Japanese home run king Sadaharu Oh plans to return
as manager the Softbank Hawks of Japan's Pacific League next year.
Oh, 66, had surgery July 17 to remove his stomach after he was
diagnosed with stomach cancer. He missed the rest of the season but
returned to theteam's home stadium in Fukuoka before the start of
the Pacific League playoffs.
``I am still not sure how my recovery process will work out but
in my heart I want to try hard looking ahead to next year,'' Oh said
Wednesday after the Hawks announced their coaching staff for the
2007 season.
Oh, who played for the Yomiuri Giants, holds Japan's career
record of 868 home runs. He set the season mark of 55 homers in
1964, a mark later tied by Tuffy Rhodes in 2001 and Alex Cabrera in
2002.
As manager, Oh led the Hawks to Japan Series championships in
1999 and 2003, when they were known as the Daiei Hawks. He also led
Japan to the title in this year's inaugural World Baseball Classic.
© The Canadian Press, 2007
