left	Right	2015	46		Yuichi Honda	本多 雄一	Left	Right	2005
41		Kodai Senga	千賀 滉大	Left	Right	2010	55		Kenta Chatani	茶谷 健太	Right	Right	2015
42		Ryoma Matsuda	松田 遼馬	Right	Right	2011	59		Shōgo Furusawa	古澤 勝吾	Right	Right	2014
44		Rick van den Hurk	リック・バンデンハーク	Right	Right	2015	61		Kenta Kurose	黒瀬 健太	Right	Right	2015
47		Jumpei Takahashi	高橋 純平	Right	Right	2015	68		Masaki Mimori	三森 大貴	Right	Right	2016
48		Ken Okamoto	岡本 健	Right	Right	2013	69		Yuki Mima	美間 優槻	Right	Right	2012
49		Yuto Furuya	古谷 優人	Left	Left	2016	Outfielders
50		Tadashi Settsu	攝津 正	Right	Right	2008	6		Yuki Yoshimura	吉村 裕基	Right	Right	2002
53		Ryota Igarashi	五十嵐 亮太	Right	Right	1997	7		Akira Nakamura	中村 晃	Left	Left	2007
56		Fumimaru Taura	田浦 文丸	Left	Left	2017	9		Yuki Yanagita	柳田 悠岐	Left	Right	2010
57		Shinya Kayama	嘉弥真 新也	Left	Left	2011	23		Ryuma Kidokoro	城所 龍磨	Left	Right	2003
58		Dennis Sarfate	デニス・サファテ	Right	Right	2011	24		Yuya Hasegawa	長谷川 勇也	Left	Right	2006
63		Taiga Kasahara	笠原 大芽	Right	Left	2012	32		Masayoshi Tsukada	塚田 正義	Right	Right	2011
66		Yuki Matsumoto	松本 裕樹	Left	Right	2014	37		Shuhei Fukuda	福田 秀平	Left	Right	2006
67		Shunsuke Kasaya	笠谷 俊介	Left	Left	2014	43		Tomoaki Egawa	江川 智晃	Right	Right	2004
90		Robert Suárez	ロベルト・スアレス	Right	Right	2016	51		Seiji Uebayashi	上林 誠知	Left	Right	2013
Catchers							54		Alfredo Despaigne	アルフレド・デスパイネ	Right	Right	2014
12		Hiroaki Takaya	髙谷 裕亮	Left	Right	2006	60		Gō Kamamoto	釜元 豪	Left	Right	2011
30		Tomoya Ichikawa	市川 友也	Right	Right	2009	64		Yūsuke Masago	真砂 勇介	Right	Right	2012

Current developmental squad players

Developmental squad players
No.	Country	Name	Japanese notation	Bats	Throws	Draft year /Debut year	No.	Country	Name	Japanese notation	Bats	Throws	Draft year /Debut year
Pitchers							Catchers
120		Shūto Ogata	尾形 崇斗	Left	Right	2017	132		Yūichi Higoshi	樋越 優一	Left	Right	2015
122		Hiroyuki Kawahara	川原 弘之	Left	Left	2009	Infielders
123		Yūsuke Itoh	伊藤 祐介	Left	Left	2012	121		Ukyō Shūtō	周東 佑京	Left	Right	2017
126		Seiya Saitoh	齋藤 誠哉	Left	Left	2014	127		Richard Sunagawa	砂川 リチャード	Right	Right	2017
128		Amon Yamashita	山下 亜文	Left	Left	2014	138		Kōsuke Moriyama	森山 孔介	Right	Right	2016
129		Yūto Nozawa	野澤 佑斗	Left	Right	2015	142		Ryūken Matsumoto	松本 龍憲	Left	Right	2016
130		Ryūya Kodama	児玉 龍也	Left	Left	2015	Outfielders
134		Hiroki Hasegawa	長谷川 宙輝	Left	Left	2016	124		Kazuhiro Kohyama	幸山 一大	Right	Right	2014
136		Shin Nakamura	中村 晨	Right	Right	2015	125		Shōgo Ohmoto	大本 将吾	Left	Right	2016
137		Takeshi Watanabe	渡辺 健史	Left	Left	2015	135		Tsubasa Tashiro	田城 飛翔	Left	Right	2016
140		Yuta Watanabe	渡邉 雄大	Left	Left	2017	139		Yamato Higurashi	日暮 矢麻人	Left	Left	2017
143		Yōsuke Shimabukuro	島袋 洋奨	Left	Left	2014	141		Rikuya Shimizu	清水 陸哉	Right	Right	2016
							144		Oscar Colas	オスカー・コラス	Left	Left	2017

Former players