Baseball: New skipper Kokubo aims to take Hawks back to summit

The SoftBank Hawks are determined to reclaim the Pacific League pennant and the mantle of Japan’s premier baseball club, new manager Hiroki Kokubo said Monday at his introductory press conference.

A former star slugger for the Fukuoka-based Hawks, the 52-year-old Kokubo has been promoted from managing their farm team.

He succeeds Hiroshi Fujimoto at the helm of the club, which last won the PL and the Japan Series in 2020.

“Our goal is to win the Pacific League championship and be No. 1 in Japan. We must do everything in our power to achieve that,” Kokubo said.

The Hawks finished third in the P...