◆Nippon Life Interleague Series 2026 Rakuten Eagles vs. The Giants (10th, Rakuten Eagles Mobile is the strongest)

Rakuten Eagles announced on the 10th that manager Hajime Miki would be taking a leave of absence. The decision was made after discussions between the manager and the team, and head coach Tatsuya Shiokawa will take over as acting manager from that day's game The Giants. Rakuten Eagles 's team president, Seiji Morii, spoke to reporters before the game that day. "I spoke with Manager Miki and we decided on a leave of absence. His contributions to the team are immeasurable. This decision wasn't based on win-loss records. With 85 games remaining, we're not giving up yet," he explained regarding the managerial changes.

The team has played 58 games so far, with a record of 21 wins, 36 losses, and 1 tie. They have been struggling since the start of interleague play, with a record of 2 wins and 10 losses. In the game The Giants on the 9th (Rakuten Eagles Mobile's strongest team), they were completely defeated, lacking sharpness in both pitching and hitting. They suffered their fourth consecutive loss, putting them at their worst deficit of the season at 15 games below .500.

They are 14.5 games behind league leaders Seibu Lions, and their chances of winning the championship on their own could be eliminated as early as the 10th. They are in a difficult situation, sitting at the bottom of the league, 7 games behind fifth-place Lotte. On the 4th, they suffered a crushing comeback loss against DeNA (Yokohama) after being down by 7 runs, and although they had taken measures to improve the situation, such as changing pitcher coach's position on the 5th, they have now taken an even more drastic measure.

Shiokawa, the head coach, will take over as acting manager in place of manager Miki. The team will aim for a comeback under the guidance of Rakuten Eagles manager, who has supported the team as a coach for Rakuten for many years. President Morii encouraged them, saying, "I want them to give it their all. I want them to believe in what they have done with Manager Miki and give it their all with the players."

When asked whether he would entrust the role of interim manager to Shiokawa for the remainder of the season, he explained, "He is only an interim manager. What will happen from this point onward is uncertain; if something happens, the manager may change, but at this stage, I won't say anything about the future. For now, I want him to do his best as interim manager."