Former Nippon Ham Fighters skipper Hideki Kuriyama was appointed the new manager of Japan’s national baseball team, Samurai Japan, NPB Enterprise Inc. announced Thursday. Kuriyama won two Pacific League pennants and a Japan Series in his 10 years with the Fighters, where he oversaw Shohei Ohtani’s professional development as both a batter and pitcher. “I feel a sense of responsibility from the bottom of my heart,” Kuriyama told a press conference. “I will give 100 percent so that Japan can win the 2023 World Baseball Classic. The first challenge for the 60-year-old Kuriyama will be two games a…

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