Hiroki Kokubo
Hiroki Kokubo is a retired professional baseball player from Wakayama, Japan.
Kokubo was one of Japan's leading power hitters during the 1990s and early 2000s. He hit over 40 home runs in 2001 and 2004, but only led the league in the category once, with only 28 home runs. He also led the league in RBIs in 1997.
He was suddenly given away to the Yomiuri Giants in 2003, despite being the team's cleanup hitter. Kokubo was seemingly given away for free, since the Giants did not give a player to the Hawks in exchange. The motives behind this transaction remain a mystery.
He played with the Yomiuri Giants for three years before signing with his former team during the 2006 off-season as a free agent.
He won a bronze medal in the 1992 Summer Olympics before entering the Japanese professional leagues.
In 2011, as team captain, he helped lead the Hawks to victory in the Japan Series, winning the Most Valuable Player Award.
On June 24, 2012, Kokubo recorded his 2,000th career hit, becoming the 41st Japanese professional baseball player to reach the milestone. On August 14 he announced his intention to retire at the end of the 2012 season. His retirement ceremony was held on October 8, after the last regular-season match against the Orix Buffaloes, which SoftBank lost after being no-hit.
In October 2013, Kokubo was named the manager of the Japan national baseball team. He led the team to a third place finish at the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
