He managed the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball for ten seasons from 2012 to 2021, leading them to a Japan Series title in 2016.

Kuriyama also planned to be a teacher at Tokyo Gakugei University, but pursued a career in baseball instead, signing with the Yakult Swallows.

He is also well known as the mentor of the two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, who was drafted by the Fighters despite him wanting to pursue an MLB career instead.

[1] Kuriyama retired from management following the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

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