KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Last November at his sayonara party in Tokyo, I semi-promised outgoing Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters manager Trey Hillman I would travel to Kansas City in 2008 to see him in action as skipper of the American League Royals. Last month, I made good on that promise.
Prior to the Royals' June 24 interleague meeting against the Colorado Rockies (the middle game of a three-game series swept by the home team), Hillman invited me into his office at Kaufmann Stadium for a chat while he munched on a snack — not onigiri wrapped in seaweed, but what appeared to be some sort of triangular-shaped mini-tacos.
We talked about his five years as field boss of the Fighters, his ups and downs with the Royals, where he's suffered through separate losing streaks of five and 12 games but recently went through a hot run where they won 11 of 12, and his prospects for the future in western Missouri.
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