Hiroshima, led by Takahiro Arai, 48, in his third year as manager, is off to a strong start in the heavily-contested Central League.
<figure id="attachment_421856" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-421856" style="width: 2506px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="662183ef"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/04/be3123aa4237823195cfc284c76220ab.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-421856" class="wp-caption-text"> Photo from 2016, the first year of the Carp&#8217;s three consecutive championships. From left to right: Kikuchi, Matsuyama, and Tanaka.</figcaption></figure>
 The team&#8217;s fielding corps has returned to life this season. &#8220;This season, our fielders have regained their vigor. Newly recruited foreign players Sandro Fabian (27) and Shoudai Suekuma (28) have shown great long-ball ability, and mainstays such as Masaya Yano (26) and Kaito Koen (24) are growing into players who will be with the team for the next 10 years. If we can get one more cannonballer, it will be like &#8230;&#8230;.
 However, after a smooth-sailing start to the season, Arai is now worried about something that he doesn&#8217;t tell anyone.
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 It&#8217;s about how to treat veterans. Ryuhei Matsuyama (39) and Kosuke Tanaka (35), the oldest players on the team, were once regular contributors to the team, but now they are not at all effective. For Arai, these two players were like &#8220;family&#8221; as they both won three consecutive Central League championships during their careers.
 However, since Arai retired, their performance has been declining rapidly, and it is said that if the former manager Shinji Sasaoka&#8217;s administration had lasted longer, he would have already handed them over to the new manager. In addition, Tanaka was reported by the Weekly Bunshun last fall to be having an affair with a civilian woman in her 30s living in Hiroshima City, and this has not gone down well with the team&#8217;s front office.
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 Matsuyama, who is popular among fans for his friendly character despite his seniority, is also on the precipice.
 His strength lies in his ability to hit the ball long when the game is on the line, but his batting average has dropped dramatically, and he has no place to go to protect himself. A manager is essentially in a position where he has to make ruthless decisions, sometimes even against veterans, as the person who is ultimately responsible for organizing the team&#8217;s strength.
 However, Mr. Arai, who has always been kind to me since my working days, is a person who would never force his &#8220;family&#8221; to retire. &#8230;&#8230; If it is not possible, the front office is considering asking former owner Matsuda (74) for his approval and then telling him that the owner says it is time for him to take off his uniform,&#8221; said a source close to the team.
 Matsuyama had been getting results in the second team games, but on April 8, in a Western League game against Softbank, he injured his left knee while running the bases.
 The results of a medical examination showed that he had damaged the medial collateral ligament of his left knee. The first of them is Ryosuke Kikuchi (35). He is usually not on the podium even when he plays well, but at the Giants game on November 11, the team&#8217;s public relations officer urged him to take the microphone and say, &#8220;Matsukchan, I did it! He had a big smile on his face. Matsuyama once became a topic of conversation when he said in his hero interview, &#8220;My grandma in Kagoshima, my grandpa in heaven, I did it today! Kikuchi likened it to the way Matsuyama said &#8220;I did it today! Kikuchi sent his encouragement in the same manner.
 We hope that the two veterans will bloom one more flower before the &#8220;family&#8221; bond is severed.

 Kyodo News

 Hiroshima manager Takahiro Arai (48), now in his third year at the helm, is off to a good start in the crowded Central League, but behind the scenes he seems to have his own troubles. ......

Hiroshima&#8217;s Front Office Considering &#8220;Recommendation of Retirement&#8221; for Kosuke Tanaka &#038; Ryuhei Matsuyama: &#8230;&#8230;Arai&#8217;s distress and &#8220;encouragement from his juniors&#8221;.

Hiroshima’s Front Office Considering “Recommendation of Retirement” for Kosuke Tanaka & Ryuhei Matsuyama: ……Arai’s distress and “encouragement from his juniors”.

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