Rakuten Eagles announced on the 17th that former Lotte manager Masato Yoshii (61) will be taking over as their new manager. Yoshii and owner Hiroshi Mikitani (61) held a press conference in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. When asked about the reason for this unusual mid-season personnel change, owner Mikitani explained, "We believe that we cannot build a consistently strong team unless we change the direction of the team in the medium to long term and implement various reforms." Regarding the contract period, he said it would be a "medium to long term contract."

Owner Mikitani made an unusual appearance at the press conference during the season. "I think this is the first time I've been invited to an The Eagles press conference since manager Senichi Hoshino took over, and I decided to attend today's press conference to convey to everyone just how serious we are," he revealed, indicating that his actions stemmed from a great deal of conviction.

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. From May onwards, they also made changes to the coaching staff. However, no dramatic improvement was seen. At 1am on the 10th, 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. Aiming for further progress, they have brought in Mr. Yoshii as the new manager midway through the season. This marks an unusual timing for a new manager to be brought in from outside the organization.

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 amassed a total of 121 wins in Japan and the US. As a coach, he has nurtured top-class pitcher such as Yu Darvish (Padres) and Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers), and has also served as the pitcher coach for the Samurai Japan national team.

In 2022, he coached Roki Sasaki (Dodgers) as the pitching coordinator for the Lotte Marines. From 2023, he served as the Lotte manager for three years, leading the team from fifth place the previous year to second place in his first year. His cheerful personality and ability to communicate in the Kansai dialect are also major attractions. He aims for a comeback under his new leadership.

◆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.

◆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.