Rakuten Eagles announced on the 17th that former Lotte manager Masato Yoshii (61) will be taking over as their new manager. Yoshii held a press conference with owner Hiroshi Mikitani (61) in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. Wearing number "81" uniform, Yoshii expressed his delight, saying, "As a baseball person, I am very happy to be entrusted with such an important job."

After the photo session, owner Mikitani took the initiative to speak. "As Rakuten Eagles Group, we operate two major professional sports teams: one is Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, and the other is Vissel Kobe, a J1 team. Vissel Kobe has also experienced some very difficult times, including being relegated twice, but in the last four years they have become the best team in Japan three times, and they have also reached the semi-finals of the ACL (Asian Champions League), so I think they have truly evolved into a strong team." He cited Vissel Kobe's journey to becoming a strong team despite having been relegated twice in the past, and added, "It's not just about simple strengthening; I think there have been many efforts involved, such as strengthening the team's and club's culture and mentality."

Rakuten Eagles 's leader then declared emphatically, "While making use of that experience (at Vissel Kobe), Rakuten Eagles will also evolve into the strongest team, and although it may be a thorny road, we want to go about it together with the people of Tohoku." He spoke of his strong desire to break free from the long period of slump that followed their championship victory in 2013.