Rakuten Eagles announced on the 17th that former Lotte manager Masato Yoshii (61) will be taking over as their new manager. At a press conference in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, with owner Hiroshi Mikitani (61) and others, Yoshii expressed his determination, saying, "As a baseball person, I am happy to be entrusted with such an important job. We have many young and promising players. I believe this team has great potential. I will dedicate all of the experience I have accumulated so far, and the knowledge I continue to learn, to turning that potential into solid results."

The first game is against Lotte on the 19th. "I was happy to see the players I was involved with since I left last year doing well. I want to beat them as an opponent. I admire their efforts, but when it comes to the game, I want to go all out," he said, showing his fighting spirit.

During his playing career, he experienced three league championships and two Japan Series titles as pitcher with Kintetsu and Yakult. He played for three MLB teams 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, where he developed top-class pitcher such as Yu Darvish (Padres) and Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers).

In 2022, he coached Roki Sasaki (Dodgers) as the pitching coordinator for the Lotte Marines. From 2023, he served as the manager of the Lotte Marines for three years, and in his first year as manager, he led the team from fifth place the previous year to second place.

After 63 games this season, Rakuten Eagles has a record of 23 wins, 39 losses, and 1 tie, putting them 16 games below .500. Although they made changes to the coaching staff since May, there has been no dramatic improvement. At 1 a.m. on the 10th, after the game against The Giants (Rakuten Eagles Mobile), when they reached 15 games below .500, they 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, but they have brought in a new manager from outside the organization at an unusual timing.

The team faces numerous challenges 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 abilities, they will search for a way to improve, primarily by rebuilding pitcher staff.

Rakuten Eagles 's new manager, Yoshii, will make his debut in the league's first game since its restart against Lotte on the 19th (at ZOZO Marine Stadium). Will the new manager 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.