Mr. Tachinami made his decision before the All-Star game. ……” A team official reveals the inside story behind Mr. Dragons’ resignation.

After the loss to Hanshin at the Bantelindome Nagoya on September 18, Chunichi manager Kazuyoshi Tachinami (55) announced that he would retire at the end of the season. What was behind the sudden announcement with only a few games remaining?

In his third year in charge, the team was not only not competing for the championship, but was also flying very low. Tsuyoshi Shinjo, 52, the manager of Nippon Ham, who was appointed at the same time and experienced the humiliation of finishing in the bottom of the table for two consecutive years, succeeded in nurturing young players. This season, the team finished in the A class. Tatsunami was unable to achieve that.

I had to produce results this year, but I couldn’t. I took responsibility and resigned for the rest of the year. I took responsibility and told the team that I would resign at the end of this year. I will give it my all until the end, and I will make my peace with that.”

Surrounded by the press after the game, Tatsunami announced his resignation. There was already a fishy atmosphere,” said an alumnus of the team with knowledge of the situation .

When he met with the team’s leaders around the time of this summer’s All-Star Game, Tatsunami told them that he would quit after this year if the team finished in the B class. In August, he began self-deprecatingly telling his favorite Tanimachi sources that he would have no choice but to quit if the team finished last again, and the story quickly leaked out.

The players rated him ……

Because he is Mr. Dragons, some thought that Tatsunami’s contract would be for five years, rather than the three years that was widely believed.

However, if Mr. Tachinami had not come out of the woodwork, it is highly likely that the baseball team would have asked him to continue pitching. The reason is simple. The reason is simple: There is no one suitable to replace him. Mr. Tachinami is a nationally known star who can draw a crowd. However, his anachronistic behavior, such as the “Reiwa rice fiasco” that became a hot topic last year, was noticeable, and it is true that some fans shunned him.

When he became manager, there was concern that he might fall prey to the weekly newspapers, and his personal life was lavish.

It was Chunichi who was the first to lift the restriction on eating out during camp with the COVID-19 crisis. Many staff members jokingly said, “It was so that manager Tatsunami could go out at night. Some staff members heard rumors about Tatsunami’s relationships with women at the camps and on the field trips. On the other hand On the other hand, he checked every TV program in which the players appeared during their off-days, and he would hang out with players who made comments he did not like, or persistently ask them about their true intentions. Some players, such as Shigeya Hosokawa (26) and Yuki Okabayashi (22), flourished under the Tachinami administration, but not a few players were happy to see him go. In fact, one player said to me, ‘Finally, I’ll be able to …….'” (A source close to the baseball team)

Although his reputation as a manager was not high, he should be appreciated for his “manly spirit” in taking responsibility for the team’s decline and cutting his own throat.