On the 17th, Rakuten Eagles announced that former Lotte manager Masato Yoshii (61) would be taking over as their new manager. Yoshii and team chairman and owner Hiroshi Mikitani (61) held a press conference in Sendai. Regarding the unusual change of manager in the middle of the season, owner Mikitani said, "Unfortunately, in recent years we haven't been able to compete for the championship or a top-three finish. We believe that in the medium to long term, we need to change the direction of the team and make various reforms in order to build a consistently strong team, and that's why we asked Mr. Yoshii to take on the role of manager." He revealed that the need to grow the team from a medium to long term led to the offer of the manager.

Owner Mikitani said, "This year, we are not simply aiming to improve our season performance, but are working on reforming the entire organization under a larger strategy. We are beginning to see some results in areas such as player development, including the minor league team, but the first team is currently not achieving the results we would have liked. As the owner, I feel responsible for this." He also offered an apology to the fans for the first team's poor performance.

This season, the Rakuten Eagles were in contention for first place until mid-April, but then suffered a sudden slump. After 63 games, they were struggling with a record of 23 wins, 39 losses, and 1 tie, sitting 16 games below .500.Starting in May, the team implemented coaching staff reshuffles. On May 28, during the game against the Chunichi (at Vantelin D), owner Mikitani himself visited the stadium to urge the coaching staff and players to step up their game, but no dramatic improvement was seen.

At 1:00 AM on the 10th of this month, the team made a surprise announcement that manager Miki would be taking a leave of absence. Since the announcement, head coach Shiokawa has been serving as acting manager. It is unusual to appoint a new manager in the middle of the season. Owner Mikitani said, "This time, it is an unusual appointment of manager in the middle of the season, and well, you could say it was a long shot, but after meeting with him and discussing things up to now, I think it was like picking chestnuts out of the fire, but he has agreed to come to this team. He has taken on a very important role, task, and responsibility, so I am truly grateful." He also revealed that the contract period is a "medium- to long-term contract."

◆Hiroshi Mikitani: Born March 11, 1965, in Kobe City. Age 61. Graduated from Akashi High School and Hitotsubashi University. In 1988, he joined the Industrial Bank of Japan (now Mizuho Bank). In 1996, he established the Crimson Group. The following year, 1997, he established MDM (now Rakuten Eagles). In 2004, he became the owner of J1 Vissel Kobe. In the fall of the same year, he established Rakuten Eagles baseball Club, making a new entry into professional baseball. In 2006, he became the Representative Director and Chairman of Vissel Kobe. In January 2008, he stepped down as owner of Rakuten Eagles and became Representative Director and Chairman. In August 2012, he was appointed Chairman and Owner again.