◆ Baseball Musings 2026, Part 22

Rakuten Eagles is stuck in a quagmire during the interleague series.

As of the 1st (all numbers are the same below), they have fought Chunichi and Yakult and lost 6 in a row. Of course, this is the worst record for a baseball team.

However, this is only the fourth time this season that Rakuten Eagles has suffered five or more consecutive losses, so it's not limited to interleague play. They are simply weak. Looking at the league as a whole, their record of 19 wins, 32 losses, and 1 tie puts them dead last. With a record of 7 wins and 18 losses in May, it's hard to see any glimmer of hope.

"The fact that we've ended up with these results really shows that the team's manager isn't doing a good job," said manager Hajime Miki, taking sole responsibility for lose. But is that all there is to it? The team's condition has deteriorated to the point where naming one scapegoat is no longer enough to cover the problem.

This season's team batting average of .239 and ERA of 3.16 are not particularly bad, ranking 4th and 5th in the league, respectively. For comparison, last year's final results showed a team batting average of .244, placing 4th. Their ERA of 3.37 was also 4th, and the team finished the season in 4th place overall.

So why have they performed so poorly this season? The problems are numerous.

First and foremost, I would like to mention the disappointing performance of both the new and old players, including foreign players.

Spencer Howard left at the end of last season to join The Giants. hitter Michael Franco, a long-range gunner, also left the team. In contrast, Jose Urenia, Roansy Contreras pitcher and others joined the team this season. They were expected to play a full rotation in the starting lineup along with Yasumasa Shoji, Takahisa Hayakawa, and Tatsuki Koja, but when they opened the door, Urenya could only win two games. In the batting lineup, we expected an explosion from Luke Voit who joined the team midway through last season and recorded 13 Home Run wins, but so far his batting average has been in the 10% range, moving back and forth between the first and second teams. The team's "foreign power," which is supposed to boost the team's strength, has not been successful, so there is no hope for a sharp rise in the team's performance.

In recent years, Rakuten Eagles has lost key pitcher such as Masahiro Tanaka and Takahiro Norimoto. The team lacks a star player to represent it, and also no player who can act as a "core" to unite the team. Therefore, they acquired pitcher Kenta Maeda, who had returned from the majors, but he hasn't regained his former sharpness and has already been forced to spend two stints in the minor leagues.

This might sound a bit vulgar, but if you add the estimated annual salaries of Maeda and Voit to the aforementioned new foreign players, the total comes to 920 million yen. Given that this is currently not contributing much, the front office and coaching staff bear heavy responsibility.

Since Kazuhisa Ishii took over as general manager, many managers have left the team after short tenures.

Manager Miki, who is taking charge for the second time, follows in the footsteps of the legendary manager Katsuya Nomura. He is likely aiming for a flawless performance by making full use of ID baseball, but judging from the games this season, there have been many instances where the team has lost wins due to poor offense and defense.

If the manager had the charisma of former manager Senichi Hoshino, who led the team to the top spot in Japan, or manager Nomura, there would be no shortage of topics to talk about. But it would be unfair to expect that from the unassuming manager Miki. Every team has its weak periods. At times like these, it's crucial to consider what goals the team will set and how it will build its strength. The team needs a guideline and a vision. Isn't that precisely the job of General Manager Ishii?

GM Ishii, during his playing career, had a successful career with Yakult and Seibu Lions, and also played in Major League Baseball, where he built valuable connections for the future. Now, both Yakult and Seibu Lions have defied pre-season expectations and are currently dominating the pennant race.

Under new manager Takahiro Ikeyama, Yakult are playing "free-spirited baseball." His former players from his time in the minor leagues are playing with such energy that they've dispelled the team's stagnant mood.

In recent years, Seibu Lions, which had been struggling under Rakuten Eagles, acquired Masayuki Kuwahara and Kazunari Ishii through free agency, and with the success of first-round draft pick Taiga Kojima and new recruit Alexander Canario, the team's strength has increased dramatically. Seeing his former team's rise, GM Ishii must have some thoughts on the matter.

Last year, they were in fifth place at the end of May, but they regained their momentum during the summer and at one point even had a spot in the top three within their reach.

The real summer festival season is just beginning in Tohoku. We can't let The Eagles' spirit be extinguished before then. First, we need to secure our first interleague win in the series against DeNA starting on the 2nd.

Text by Kazuo Arakawa