Lotte announced on the 11th that Tsuyoshi Nishioka, the first-team chief batting coach and base running coach (42), had requested to leave the team, and that they had held discussions and accepted his resignation.

The coach took office last off-season along with Manager Saburo. This season, the team moved up one spot in the standings to finish fifth in the Pacific League. The comments released by the club are as follows.

"I, Tsuyoshi Nishioka, will be leaving the Chiba Lotte Marines at the end of the 2026 season. First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone involved with the club and to all The Marines fans who supported us throughout the year. Although it was only for one year, it was a truly intense year for me, and I gained a wealth of experience. Since my playing days, my baseball life has not been dedicated solely to Lotte. Chiba Lotte Marines, Major League Baseball, Hanshin Tigers, independent leagues, and then as a commentator, manager, and coach. Up until now, I have constantly changed my environment, met many people, and experienced many types of baseball. I have something that I value as a theme for my life. That is 'to continue increasing my experience points.' From the time I graduated from high school until today, I have had so many experiences through baseball. There were successes and there were failures. There were happy moments and there were frustrating ones. However, each and every one of those moments has made me the Tsuyoshi Nishioka I am today. That is why I want to continue jumping into new environments and updating myself. This departure is not an end for me. Tsuyoshi Nishioka is setting out once again on a journey to increase his experience points. And there is one thing I want to tell everyone clearly here. To me, the Chiba Lotte Marines will always be a special club. It is the club that raised me as a professional baseball player during my active career. They also pushed me forward when I challenged myself in the Major Leagues. And when I joined the Hanshin Tigers, they respected my opinion when I told them I wanted to experience Central League baseball and the difficulties and greatness of a popular club. In 2010, before I challenged the Majors, I told the club one goal: 'Someday, I want to be on the side that builds the Chiba Lotte Marines, the team that raised me, into a strong team.' At that time, a member of the club told me: 'Start your career as a player with Chiba Lotte. And start your career as an instructor wearing the Chiba Lotte jersey.' I have remembered those words forever. And in 2026, I was actually able to wear the Chiba Lotte Marines jersey and start my career as an instructor. As a rookie coach, my theme for this year was to stay out of the spotlight, create an environment where players could focus on baseball, and be someone they could turn to when they were troubled. In reality, there were many more things I learned from the players. 'My experience points have gone up again.' There were truly many moments when I felt that way. That is exactly why I want to see the outside world from now on. I want to know various types of baseball, meet various people, gain various experiences, and one day definitely give back to the Chiba Lotte Marines, who raised me. That is one goal of my baseball life. Some Lotte fans might think, 'Are you leaving Lotte again?' But I have no intention of leaving Lotte behind. As someone who was raised by Lotte, I definitely want to repay my debt to Lotte someday. To do that, I am going on a journey to increase my experience points just a little bit more for now. I have nothing but gratitude for the club that always believes in and respects my ideas. To everyone in the club, the players, and all The Marines fans: thank you so much for 2026. Let's definitely meet again somewhere. And at that time, I hope to show you a Tsuyoshi Nishioka who has grown even more than now. Tsuyoshi Nishioka is going on a journey to increase his experience points just a little bit more. See you again."