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{{Short description|Japanese baseball player and manager (1947–2018)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox NPB player
|name=Senichi Hoshino<br>星野 仙一
|image=RE-Senichi-Hoshino20110309 (cropped).jpg
|image_size=250px
|caption=Hoshino in 2011
|team= 
|number= 
|position=[[Pitcher]] / [[Manager (baseball)|Manager]]
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|birth_date={{birth date|1947|1|22|df=y}}
|death_date ={{dda|2018|1|4|1947|1|22|df=y}}
|birth_place= [[Kurashiki]], [[Okayama Prefecture|Okayama]], [[Japan]]
|death_place= [[Tsu, Mie]], Japan
|debutleague=NPB
|debutdate=April 13
|debutyear=1969
|debutteam=Chunichi Dragons
|finalleague=NPB
|finaldate=October 12
|finalyear=1982
|finalteam=Chunichi Dragons
|statleague= NPB
|stat1label= [[Win–loss record (pitching)|Win–loss]]
|stat1value= 146–121
|stat2label= [[Earned run average|ERA]]
|stat2value= 3.60
|stat3label= [[Strikeout]]s
|stat3value= 1,225
|stat4label  = Managerial record
|stat4value  = 1,181–1,043–53
|stat5label  = Winning %
|stat5value  = .531
|teams=
'''As Player'''<br />
* [[Chunichi Dragons]] ({{npby|1969}}–{{npby|1982}})
'''As Manager'''<br />
* Chunichi Dragons ({{npby|1987}}–{{npby|1991}}, {{npby|1996}}–{{npby|2001}})
* [[Hanshin Tigers]] ({{npby|2002}}–{{npby|2003}})
* [[Japan national baseball team|Japanese Olympic national team]] ({{baseball year|2007}}–{{baseball year|2008}})
* [[Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles]] ({{npby|2011}}–{{npby|2014}})
| highlights    = 
* [[Japan Series|Japan Series champion]] ([[2013 Japan Series|2013]])
* [[Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles #Retired numbers|Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles #77]] retired
| hoflink       = Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame
| hoftype       = Japanese
| hofdate       = 2017
}}
{{nihongo|'''Senichi Hoshino'''|星野 仙一|Hoshino Sen'ichi|January 22, 1947 – January 4, 2018}}<ref>{{cite news|title=Former NPB star pitcher, manager Senichi Hoshino dies at 70|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2018/01/06/baseball/japanese-baseball/former-npb-star-pitcher-manager-senichi-hoshino-dies/#.WoihoajwZPY|newspaper=The Japan Times Online|access-date=17 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128073154/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2018/01/06/baseball/japanese-baseball/former-npb-star-pitcher-manager-senichi-hoshino-dies/#.Woik5KjwZPY|archive-date=28 January 2018|date=6 January 2018}}</ref> was a Japanese [[Nippon Professional Baseball]] player and manager.

In 2003, he led the [[Hanshin Tigers]] to their first [[Central League]] pennant in 18 years before retiring for health reasons. In 2007, he managed the [[Japan national baseball team|Japanese national team]] for the 2008 [[2008 Summer Olympics|Beijing Olympics]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=3659108|title=Japan Olympic coach Hoshino won't return for WBC|date=23 October 2008|publisher=[[ESPN]]|access-date=8 November 2010}}</ref>

In October 2010 Hoshino was hired as manager of the [[Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles]].  He led the Eagles to a [[Pacific League]] pennant and [[2013 Japan Series|Japan Series]] championship in 2013.

==Childhood==
Hoshino was born the third of three children in [[Kurashiki]], Japan. His father died three months after he was born, and his mother raised him and his two sisters alone. He played baseball throughout his high school years, but was unable to advance to the [[Koshien (disambiguation)|Koshien]] baseball tournament. He entered [[Meiji University]], and became a starter from his first year. He marked 23 total wins in the [[Tokyo Big6 Baseball League]], including one no-hitter, but his team never won the league championship. Hoshino's reputation as a hot-headed leader<ref name=WhitingWa>[[Whiting, Robert]]. ''You Gotta Have Wa'' (Vintage Departures, 1989), pp. 218–219.</ref> began in his years at [[Meiji University]], when he and other members of the baseball team banded together to break down a barricade set up around the school by a student protest group.

==Playing career==
Hoshino was drafted in the first round by the [[Chunichi Dragons]] in 1968, led by manager [[Shigeru Mizuhara]]. The [[Yomiuri Giants]] had promised Hoshino that he would be their first round draft pick, but the Giants broke their promise, drafting another player instead. This betrayal made Hoshino develop a profound hatred towards the Giants, and he has battled the Giants ever since, both as a pitcher and as a manager. Hoshino signed with the Dragons in 1969, and pitched both as a starter and reliever, quickly becoming the ace of the Dragons pitching staff. He led the league in saves in 1974, and won the [[Eiji Sawamura Award]]. More importantly, however, his team won the league championship, stopping the Yomiuri Giants record of consecutive league championships at 9. He was known as the "Kyojin Killer" (Giants Killer) because he seemed to pitch unusually well against the Giants. His team won another league championship in 1982, and Hoshino retired after that year. His career record was 146–121, with 34 saves.

Hoshino was an extremely popular figure during his career, not because of his skill as a pitcher, but because of his persona. Baseball fans were sick of seeing the Yomiuri Giants win the championship year after year, and Hoshino's outspoken hatred of the Giants finally gave fans a player to root for beside [[Shigeo Nagashima]] and [[Sadaharu Oh]]. Hoshino stayed with the Dragons for his entire career, and was very well respected by his teammates.

==Managerial career==
Hoshino worked as a commentator for [[NHK]] after retiring, and his popularity with both fans and players called him back to the [[Chunichi Dragons]] as a manager in 1987. Hoshino made a number of big trades, and led the Dragons to a league championship in 1988. He stepped down in 1991, and returned to his job as a commentator and sports writer.

The Dragons did poorly after Hoshino's departure, and he was once again called back to lead the team in 1996. Hoshino won his second league championship in 1999, but stepped down again after his team placed fifth in 2001.

In 2002, Hoshino was called to take over as manager of the [[Hanshin Tigers]], who had been in last place for the last four years under [[Katsuya Nomura]]. He raised the team to fourth place in his first year, and made huge cuts during the off-season while recruiting [[free agent]]s like [[Tomoaki Kanemoto]] and [[Hideki Irabu]]. The Tigers won the Central League championship in 2003; Hoshino's third pennant as manager. However, he frequently fell ill during games in 2003, often leaving the head coach to manage the team while he sat quietly on the bench. He stepped down after the 2003 Japanese championship series for health reasons, allegedly due to high blood pressure and heart arrhythmia, but was the assistant senior director of the Hanshin Tigers until 2010. In 2007, he became the manager of the [[Japan national baseball team]], which won the Asian Baseball Championship (the qualifier for the Beijing Olympics) defeating the Philippines, Korea, and Taiwan. However, the "Hoshino Japan" finished with a 4–5 record in the 2008 [[2008 Summer Olympics|Beijing Olympics]] with no medals.

After the [[Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles]] decided to let [[Marty Brown (baseball)|Marty Brown]] go after the first year of a two-year contract,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2010/10/06/baseball/japanese-baseball/eagles-eye-hoshino-sources/ |title=Eagles eye Hoshino: sources |date=October 6, 2010 |access-date=June 27, 2018 |work=[[The Japan Times]] |agency=[[Kyodo News]]}}</ref> Hoshino was brought on to manage the team and signed to a one-year, ¥150 million contract for the 2011 season.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2010/10/28/baseball/japanese-baseball/hoshino-makes-return-with-eagles/ |title=Hoshino makes return with Eagles |date=October 28, 2010 |access-date=June 27, 2018 |work=[[The Japan Times]] |agency=[[Kyodo News]]}}</ref> After a fifth-place PL finish and the positive development of the team's younger players, team owner [[Hiroshi Mikitani]] requested that Hoshino stay on as manager for the next few seasons.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2012/08/08/baseball/japanese-baseball/eagles-want-hoshino-for-third-year/ |title=Eagles want Hoshino for third year |date=August 8, 2012 |access-date=June 27, 2018 |work=[[The Japan Times]] |agency=[[Kyodo News]]}}</ref> In the 2013 season, the Eagles' ninth, he went on to lead the team to its first PL pennant, first successful [[Climax Series]] run, and first [[Japan Series]] title.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2013/11/03/baseball/japanese-baseball/eagles-blank-giants-in-game-7-capture-first-japan-series-title/ |title=Eagles blank Giants in Game 7, capture first Japan Series title |date=November 3, 2013 |access-date=June 27, 2018 |work=[[The Japan Times]] |author=Coskrey, Jason}}</ref> The following season, however, the Eagles finished in last place and Hoshino announced that he would step down as manager. His managerial tenure remains the team's longest.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2014/09/18/baseball/japanese-baseball/eagles-manager-hoshino-step-seasons-end/ |title=Eagles manager Hoshino to step down at season's end |date=September 14, 2014 |access-date=June 27, 2018 |work=[[The Japan Times]] |agency=[[Kyodo News]]}}</ref>

==Death==
Hoshino died of [[pancreatic cancer]] in [[Tsu, Mie]] on January 4, 2018 at the age of 70.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2018/01/06/baseball/japanese-baseball/former-npb-star-pitcher-manager-senichi-hoshino-dies/#.WlDDSvCnHIU|title=Former NPB star pitcher, manager Senichi Hoshino dies at 70|newspaper=[[The Japan Times]]|date=5 January 2018|access-date=6 January 2018|author=Kyodo}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*Career statistics and player information from [https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=hoshin000sen Baseball-Reference] or [http://npb.jp/bis/players/51053828.html NPB] <small>(in Japanese)</small>
* [http://1001-kinenkan.jp Sen'ichi Hoshino's official website] (in Japanese)

{{s-start}}
{{s-sports}}
{{s-bef | before = [[Marty Brown (baseball)|Marty Brown]]}}
{{s-ttl | title = [[List of Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles managers|Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles manager]] | years = {{npby|2011}}–{{npby|2014}}}}
{{s-aft | after = [[Hiromoto Okubo]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Eiji Sawamura Award}}
{{Matsutaro Shoriki Award}}
{{Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles managers}}
{{Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles}}
{{Chunichi Dragons Managers}}
{{Chunichi Dragons Opening Day starting pitchers}}
{{Japan national baseball team managers}}
{{Japan baseball roster 2008 Summer Olympics}}
{{Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame}}
{{2013 Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoshino, Senichi}}
[[Category:1947 births]]
[[Category:2018 deaths]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Kurashiki]]
[[Category:Baseball people from Okayama Prefecture]]
[[Category:Meiji University alumni]]
[[Category:Japanese baseball players]]
[[Category:Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers]]
[[Category:Chunichi Dragons players]]
[[Category:Managers of baseball teams in Japan]]
[[Category:Chunichi Dragons managers]]
[[Category:Hanshin Tigers managers]]
[[Category:Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles managers]]
[[Category:Olympic baseball managers]]
[[Category:Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Deaths from pancreatic cancer in Japan]]
[[Category:Nippon Professional Baseball players with retired numbers]]