Tsuyoshi Nishioka (42), the newly appointed Nippon-Ham first-team fielder general coach, advocated for the 'recommendation of mistakes' to reduce the number of errors.

Having taken office on October 31, he provided guidance at his new post during the fall camp that concluded on the 8th. This year, while serving as the first-team chief batting and base running coach for Lotte, he faced off against Nippon-Ham. He had observed them with the impression that they were a team full of good players. After seeing the players in person, he gained further conviction, stating, 'Seeing them live, they really are a group of amazing players. It reaffirmed for me that this is undoubtedly a team capable of aiming for the championship, not just a top-three finish.'

In order to turn those feelings into victories, he has begun working on reforming the players' mindsets. The team's 88 errors this season were the most among the 12 teams. Even so, he says, 'Of course fewer is better, but basically, it's just a number,' and he does not focus on it excessively. Rather, he makes them forget the results. 'I will take all the responsibility, so I tell the players to go all out. Instead of telling them not to make mistakes, I tell them to "go ahead and make mistakes." If you keep saying "don't do it," they will do it. If you tell them to do as they please, they will perform properly. I am currently in the process of resetting their minds.' The role entrusted to him by Manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo (54) covers four areas: hitting, defense, base running, and 'mental.' He aims to bring about improvement by changing their way of thinking.

Saying, "I believe the atmosphere will change again with the new coaching staff," he is looking ahead to "tossing Manager Shinjo into the air" in celebration next year. To achieve the goal of bouncing back from this season's third-place finish, Coach Nishioka stated firmly, "I believe in the current players of The Fighters. I will continue to believe in them until the very end."