After managing the Norfolk Tides, the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate in 1995, manager Bobby Valentine left to manage the Chiba Lotte Marines, a team in Nippon Professional Baseball’s Pacific League. With a 55-73 record in 1994, the Marines ended the season in second-to-last place, in front of only the Nippon Ham Fighters. Manager Soroku Yagisawa was fired mid-season and replaced for the 1995 season by Valentine. The second gaijin to manage an NPB team, Bobby V led the team to a 69-58 record, second only behind the Orix Blue Wave. Though he had a two-year contact, he was fired after just one season.
Prospect Retrospective: Jae Weong Seo
