There was no secret that Hiromitsu Ochiai's days as the Chunichi Dragons manager were numbered. The team had, after all, announced in September it would not renew his contract after the season.
He didn't discuss the situation in the immediate aftermath of the team's decision and similarly held his tongue after the Dragons completed an improbable run to a second straight Central League title.
The Dragons in fact made it all the way to Game 7 of the Japan Series, extending the season to it's farthest point, before the clock finally ran out on Ochiai's eight-year run with the Dragons.