<figure id="attachment_392017" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-392017" style="width: 1080px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="b47f5945"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/09/6c54826ae8ec20aa925c5eed3d4dc627.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-392017" class="wp-caption-text">Mr. Destrade responded to our direct interview with a smile.</figcaption></figure>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> As a foreign player, it is rare to have such a long relationship with one team. In that sense, the Lions are a family.</span></p>
<p> Orestes Destrade, 62, an alumnus of the Saitama Seibu Lions who won the home run crown for three consecutive years starting in 1990 and was nicknamed &#8220;Ole&#8221; by fans, said with a smile.</p>
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<p> He was with the Lions for a total of five years starting in 1989, and together with Koji Akiyama and Kazuhiro Kiyohara made up the Lions&#8217; strongest cleanup lineup. He is a legend who supported the Lions&#8217; &#8220;golden era.</p>
<h2> One of the reasons for the Lions&#8217; decline is the slump in &#8220;assistant&#8221; foreign players.</h2>
<p> However, the Lions, Destrade&#8217;s &#8220;family,&#8221; have had a tumultuous season, with the bottom of the standings confirmed before the final game of the season, and GM Hisanobu Watanabe taking over as manager in May after Kazuo Matsui took a leave of absence due to poor results.</p>
<p> In July, Mr. Destrade was invited as a &#8220;special advisor&#8221; to help the team break out of its slump.</p>
<p> He has long expressed his passion for the new position. We asked him about it, and he replied, &#8220;I have been a player for decades,</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> I have been a player and a commentator for decades, and I have watched about 150 games a year and learned a lot about baseball. I have always hoped to find a place where I could put that to good use someday. I played for the Lions, and if I could coach the Lions, of course that would be the best thing.</span></p>
<p> I played for the Lions, and if I could coach the Lions, of course that would be the best thing,&#8221; he said.</p>
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<p> The most expected thing from Mr. Destrade is to rebuild the Lions&#8217; foreign players.</p>
<p> One of the reasons for this season&#8217;s slump was the poor performance of the &#8220;supporting&#8221; foreign players. In particular, the departure of Jesús Aguilar, who had hit 114 home runs in the majors and was expected to be a long-range gunner, was a major factor.</p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" How were the new foreign &quot;helpers&quot; who failed to make an impact treated..."></div>
<figure id="attachment_392025" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-392025" style="width: 1108px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="be013efc"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/09/9d90003e2548254a60aba7e9f61ba73b.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-392025" class="wp-caption-text">Destrade is full of &#8220;love for the Lions.</figcaption></figure>
<p> However, Mr. Destrade is sympathetic to Aguilar.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> I think the injury has had a big impact,&#8221; he said. Playing on an unfamiliar field may have taken a toll on him without him realizing it. I talked to him about it, but he had no pain during spring camp and it didn&#8217;t affect his play. This is something we could not have predicted, and we appreciate the potential of the 34-year-old veteran. Now that he&#8217;s safely out of surgery, we&#8217;ll keep an eye on him until he recovers well.&#8221;</span></p>
<p> He also commented on another new foreign player, Francie Cordero,</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> I think it took him longer than expected to get used to Japanese baseball. At the beginning of the season, I was still struggling, and I wish I had been able to take a lot of at-bats to get used to Japanese baseball, but that was not possible when I saw how weak the team was hitting. Now I have the impression that I have become much more accustomed to Japanese baseball after making adjustments on the farm. He is one of the hitters who has been performing well in the farm, so I hope he will be able to play an active role in the first team.</span><span class="strongInContent"> I knew about him before he joined the team, but I have high expectations for him because he has a lot of potential and he is still young at 30 years old.</span></p>
<p> He analyzed the situation. With the level of Japanese pitchers rising in recent years, it has become more difficult for foreign players to achieve results in their first year, and the two are looking forward to a strong turnaround in the coming season.</p>
<h2> Unexpected Names of Future &#8220;Star Candidates</h2>
<p> One of the &#8220;star candidates&#8221; for the future, according to Mr. Destrade, is Anthony Garcia, who was promoted from the developmental ranks at the end of July.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> His physical ability is very attractive, and he is only 23 years old, so I think he has a lot to learn. He is a player that we will give a lot of experience to and take time to develop. He has always been a switch hitter, and although he made the decision to concentrate on left, I see the lack of results against left-handed pitchers at the NPB first-team level as a factor that has not led to successful results, and I think he is struggling with this. However, I think he made the right decision to concentrate on left. If he gains a lot of experience from now on, he will become a star player in the future.&#8221;</span></p>
<p> The Lions have already lost 86 games this season (as of September 19). The Lions have already lost 86 games this season (as of September 19), and since they are by far the lowest ranked team, it will be difficult for them to rebuild for next season. However, Mr. Destrade is not pessimistic.</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> He is not only looking at the first team, but also at the farm team.</span><span class="strongInContent"> It is clear that the first team&#8217;s problem is hitting, and their pitching is excellent, one of the best in the Pacific League and among the top 12 teams. I believe that if we can find a balance between pitching and hitting, we can regain the Lions of the past. We also have many great young players on the farm. I hope that players who have had few opportunities to play in the first team this year will join the team along with veterans.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> If you look at the number of wins and losses, we are in a historic slump, but if you look closely, there are many close games lost by one or two runs. I don&#8217;t think the situation is as bad as the numbers suggest. If the average score went up by one point, we could be in Class A in no time. Fans, please be patient a little longer.</span></p>
<p> And no matter how bad the team is, Mr. Destrade is impressed by the fact that the fans continue to cheer them on.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The Lions are a historic team, a great organization. And what I really love about the Lions, having been involved for 35 years, is that they have an incredible Lions-loving fan base. It&#8217;s a fan base that has been passed down like a family; people who were kids 35 years ago are now adults and come to games with their families, and I feel that they love our golden years and our history. I am very happy that fans of all ages love the Lions. It is because of these Lions that I am willing to serve in any way I can. This year I am working as an advisor, and I am willing to accept anything from the Lions.</span></p>
<p> Destrade&#8217;s &#8220;love for the Lions&#8221; overflows from his body. He may be the key person to turn things around next season.</p>
<figure id="attachment_392031" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-392031" style="width: 1108px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="df63f865"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/09/1da11a65c18864155abd659bb015981a.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-392031" class="wp-caption-text"> In an interview, he revealed his plans for next season.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_392032" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-392032" style="width: 1477px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="d262d158"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/09/ad526aaba551271fa4494b79d88d9095.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-392032" class="wp-caption-text"> Mr. Destrade has won the home run crown three years in a row. The number one position suits him well.</figcaption></figure>


 Norifumi Arakida (FRIDAY Digital Entertainment Desk)

 The Seibu Lions have had a poor season, so much so that they were already determined to finish last in the Pacific League before the final game of the season. To help rebuild the team, we asked "legendary helper" Destrade, who took over as an advisor in July, about the team's "recovery" and "secret plan for next season. ......

Destrade says he would be happy to coach the Lions,&#8221; Destrade says of &#8220;rebuilding&#8221; foreign players and his &#8220;secret plan for the next season.

Destrade says he would be happy to coach the Lions,” Destrade says of “rebuilding” foreign players and his “secret plan for the next season.

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