Kazuto Tsuruoka

Kazuto Tsuruoka (鶴岡 一人; July 27, 1916 – March 7, 2000), also known as Kazuto Yamamoto, was a Japanese professional baseball infielder and manager in the Japan Baseball League (JBL) and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He played for a single franchise in 1939 and again from 1946 to 1952, during which the club changed names from the Nankai Club to the Kinki Great Ring and ultimately to the Nankai Hawks. He did not play professionally from 1940 to 1945 owing to World War II. In 1939 he won the JBL home run title with 10. He was named JBL Most Valuable Player in 1946 and again in 1948, with his team taking the JBL championship in both seasons.

In 1949 Tsuruoka became the Hawks' player-manager. His playing career ended after the 1952 season, but he remained the team's manager through 1968, leading the club to Japan Series championships in 1959 and 1964. His overall managerial record was 1773–1140, a winning percentage of .609, and his teams finished .500 or better in 21 of his 23 seasons as a manager. Considered one of the best managers in Japanese baseball history, he was elected by the Selection Committee for the Players.