Mr. Baseball(1992)

Submitted by Tornado Dragon

Jack (Tom Selleck) falls for Hiroko (Aya Takanashi), and later finds out that she is the daughter of Uchiyama (Ken Takakura). After an argument between the three of them, Jack and Uchiyama take a walk and chat. Uchiyama tells Jack that it was HE, not the team owners, who wanted him to play for the Dragons, so if Jack’s performance fails to improve, he will lose his job as manager. Now knowing this, Jack swallows his pride and puts forth some hard work and dedication to the sport and to his team, and starts to bond with his teammates. Also, he gets Uchiyama to understand that he needs to be less uptight, and to let his players be more aggressive, but also let them have some fun.

Because of the changes in Jack and Uchiyama, the Dragons become contenders for the Central League Pennant, and Jack also starts closing in on breaking Uchiyama’s record of seven straight home run games, a record treasured by the Dragons and their fans.

One day, Jack gets a call from his agent Doc (Nicholas Cascone), who tells him that the Los Angeles Dodgers are interested in bringing him in. At first, he’s thrilled, but when he tells Hiroko, she feels like he is planning to abandon her, and she stops talking to him.

The Dragons take on the Yomiuri Giants for the Central League Pennant. At the bottom of the ninth, the Giants lead 6-5, and the Dragons have the bases loaded with two outs. Jack is selected to bat, and though Uchiyama knows that Jack could break his record if he hits a home run here, he tells him to swing away. However, Jack notices that the Giants’ infield is playing deep, and bunts, catching the team off-guard and creating a chain of events that allows two runners to score and win the pennant for the Dragons.

At the victory party, Jack has Doc offer Max (Dennis Haysbert) his Dodgers opportunity, and Max accepts it. Jack then talks to Uchiyama and tells him about the problems that he and Hiroko are having. The next day, Uchiyama visits Hiroko and vouches for Jack, and she gets back together with him. Hiroko and Jack eventually marry, and he ends up becoming a coach and mentor for the Detroit Tigers.