The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters and the Chunichi Dragons will both have former star players as step in to take over as field managers.
Tsuyoshi Shinjo, an outfielder who ended his professional career with the Fighters, will replace outgoing manager Hideki Kuriyama, 60, while Kazuyoshi Tatsunami, known as "Mr. Dragons," succeeds Tsuyoshi Yoda, 55, the teams announced Friday.
Shinjo, 49, joined the Hanshin Tigers in 1990 as the team's fifth draft pick. He later went to the major leagues and played with the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants before returning to Japan in 2004 to join the Fighters.
He tied a final bow on his career in 2006 by helping the team win the Pacific League title and a Japan Series championship.
Shinjo came into prominence because of his flamboyant playing style as well as the unique performances he also brought to the game. Shinjo last year took part in a tryout at which all 12 Japan Professional Baseball teams attended in a bid to revive his playing career.
In addition to bringing back Shinjo, the Fighters have also selected Atsunori Inaba, whose career overlapped with Shinjo in Hokkaido, as its new general manager.
Inaba most recently served as manager for the national team at this year's Tokyo Olympics.
Meanwhile, Tatsunami officially accepted an offer to become the new Dragons manager in Nagoya on Friday. He is believed to have signed a three-year deal, but his uniform number has not been decided.
"My only mission is to make this team better," the 52-year-old said during a press conference later that day.
Tatsunami, known as "Mr. Dragons" because he spent his entire 22-year pro career with the team, grew in popularity because of his clutch hitting and boyish looks. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019, having compiled 2,480 career hits.
Tatsunami has been tasked with rebuilding the Dragons into a contender for the Central League pennant, which the team has not won since 2011.
"I'll do whatever I can to help the team improve on the offensive side," he said. "I want to instill the players with a strong desire to win."
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