Nippon-Ham Fighters manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo (53) revealed that the tiebreaker was discussed at a meeting of the 12 team managers held in Tokyo on the 20th.

"I'm in favor of tie-breakers. I think they should start with no outs and runners on first and second, or one out and runners on first and third. It allows the manager to show off his skills and say, 'Here's another strategy!' If it's not fun, then you can just stop halfway through. You won't know which one is fun until you try it," he said.

During the meeting, Manager Kokubo raised the question, "What do you think about tiebreakers?" and managers who had served as second-division managers, such as Yakult 's Manager Ikeyama, shared their experiences.

"I think that if pitcher goes in in a situation like that and gets hit, he'll be extremely depressed, and I said that. It would be a shame for pitcher, so closer it's okay not to have one. On the other hand, it would be cool if he could hold the batter back. That's what I was thinking," he said.