Nippon Ham Fighters manager Yasunori Oshima made his final report to the club's front office Wednesday and was asked to stay on as skipper after finishing the season in last place in the Pacific League standings.
The Fighters, who battled to a third-place finish last season in Oshima's first year of a three-year contract, finished at the bottom of the PL standings for the first time in seven years.
"This is the first time he has had to experience such a regrettable season. I want Mr. Oshima to use this bitter experience as a springboard to try and win the championship next season," the club's chairman of the board, Yoshinori Okoso, said in a statement.