楽天は１７日、新監督として前ロッテ監督の吉井理人氏（６１）が就任することを発表した。吉井氏は宮城・仙台市内で三木谷浩史オーナー（６１）と会見に臨んだ。背番号「８１」のユニホームに袖を通した吉井氏は「大きな仕事を任されたことに、野球人としてすごくうれしかった」と喜びを口にした。
契約期間について、三木谷オーナーは「中長期的な契約」と説明し、「勝者のメンタリティーを植え付けてほしい」と期待。吉井新監督は「勝つぞ、という強い気持ちをみんなに再確認してもらう」と意気込んだ。
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.
Rakuten Eagles was in contention for first place until mid-April this season, but then their performance plummeted. After 63 games, they were struggling with a record of 23 wins, 39 losses, and 1 tie, a deficit of 16 games. Coaching staff changes were implemented from May onwards, but no dramatic improvement was seen. At 1:00 AM on the 10th (Rakuten Eagles Mobile), after the game against The Giants, when their deficit reached 15 games, manager Miki was suddenly announced to be taking a leave of absence. Since the announcement, head coach Shiokawa has been serving as acting manager. Aiming for further progress, Yoshii has been brought in as the new manager midway through the season. This marks the birth of a new manager brought in from outside the organization at an unusual time.
The team's struggles were greatly affected by the departure of key players such as Muneyama and Nishiguchi before the season started, as well as the severe batting slump of their foreign player, Voit. Faced with a series of miscalculations in their pitching staff, they have a mountain of problems to address in both pitching and hitting. Their runs scored (188) and ERA (3.61) are both the worst in the league. Leveraging Mr. Yoshii's extensive knowledge and precise coaching ability to bring out the best in each individual player, they will be looking for a way to improve their performance, primarily by rebuilding pitcher staff.
Rakuten Eagles 's new manager, Yoshii, is most likely to make his debut in the first game of the season since the league's restart against Lotte on the 19th (at ZOZO Marine Stadium). A matchup against his former team right from the start would certainly attract even more attention. His cheerful personality and Kansai dialect are also major draws. The new manager, affectionately known as "Oiyan," is expected to become Rakuten Eagles 's savior.
◆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.
