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

Rakuten Eagles made a surprise announcement at 1 AM 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 it was decided that head coach Tatsuya Shiokawa would take over as acting manager starting with that day's game The Giants.

Rakuten Eagles 's team president, Masayuki Morii, spoke to reporters at noon that day. He explained, "I spoke with Manager Miki and we decided that he should take a break. His contributions to the team are immeasurable. We didn't make the decision based on win-loss records. With 85 games remaining, we're not giving up yet."

Due to manager Miki's sudden leave of absence, Rakuten Eagles vs. The Giants game of the "Nippon Life Interleague Series 2026," to be held at Rakuten Mobile Rakuten Eagles Park Miyagi from 6 p.m. today, will be an unusual "battle of interim managers." The Giants, whose manager Abe resigned before the interleague series, are currently in command of interim manager Hashigami. They have been in good form so far, with 8 wins, 3 losses, and 2 draws, and have remained undefeated in June with 5 wins and 2 draws.

Hashigami served as a coach for Rakuten Eagles from 2005 to 2009, and his relationship with Shiokawa was that of coach and player.

The last time interim managers faced off in NPB was in 2014 between Seibu Lions and Rakuten Eagles. Seibu Lions 's manager, Haruki Ihara, took a leave of absence to take responsibility for the team's poor performance, and hitting coach Tanabe became interim manager. Rakuten Eagles 's manager, Hoshino, was on leave due to illness, so pitcher coach Yoshinori Sato took over as interim manager. However, the team's performance did not improve, and minor league manager Hiromoto Okubo became the "interim manager's interim manager." The interim manager showdown took place in a three-game series at Seibu Dome from July 21st to 23rd, with Seibu Lions winning two games and losing one.

◆Tatsuya Shiokawa: Born March 15, 1983, in Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture. Age 43. Graduated from Kobe Kokusai University High School and Tohoku Fukushi University. Joined Rakuten Eagles in 2004 as the 5th pick in the draft. Played in a total of 263 games, with a batting average of .199, 1 Home Run, 13 RBI, and 16 stolen base. Retired from playing in 2011. Since 2018, has served as a coach for both the first and second teams. Last season, he served as the first team's infield defense base running coach, and this season he has been the head coach.

◆Hideki Hashigami: Born November 4, 1965, in Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture. Age 60. Drafted in the third round in 1983 by the Yakult after graduating from Yasuda Gakuen High School. After joining the team, he switched from catcher to outfielder. After playing for Nippon-Ham and Hanshin Tigers, he retired in 2000. From 2005 to 2009, he was a coach Rakuten Eagles Eagles. After serving as manager of BC Niigata, he was a strategy coach and hitting coach for The Giants from 2012 to 2014. From 2015, he served as a coach for Rakuten Eagles, Seibu Lions, and other teams, and after serving as manager of Oisix Niigata, he returned to The Giants in 2025. This season, he served as wall coach.