Masaaki Mori (baseball) explained

Masaaki Mori
Position:Catcher / Manager
Bats:Left
Throws:Right
Birth Date:9 January 1937
Birth Place:Gifu, Gifu, Japan
Debutleague:NPB
Debutdate:October 8
Debutyear:1955
Debutteam:Yomiuri Giants
Finalleague:NPB
Finaldate:October 14
Finalyear:1974
Finalteam:Yomiuri Giants
Statyear:1974
Statleague:NPB
Stat1label:Batting average
Stat1value:.236
Stat2label:Home runs
Stat2value:81
Stat3label:Hits
Stat3value:1341
Teams:As player

As manager

As coach

Awards:
Hoflink:Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame
Hoftype:Japanese
Hofdate:2005

is a retired professional Japanese baseball player and manager.

Mori played Nippon Professional Baseball from 1955–1974 as the catcher of the Yomiuri Giants. He was an eight-time Best Nine Award-winner (1961–1968) and the Japan Series MVP in 1967. He was selected to eleven Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star Games. He was nicknamed "the brains of the V9 Dynasty", as he was the main catcher of the Yomiuri Giants V9 Dynasty.

After his retirement as a player, Mori managed the Seibu Lions from 1986–1994, leading the team to 6 of the 8 Japan Series championships of the Invincible Seibu dynasty. He won the Matsutaro Shoriki Award in 1986 and 1990. Mori managed the Yokohama BayStars in 2001–2002.

Mori participated in 27 of the 73 Japan Series contested, as a player, coach, and manager, as of 2023, with him winning 21 of the 27, making him the most decorated individual in NPB history.