Despite his bold words of “aiming for the championship” before the season opener, Chunichi’s manager Tatsunami, who has been in danger of finishing last for two consecutive years, “still did not get fired.

I’m going for the championship!

This was the declaration of Kazuyoshi Tachinami, 53, manager of Chunichi, in an interview with local newspaper “Chunichi Sports” before the season opener.

However, as we all know, the team has struggled this season, suffering its fourth defeat of the season, a 22-33 loss to Seibu on June 7, and in danger of finishing in last place for the second consecutive year.

The pitchers are doing their best, but the scoring rate is low. The team’s 24 home runs and 155 runs scored are the worst in both leagues. Even though they are getting hits, the batting lineup is not connecting. One of the reasons for the weak scoring is probably the poor performance of Koya Ishikawa, who is often assigned to the No. 4 position. His batting average was in the low .200 range, which has stopped the flow of hits.

Ishikawa is a native of Aichi Prefecture, Chunichi’s home prefecture, and a graduate of Toho High School, a prestigious baseball school, and is a third-year player who is expected to be a future star. I can understand why manager Tatsunami is persistent in his use of him, saying, “I’m putting him out there at No. 4 and I want him to somehow overcome his problems. But it is certain that he is under a lot of pressure.

A genius’s high-level hitting theory

Tatsunami’s coaching methods have also been questioned.

Tatsunami is a prodigy hitter who has hit a total of 2,000 hits in his first year as a professional hitter. He teaches with his own high-level hitting theory, but most of the players probably do not fully understand it. Talented young players such as Yuki Okabayashi and Kosuke Ukai have failed to make a breakthrough, and there is an undeniable shortage of big guns.

Tatsunami, who was reportedly taking a leave of absence, is in the second year of a three-year contract, but if his debts continue to mount, the calls for his dismissal will grow louder. However, the chances of that happening are slim.

The team’s owner Bungo Shirai, who had been pushing for former manager Hiromitsu Ochiai to step down, finally succeeded in bringing in a star, freshly minted leader. As team president Hiroyuki Kato has said, “If Tatsunami quits, I will resign, too,” he will not be dismissed unless something serious happens.

Despite the poor results, attendance is increasing, which is also supporting the manager’s continuation. Nagoya fans are warm. Tatsunami is supported by the Dragons fans, who cheer him on enthusiastically even when the team is at the bottom of the standings.

Will Tatsunami be able to realize his declaration of victory before the season opener? Chunichi fans are looking forward to Tatsunami’s comeback.