On the 8th, Softbank Hawks manager Hiroki Kokubo spoke about Kimiyasu Kudo, whose appointment as the new Chunichi manager has become certain. In response to questions from the press, he expressed surprise at the news breaking on his own birthday, saying, 'Is he really taking the job? I probably won't ever forget my 55th birthday.'

Kudo led the Softbank Hawks for seven years starting in 2015. Manager Kokubo served as the first-team head coach under the Kudo administration in 2021, and then served as the second-team manager for two years starting in 2022 after Kudo stepped down. Kokubo remarked, "I think it is a tremendous challenge to take the track record of success achieved here and go to a club where he has never worn the uniform before. Mr. Kudo always said this even when I was the head coach in 2021. He is the type of person who believes that we exist so that the players can remain active for even one year longer and so that the players can improve. I believe he accepted this role with a true player-first baseman mindset, driven by a sense of mission to turn as many Chunichi players as possible into top players for as long as possible. This is not a job one would accept with a self-first baseman attitude."