<figure id="attachment_379530" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-379530" style="width: 3615px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="5db6c157"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/06/901d578212fdb1d896449ff215d1afe9.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-379530" class="wp-caption-text">Seiya Matsubara was acquired from the Giants to boost the team&#8217;s offensive strength.</figcaption></figure>
 On May 26, just before the interchange games, Seibu announced the sudden retirement of manager Kazuo Matsui (48) after the game against the Orix. Hisanobu Watanabe, 58, the GM who recalled Matsui from Rakuten and appointed him as the manager of the second team and head coach of the first team, took over for the manager, who was said to have been effectively dismissed.
 The team seemed to be out of the doldrums under the new, more experienced manager, but the losing did not stop even after the start of the interleague season, and after 67 games the team was 21-46, in last place in the Pacific League. The team&#8217;s debt, which stood at 15 in the 45 games prior to Matsui&#8217;s dismissal, has ballooned to 25 (as of June 27), rather than decreasing.
 At this rate, we are on pace to lose 100 games in a season, and Mr. Watanabe will be forced to take responsibility for this in the off-season. At the press conference, he expressed his determination not to give up, but now he is already suggesting that he will return to the GM&#8217;s post next season to work again,&#8221; said a source close to the baseball team.
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 (A source close to the baseball team) &#8220;The people who booed this &#8220;boss&#8221; loudly, saying, &#8216;Hurry up and quit! The Seibu pitchers booed loudly, saying, &#8220;Hurry up and quit! Acting manager Watanabe used to pitch for the team when he was active, so there must be a lot of mutual understanding between the two.
 Last offseason, when I was dealing with contract renewals as GM, he said, &#8220;I got a lot of innings in the games, but you guys didn&#8217;t pitch at all! and many pitchers were dissatisfied with his reluctance to raise their salaries. On the other hand, the company was very lenient with the fielders, and players who lost their season due to injury received only a slight decrease in salary. No matter how much the aim is to motivate the fielders, which is an issue, there is too much imbalance.
 I can&#8217;t do this! I can&#8217;t do this! One mid-level pitcher did not hide his disgust, saying, &#8220;I don&#8217;t even want to look at him. Another veteran pitcher snapped, &#8220;That&#8217;s enough! another veteran pitcher snapped, &#8220;That&#8217;s enough! There was no way that the players would be satisfied with such a person blowing the whistle at the top of the field.
 There is even ridiculous talk on the field that the acting manager himself might be brought in to take over for him.
 The most promising candidate is Fumiya Nishiguchi, 51, the second team manager. After finishing his active career with Seibu, he served as a pitching coach for the second and first teams, and has been in charge as manager of the second team since 2010. It would be nice if there was someone among the first-arm leaders who could fill in for him, but Yosuke Hiraishi, 44, the head coach and hitting coach, was brought in by former manager Matsui, who was a senior at PL Gakuen High School. We can&#8217;t let him do it,&#8221; said an alumnus of the team.
 A second team collapse is on the countdown.
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 Kyodo News

 On May 26, just before the interleague game, Seibu announced that Kazuo Matsui (48), the manager, would take a sudden leave of absence after the game against the Orix. However, a dark cloud is already looming over the new regime led by GM Watanabe, who has succeeded him.

I can&#8217;t do this!&#8221; The Seibu pitching staff is furious with Acting Manager Watanabe, and a proposal for a &#8220;replacement for the replacement&#8221; has erupted! The new candidate&#8217;s &#8220;surprising name&#8221;.

I can’t do this!” The Seibu pitching staff is furious with Acting Manager Watanabe, and a proposal for a “replacement for the replacement” has erupted! The new candidate’s “surprising name”.

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