Charlie was the man in Japan

CLEARWATER, Fla. - As the New York Yankees defended their World Series title in 1978, Charlie Manuel was blazing a trail on the other side of the globe.

Manuel's power pushed the Yakult Swallows to the Japan Central League championship and Japan Series title for the first time in franchise history. After hitting .312 with 39 homers and 103 RBIs in the regular season, Manuel capped the playoffs with a game-winning homer in the Japan Series finale.

"It was a really thing big there," said Manuel, the Phillies' manager.

That's an understatement.

Before Manuel arrived in 1976, Yakult had never finished higher than third in the six-team league. To understand the Swallows' pre-Manuel status in Japan, think New York Mets, circa 1962. The Swallows were a small-market, low-budget team before those terms ever entered the vernacular.

In many ways, Manuel said, the 1976 Swallows resembled his club that won the World Series last year. Other clubs had a better pedigree, but the Swallows played the game better.

"That was a team success," Manuel said. "I definitely feel I played a part in the success, but we were a real team and played well together."

Unlike the current Phillies, Yakult could not keep its championship team together.

Yakult's authoritarian management disliked many things about Manuel, from his taste for fast food to his habit of calling coaches by their first name. Citing "quality control measures," Yakult traded Manuel to the lowly Kintetsu Buffaloes before the 1979 season.

With that, the Swallows lost their mojo. They returned to their familiar last-place spot, and Kintetsu reached the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. Despite missing six weeks because of a horrific beaning, Manuel hit 37 homers and won the Pacific League MVP award.

"That '78 season does stand out for me," Manuel said. "But some of those other seasons I had over there were pretty good, too."