Sato’s Breakout Traced to Tanaka’s Failed Makeover

The human drama unfolding behind the bench

Despite the humiliation of suffering five consecutive come-from-behind losses in interleague play—a feat not seen in nearly half a century—Hanshin continues to lead the Central League. The driving force behind this is the awakening of cleanup hitter Teruaki Sato (26), who is charging toward a double crown in home runs and RBIs. The origin of his breakthrough dates back a year and a half ago.

“In 2022, Sato cut his team’s championship trip short and flew to Driveline, a science-based training facility in Seattle. At the time, he could hit inside pitches but struggled with those on the outside. Motion analysis revealed a disconnect between the movements of his upper and lower body. He worked to correct his swing so he could channel 100% of his power into the ball, and now those efforts are finally paying off,” said a Hanshin beat reporter for a sports newspaper.

That’s how his now-famous mutant homers, which leave fans asking, “How did that even go out?” came to be. Just like Shohei Ohtani (30), who also trained at Driveline, Sato developed a swing that can handle outside pitches by pulling them from center to left field. The same reporter says a managerial change also worked in Sato’s favor.

“Former manager Akinobu Okada (67) was the type to constantly give instructions, while current manager Kyuji Fujikawa (44) respects players’ independence. That gave Sato the freedom to fully commit to reinventing himself. Okada taught him the foundations of baseball and mental toughness, and now he’s in an environment where he can play more freely and show his full potential. He initially set a goal of 30 home runs and 100 RBIs this season, but he may need to revise that home run target upward.”

While former manager Okada repeatedly claimed that the team had the strength to win it all, a lingering concern is Fujikawa’s game management. In the final interleague game against SoftBank—trailing by one run with one out and runners on first and third—he ordered a surprise safety squeeze on a 3-0 count, baffling fans both at Koshien Stadium and online.

“He’s overmanaging. He pulls starting pitchers too early. Of the five consecutive comeback losses, four were due to bullpen mismanagement that cost the starters their wins. Fujikawa pitched in 50+ games every year during his career, even appearing in 80 games in a season. But some current relievers quietly mutter, ‘We’re not like you.’ That said, the bullpen is Fujikawa’s sacred ground—even the coaching staff can’t interfere. They’re deep in both quality and quantity, so it’s working for now, but with how often he has them pitching multiple innings, this could turn into a repeat of last year’s Hiroshima Carp collapse due to overuse,” said a team official.

Over in Yomiuri, which hopes to reclaim the league title, the team found itself unexpectedly without two of its stars on the interleague stage. Against familiar Pacific League opponents, Masahiro Tanaka (36) wasn’t even called up and continues to struggle in the minors.

“In recent years, Tanaka hasn’t been able to contribute much. Hopes were high that pitching coach Yasuo Kubo (67), who helped revive Tomoyuki Sugano (35) last season with his ‘radical makeover,’ could do the same—but Tanaka seems too attached to his own form, and changes haven’t gone well. He even gave up four runs in two innings against a minor-league team. With no one in the farm system boasting a better career than this former MLB All-Star, pride might be keeping him from taking advice from less accomplished coaches,” said an evening newspaper editor.

Meanwhile, the Giants’ reliable cleanup hitter Kazuma Okamoto (28) is also rehabbing in the minors. While Tanaka silently goes about his bullpen work against young players, Okamoto left the first team jokingly saying, “I’m just taking a quick break,” with a cheerful demeanor.

“Scouts from the Rangers, Mets, and Dodgers continue to track him closely, which seems to be a big motivation for him. Due to ligament damage in his left elbow, he might be undervalued in MLB, but Okamoto is determined—saying he wants to ‘crush it in the second half and help the team win before heading to the majors,’” the same editor adds.

See the follow-up here: [The Four Men Behind SoftBank’s V-Shaped Recovery, and the Charismatic Figure Behind Seibu’s Imai’s Untouchable Pitching—The Human Drama Behind the Bench]

From the July 11, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY”