Red Buckeye – Aesculus pavia

Masaaki Mori (森 祇晶, Mori Masaaki, born January 9, 1937) is a retired professional Japanese baseball player and manager.

Mori played Nippon Professional Baseball from 1955–1974 as the catcher of the Yomiuri Giants. He was an eight-time Best Nine Award-winner (1961–1968) and the Japan Series MVP in 1967. He was selected to eleven Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star Games. He was nicknamed "the brains of the V9 Dynasty", as he was the main catcher of the Yomiuri Giants V9 Dynasty.

After his retirement as a player, Mori managed the Seibu Lions from 1986–1994, leading the team to 6 of the 8 Japan Series championships of the Invincible Seibu dynasty. He won the Matsutaro Shoriki Award in 1986 and 1990. Mori managed the Yokohama BayStars in 2001–2002.

Mori participated in 27 of the 73 Japan Series contested, as a player, coach, and manager, as of 2023, with him winning 21 of the 27, making him the most decorated individual in NPB history.

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference (Minors)