The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette
Mr. Robert John Valentine旭日小綬章
ロバート・ジョン・バレンタイン氏
Summary of Achievements
Former Manager of the Professional Baseball team in Japan, Chiba Lotte Marines
Decoration: The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette
For his outstanding contributions to the development of Japanese baseball and to the advancement of friendly relations between Japan and the United States.
功績概要
元千葉ロッテマリーンズ監督
勲章名： 旭日小綬章
功績：野球を通じた日本・アメリカ合衆国間の友好親善に寄与
1. Contributions as a professional baseball manager
As the manager of the Chiba Lotte Marines, Mr. Valentine achieved a remarkable feat with his so-called ‘Bobby Magic’, his bold and unique set of coaching skills. In 1995, during his first stint as manager, he pushed the team to Class A (the top 3 teams in season rankings) for the first time in 10 years. In 2004, during his second stint, he led the team to a .500 winning percentage for the first time in 9 years. In 2005, he led the team to their first Japan Series title (championship) in 31 years. The Marines also won the Asia Series in the same year. It was the first time a team led by a manager from the United States won the Japan Series.
Mr. Valentine contributed a great deal to the development of Japanese baseball and to the advancement of friendly relations between Japan and the United States. He will be remembered in the history of Japanese baseball as a great foreign manager. Mr. Valentine also recruited many Japanese players while managing the New York Mets and continued to promote baseball in both Japan and the U.S.
１．プロ野球監督としての貢献
同人は，千葉ロッテマリーンズの監督として，「ボビーマジック」と呼ばれる大胆かつ独特な指導手腕により，一期目の平成７年には，同チームを１０年ぶりにいわゆるＡクラス（年間成績１位から３位）に，二期目の平成１６年には同チームを９年ぶりに勝率５割に，さらに翌１７年には，同チームを３１年ぶりに日本シリーズ優勝へと導く快挙を成し遂げ，続くアジアシリーズでも優勝を制した。米国出身の監督が率いるチームが日本シリーズを制覇したのは初めてであり，同人は，我が国球界史に残る名外国人監督として，日本球界の発展及び日米両国の促進に大きく寄与した。また，ニューヨーク・メッツの監督在任中には多くの日本人選手を登用し，日米両国の野球振興に貢献した。
2. Contributions to Japan's recovery from natural disasters through baseball
Mr. Valentine is highly involved in charitable activities. In 1995, while he was managing the Chiba Lotte Marines for the first time, following the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in the same year, he organized a charity game for the area’s recovery and managed the foreign players' team. In 2005, following the Mid Niigata Prefecture Earthquake in 2004, he arranged a professional baseball charity game for the area’s recovery. Donations and Revenue from the game were allotted to the support for the disaster area through the Japanese Red Cross Society.
In March 2011, after the Great East Japan Earthquake, Mr. Valentine, Mr. Valentine organized an event in June to assist the recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake and donated the revenue to the disaster area through the Japanese American Association of New York. In 2014, Mr. Valentine led fourteen youth baseball players on a visit to Ofunato City in the disaster area to hold a Japan-U.S. baseball exchange project called the ‘Bobby V Kizuna (bond) Foundation Baseball Camp’. In 2017, when ten youth baseball players from Ofunato were invited to the U.S. as the second round of the camp, Mr. Valentine held a baseball camp and tournaments with the local youth players.
２．野球を通じた我が国の震災復興への貢献
同人は，チャリティ活動に関心が高く，千葉ロッテマリーンズの監督として一期目の平成７年に発生した阪神・淡路大震災を受けて，同年に復興のためのチャリティ試合を提案し，外国人選手チームの監督として出場した。また，平成１７年には，新潟・中越地震等の復興のためのプロ野球チャリティ試合を提案し，同試合で集まった義援金は，日本赤十字社を通じて，被災地支援にあてられた。
東日本大震災発生後の平成２３年６月，東日本大震災復興を目的としたイベントを主催して収益金をニューヨーク日系人会を通じて被災地に寄付したほか，平成２６年には，米国の野球少年１４人を率いて被災地の大船渡市を訪問し，日米野球交流プロジェクト「ボビーＶと絆ベースボールキャンプ」を実施した。平成２９年に，同キャンプの第２弾として大船渡の１０人の野球少年が米国に招待された際には，同人は，地元の野球少年等と共に野球キャンプや交流試合を実施した。