Yakult Swallows catcher Atsuya Furuta came to agreement with his Central League club Tuesday on a two-year deal that will make him the first player-manager in 29 years in Japanese professional baseball.
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Furuta, 40, reached an agreement with team president Yoshikazu Tagiku and other top club officials and takes over from Tsutomu Wakamatsu who stepped down at the end of the season after a seven-year stint.