The Softbank Hawks failed to bid farewell to manager Sadaharu Oh with a victory Tuesday, losing to the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles 1-0 in 12 innings to finish the season in last place for the first time since 1996.
The 68-year-old Oh leaves his post due to health reasons after guiding the Hawks to Pacific League titles in 1999, 2000 and 2003 and JapanSeries titles in 1999 and 2003 during his 14 years at the helm.
"I never had a feeling that this was the end of my career. I just spent the day as usual," Oh said. "In the very end, I was able to enjoy 12 innings of baseball. I had a very good day, but I wish I could have gone out as a winner."