<figure id="attachment_465027" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-465027" style="width: 3324px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="ea6dfdd6"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/04/7d111dc2fd76bcae0e9e079cb3a299b3.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-465027" class="wp-caption-text">The two managers have maintained a good rivalry since their working days.</figcaption></figure>
<h2> Psychological Warfare as Only Professionals Can</h2>
 Shinnosuke Abe, 47, is under strict orders to regain V in his third year as manager of the Giants. The absence of Kazuma Okamoto (29), who was transferred to the Blue Jays of the Major League Baseball, was thought to have had a serious impact on his performance, but he has been fighting a good fight, maintaining a 50% winning percentage and a Class A record.
 For manager Abe, there is no doubt who he wants to beat this season. The team is led by manager Kyuji Fujikawa (45), who suffered an 8-17 loss last season.
 Fujikawa, who was one year younger than Abe and had no coaching experience at all, won the league championship in his first year in charge. He was also very impressed with Fujikawa&#8217;s performance, but he seemed to be in a hurry. He had been appealing to the front office since the middle of last season for reinforcements in both pitching and hitting because he had a big goal of beating the Hanshin to the championship.
 When the team faced the Hanshin in the opening game on March 27, they started rookie Takemaru Kazuyuki (24), then sent newcomer Spencer Howard (29) to the mound in the second game and Dora 3 Kyohei Yamashiro (22) in the third game.
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 Just before the season opener, Abe gathered the pitching staff and said, &#8220;I don&#8217;t care if I have to hit every batter on the Hanshin mainstay. He told them, &#8220;Be prepared to hit the mainstay of the Hanshin team every time you want to. He is said to have told the pitchers in a stern tone of voice, &#8220;Of course, dead balls should be avoided. Of course, dead balls should be avoided, but it would be a complete disaster if he was so afraid of dead balls that he let a sweetly hit ball go into the stands.
 This is the kind of message that only manager Abe, who has experienced Japan&#8217;s No. 1 baseball team several times as a regular catcher, could have delivered. He assured the players that the bench would take responsibility even if there was a dispute, so the rookies were able to attack without fear.
 In fact, in Game 3, Yusuke Oyama (31) and Toratake Fushimi (35) were hit by dead balls one after the other in one inning, causing Fujikawa and other Hanshin leaders to run off the bench.
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 Fujikawa&#8217;s signature tactic was to intimidate the opposing pitchers with the coaches around him while maintaining the appearance that he was talking to the umpires. It was the kind of psychological warfare that only a professional pitcher can engage in. I&#8217;ll take the blame!　I&#8217;ll take responsibility! and Mr. Fujikawa counters with silent pressure when the pitcher is hit. The battle outside of the game will also be interesting to watch.
 In the second round of direct confrontations held at Koshien from April 14, the Giants won two games in a row thanks to good pitching by Kota Norimoto (35) and Masahiro Tanaka (37), who moved to the Giants from Rakuten. In the opening card, the rookies, and in the hostile territory, the experienced veterans tried to hold off the powerful Hanshin batting lineup. If Iori Yamazaki (27) and Shoyuki Togo (26), who are known for their aggressive pitching, are added to the lineup, the &#8220;Abe vs.
 This year, it seems that a &#8220;heated battle&#8221; reminiscent of the Showa period will unfold.

 Kyodo News

 Shinnosuke Abe, 47, is under strict orders to regain V in his third year in charge of the Giants. He is said to have given his pitchers a boost with extraordinary determination to beat the Hanshin team.

Be prepared to get hit! Behind the Giants&#8217; back-to-back wins over the Hanshin Tigers, Abe&#8217;s &#8220;Han-ki Kisho&#8221; (proclamation of the spirit of mankind)&#8230;Fujikawa&#8217;s &#8220;silent intimidation&#8221; against the Giants?

Be prepared to get hit! Behind the Giants’ back-to-back wins over the Hanshin Tigers, Abe’s “Han-ki Kisho” (proclamation of the spirit of mankind)…Fujikawa’s “silent intimidation” against the Giants?

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