Kazuyoshi Tatsunami

Kazuyoshi Tatsunami (立浪 和義, Tatsunami Kazuyoshi, born August 19, 1969) is a former Japanese professional baseball infielder and manager. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Chunichi Dragons from 1988 to 2009. He was drafted in the first round in the 1987 NPB Draft.

Kazuyoshi Tatsunami 立浪和義
Hitting grounders in Chatan, Okinawa, November 6, 2022
Infielder/Manager
Born: (1969-08-19) August 19, 1969 (age 55) Settsu, Osaka, Japan
Batted: Left Threw: Right
NPB debut
April 8, 1988, for the Chunichi Dragons
Last NPB appearance
October 24, 2009, for the Chunichi Dragons
Career statistics
Batting average	.285
Hits	2,480
Home runs	171
Runs batted in	1,037
Teams
As player Chunichi Dragons (1988–2009) As coach Chunichi Dragons (2008–2009) As manager Chunichi Dragons (2022–2024)
Career highlights and awards
Japan Series Champion (2007) Central League Rookie of the Year (1988) 2× Best Nine Award (2B: 1996, 3B: 2004) 5× Golden Glove Award (SS: 1988, 2B: 1995-1997, 3B: 2003) 11× NPB All-Star (1988, 1991, 1994-1998, 2000, 2002-2004) 2× Most runs scored (1991, 1994) Most times on base (1996) Hit for the cycle (22 August 1997 vs Hanshin Tigers at Nagoya Dome)
Member of the Japanese
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction	2019

Career

Playing career

Tatsunami holds the all-time NPB double record with 487, and is a member of the Meikyukai (Association of Great Players, or Golden Players Club).

After the 2009 season, Tatsunami retired, having seen his skills and playing time diminish for the last few seasons. He retired with a career .285 batting average, 171 home runs, 1,037 RBI, and 2,480 hits.

On 15 January 2019, Tatsunami was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame for his achievements as a player.^[1]

Coaching career

On 13 October 2021, it was confirmed that Tatsunami has been approached to become the new manager of the Chunichi Dragons ahead of the 2022 NPB season.^[2] On 18 September 2024, Tatsunami announced that he would be resigning following the season after lackluster results with the team.^[3]