Rakuten Eagles announced on the 17th that former Lotte manager Masato Yoshii (61) will be taking over as their new manager. Yoshii met with owner Hiroshi Mikitani (61) and others in Sendai and then spoke to reporters.

The main questions and answers from new director Yoshii are as follows.

—What if you were asked to do it mid-season?

"It was inserted."

—What are the advantages of starting midway through?

"Logically speaking, you'd think we'd use this time to prepare and start next season, but as the owner just said, I also felt that this time would be a waste, so my desire to come sooner has changed."

—What would you say to the nine players first?

"It's a secret. Just kidding. As I said earlier, I want to convey the message that we should put our desire to win front and center."

—The deciding factor in your decision.

"There were several options, but Mr. Mikitani, the owner, was very enthusiastic about inviting me, and I felt that he had a very strong passion for baseball, so I thought I had to accept."

◆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 2021. Served as Lotte's pitching coordinator in 2022, and 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.