Akinobu Okada

Akinobu Okada (岡田 彰布) (born November 25, 1957) is a Japanese baseball manager and former player who manages the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).

Playing career
Okada played, mostly as a second baseman, for the Hanshin Tigers from to, winning the Central League Rookie of the Year in 1980. In 1993, he was traded to the Orix BlueWave. He played there until.

Coaching career
He managed the Hanshin Tigers from 2004 to 2008, leading the team to the Central League pennant in 2005.

In November 2008, he entered into a contract with the Daily Sports Company as a commentator. In 2009, he appeared on Asahi Broadcasting Corporation (ABC, AM radio, Terrestrial TV), Sky A Sports Plus (SKY PerfecTV!, satellite TV) and other broadcasting stations in the Kansai region.

Okada returned to the field in 2010, managing the Orix Buffaloes from 2010 to 2012.

On September 26, 2022, Okada was hired to serve as the manager for the Hanshin Tigers, marking his second managerial stint with the club. During his first season back in 2023, the Hanshin Tigers defeated Okada's former team he managed, the Orix Buffaloes, 4-3 in the 2023 Japan Series. This not only gave Okada a championship as a manager for Hanshin, but also ended the Tigers' championship drought that started back in 1985.