Giants' 1st title at Tokyo Dome stadium

Giants' 1st title at Tokyo Dome stadium

TOKYO, Japan, Sept. 3 Kyodo - Japan's Yomiuri Giants professional baseball players -- including Warren Cromartie (49), Koichi Ogata (44) and Tatsunori Hara (8) -- acknowledge the cheers of the fans with a banzai salute on Sept. 8, 1990, after winning their first Central League title at their new home field Tokyo Dome stadium, built in 1988, in the Japanese capital.

Ogata hits 3-run homer against Tigers

Ogata hits 3-run homer against Tigers

HIROSHIMA, Japan - Hiroshima Toyo Carp's Koichi Ogata hits a three-run homer in the third inning against the Hanshin Tigers on April 23.

Carp players pray for victory at shrine

Carp players pray for victory at shrine

Hiroshima Carp manager Koichi Ogata (L in front row) and his players pray for a victorious season at Gokoku Shrine in the western Japan city on March 25, 2015. The regular season begins on March 27. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Ex-Yankees hurler Kuroda greets Hiroshima manager in Okinawa

Ex-Yankees hurler Kuroda greets Hiroshima manager in Okinawa

Former New York Yankees pitcher Hiroki Kuroda (L) shakes hands with Hiroshima Carp manager Koichi Ogata in Okinawa, Japan, on Feb. 17, 2015, a day before the start of the Carp's training camp. After playing seven big league seasons, Kuroda returned to the Central League club. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Baseball: Carp down Tigers, repeat as Central League champs

Baseball: Carp down Tigers, repeat as Central League champs

Hiroshima Carp manager Koichi Ogata is tossed into the air by players of his team after the Carp clinch their second straight Central League championship with a 3-2 win over the Hanshin Tigers at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture on Sept. 18, 2017. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Baseball: Carp down Tigers, repeat as Central League champs

Baseball: Carp down Tigers, repeat as Central League champs

Hiroshima Carp manager Koichi Ogata is tossed into the air by players of his team after the Carp clinch their second straight Central League championship with a 3-2 win over the Hanshin Tigers at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture on Sept. 18, 2017. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Baseball: Carp down Tigers, repeat as Central League champs

Baseball: Carp down Tigers, repeat as Central League champs

Hiroshima Carp manager Koichi Ogata is tossed into the air by players of his team after the Carp clinch their second straight Central League championship with a 3-2 win over the Hanshin Tigers at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture on Sept. 18, 2017. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Baseball: Japanese All-Star managers call for votes

Baseball: Japanese All-Star managers call for votes

Hiroshima Carp manager Koichi Ogata (L) and Nippon Ham Fighters manager Hideki Kuriyama pose for a photo with mascots in Tokyo on May 11, 2017, as they urged baseball fans to vote for the two-game All-Star series on July 14 and 15. The results of fan voting will be announced on June 26. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Hiroshima Carp's "kamitteru" feat shines as Japan's 2016 top buzzword

Hiroshima Carp's "kamitteru" feat shines as Japan's 2016 top buzzword

Seiya Suzuki (R), an outfielder of Japan's Hiroshima Carp baseball club, speaks at an award ceremony at a hotel in Tokyo on Dec. 1, 2016, after "kamitteru," a coined word that means being godlike or superhuman, which was used to describe the team's feat this season, was chosen as this year's top buzzword. Hiroshima manager Koichi Ogata used the term in June when he described Suzuki's performance as "kamitteru" after the outfielder hit sayonara home runs, or walk-off home runs, in two consecutive games against the Orix Buffaloes. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Baseball: Carp, Fighters to face off for 1st time in Japan Series

Baseball: Carp, Fighters to face off for 1st time in Japan Series

Hiroshima Carp manager Koichi Ogata (L) and Hideki Kuriyama, skipper of the Nippon Ham Fighters, shake hands at Mazda Stadium in Hiroshima on Oct. 21, 2016, on the eve of the first game between the two teams in the Japan Series championship. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Hiroshima clinches 1st Central League championship since 1991

Hiroshima clinches 1st Central League championship since 1991

Koichi Ogata (top), manager of the Hiroshima Carp, is tossed in the air by team members after the Carp clinched their first Central League championship since 1991 with a 6-4 win over the Yomiuri Giants at Tokyo Dome on Sept. 10, 2016. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Ogata hits 3-run homer against Tigers

Ogata hits 3-run homer against Tigers

HIROSHIMA, Japan - Hiroshima Toyo Carp's Koichi Ogata hits a three-run homer in the third inning against the Hanshin Tigers on April 23.