It was learned on the 15th that Masato Yoshii (61), the former manager of Rakuten Eagles Eagles. The team is currently languishing at the bottom of the league standings with a deficit of 16 games with one interleague game remaining. Since the announcement on the 10th that manager Hajime Miki (49) would be taking a leave of absence, head coach Tatsuya Shiokawa (43) has been serving as acting manager, but Yoshii is expected to take the reins from the first game of the season since the league resumes on the 19th against his former team, the Chiba Lotte Marines (at ZOZO Marine Stadium). The team will be looking to turn things around under the new manager, who has been appointed at an unusual time in the middle of the season.

After Rakuten Eagles suddenly announced manager Miki's absence, they began working behind the scenes to invite a new manager. Currently, they are struggling at the bottom of the league. With 80 games left in the season, they unusually decided it was necessary to switch to a new system midway through the season to aim for even one higher standings. According to multiple baseball industry insiders, Mr. Yoshii himself immediately accepted the team's enthusiastic offer and is eager to return to managerial duties.

During his playing career, Yoshii experienced three league championships and two Japan Series titles as pitcher with Kintetsu and Yakult. He played for three MLB teams, the Mets, Expos, and Rockies, and recorded a total of 121 wins in Japan and the US. After ending his playing career with Lotte in 2007, he started his coaching career in 2008 as the first-team pitcher coach for Nippon-Ham. He developed top-class pitcher such as Yu Darvish (Padres) and Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers). His skills were so highly regarded that he also served as pitcher coach for Samurai Japan. In 2022, he coached Roki Sasaki (Dodgers) as a pitching coordinator. From 2023, he served as the manager of Lotte for three years, and in his first year as manager, he led the team from fifth place the previous year to second place.

This season, Rakuten Eagles was in contention for first place until mid-April, but then their performance plummeted. The departure of key players such as Muneyama and Nishiguchi before the season started, and the severe batting slump of foreign player Voit, had a major impact. After 63 games, they had a record of 23 wins, 39 losses, and 1 tie, putting them 16 games below .500. Although they made changes to the coaching staff from May onwards, no dramatic improvement was seen. Since the sudden announcement on the 10th that manager Miki would be taking a leave of absence, head coach Shiokawa has been serving as acting manager.

The team has been plagued by a series of miscalculations in its pitching staff, and is facing numerous challenges in both offense and defense. Both its runs scored (188) and ERA (3.61) are the worst in the league. Leveraging Mr. Yoshii's extensive knowledge and precise coaching ability to bring out the best in each player, the team will focus on rebuilding its pitcher staff and seeking ways to improve its performance.

The team has one more interleague game against Hanshin Tigers on the 17th (Koshien). The most likely first game for new manager Yoshii will be the first game after the league restart against Lotte on the 19th. If he faces his former team right away, it will attract even more attention. He is from Wakayama, and his cheerful personality and Kansai dialect are also major attractions. The new manager, affectionately known as "Oiyan," will be the savior of The Eagles, who are currently at rock bottom.

◆Masato Yoshii: Born April 20, 1965, in Wakayama Prefecture. Age 61. Joined Kintetsu in 1983 as the second overall pick in the draft after graduating from Minoshima High School. Transferred to Yakult in 1995, and joined the Mets as a free agent in the offseason of 1997. After playing for three MLB teams, Orix Buffaloes in 2003. Transferred to Lotte midway through the 2007 season and retired that same year. Served as a coach for Nippon-Ham from 2008 to 2012, Softbank Hawks in 2015, Nippon-Ham from 2016 to 2018, and Lotte from 2019 to 2022. Managed Lotte from 2023 to 2025. His career record in Japan and the US is 547 appearances, with 121 wins, 129 losses, and 62 saves. Right-handed pitcher and batter.