◆Nippon Life Interleague Series 2026 Rakuten Eagles 0-7 The Giants (10th, Rakuten Eagles Mobile Saikyo Park Miyagi)

Rakuten Eagles 's acting manager, Shiokawa, failed to secure a victory in his first game. Approximately 20 hours after the announcement at 1 a.m. on the 10th that manager Miki would be taking a leave of absence, the team suffered shutout game loss. In their 59th game of the season, their chances of winning the championship on their own were eliminated. The team suffered its fifth consecutive loss, lacking brilliance in both pitching and hitting. After the game, the acting manager emphasized, "We have to struggle and really struggle to break through, otherwise we will just keep sliding downhill. We have to accept what has happened and use this as motivation."

The game took place amidst a major upheaval. The team was competing for first place until mid-April, but then suddenly faltered. The poor performance of foreign player Voit, who was expected to be a key short stop, and the absence of regular shortstop Muneyama also had an impact. From May onwards, the coaching staff was rearranged to try and improve the team, but the desired results were not achieved. After the game against the The Giants on the 9th, which resulted in the team's worst deficit of the season at 15 games, manager Miki and team president Morii held a meeting. Both sides agreed, and the manager's leave of absence was decided in a surprise move. The decision was made in the middle of the interleague series. President Morii explained, "It's not just the manager's responsibility. It's my responsibility that we couldn't let him run for the full year. This is the first decision we've made as we move forward in a positive direction."

With the team in turmoil, Shiokawa, the head coach who has supported the team for so long, stepped in as interim manager. Since 2018, he has served as a coach for both the first and second teams, and is intimately familiar with the personalities of the players. On this day, starting pitcher Kosha had to leave the game after just one inning due to physical issues. There were also a series of defense. Despite a string of setbacks, he continued to encourage the team from the dugout, shouting encouragement at the top of his lungs. The new manager, who prioritizes a "fighting spirit" above all else, found a glimmer of hope, saying, "We lost, but I think that (fighting spirit) was conveyed."

This is the fifth time the team has had an interim manager, and the first time in four years since Yasunaga Makishi took over as head coach in 2022, when Kazuhisa Ishii was replaced as manager. When asked whether the team plans to entrust the position to the interim manager for the remainder of the season, President Morii only said, "He is only an interim manager. At this stage, I won't say anything about the future, and for now, I want him to do his best as interim manager." There are 84 games remaining in the season. "We will all work together to come up with clear strategies to move forward and communicate them simply to the players," said interim manager Shiokawa. The team will overcome this difficult situation together. (Kota Miyauchi)

◆Tatsuya Shiokawa: Born March 15, 1983, in Kobe City. Age 43. After attending Kobe International University High School, he went on to Tohoku Fukushi University. He joined Rakuten Eagles in the 5th round of the 2004 draft. He played in a total of 263 games, with a batting average of .199, 1 Home Run, 13 RBI, and 16 stolen base. He retired from playing in 2011. Since 2018, he 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 is the head coach.