What Was in Manager Fujikawa’s Letter? Inside Hanshin’s Dugout Drama of Sharp Contrasts

A strong start that defied expectations

Spring baseball has arrived! With each team having already played around 15 games, early signs of separation in fortunes are already beginning to appear (figures in this article are as of April 13).

The team that got off to a rocket start, going 7–1 through its first three series, was Yakult—a club most analysts had predicted would finish last.

In addition to players returning from surgery such as Yasutaka Shiomi (32), the team also lost Souma Uchiyama (23), Eigoro Mogi (32), Tetsuto Yamada (33), and even first-round draft pick Ayuto Matsushita (23), who had drawn attention for his powerful hitting in camp. They entered the season in what fans are already familiar with as the “Ya-byo hospital” situation, but manager Takahiro Ikeyama (60) has been sharp in his leadership.

“A strategy that places high-contact hitters before and after power hitters Santana (33) and Osuna (33), and uses hit-and-run plays, steals, and productive outs to scrape together runs, is reminiscent of his mentor, the late Katsuya Nomura,” said a Yakult reporter for a sports newspaper.

During his time as a coach with Rakuten, he was known for strict guidance, but since returning to Yakult, Ikeyama has been lavish in praising his players and open with reporters, saying, “Ask me anything.” His kindly old man demeanor is also being described as similar to Nomura.

“Yakult presumably received a transfer fee after Munetaka Murakami (26) used the posting system to join the White Sox, but the team did not move to acquire major-name imports. Even so, they have built a strong bullpen out of two hard-throwers—Kihada (30) and Liranso (31)—who did not succeed in MLB, in a way that evokes Nomura’s recycling factory. The only sticking point is their aversion to bunting. Even with runners on first and second and no outs, they let the pitcher hit, sticking to the theory that the pitcher is the ninth fielder, and do not sacrifice bunt,” said a former team executive.

So far, the team has zero sacrifice bunts by pitchers. Nomura famously said, “There is no mysterious loss,” but it remains to be seen whether Ikeyama’s unconventional “Ikeyama magic” will prove beneficial or backfire.

Hanshin, which stopped Yakult’s four-series winning streak, has not lived up to preseason expectations either. “They are struggling in games they would have easily won last year,” said a sports desk editor. The absence of relievers Daichi Ishii (28) and Masaki Oyokawa (24), both of whom posted sub-1.00 ERAs last season, has been significant, but a freelance sports reporter insists there is no cause for concern.

“During spring camp, the team informed OBs via letter that we will not respond to interviews this season either. Manager Kyuji Fujikawa’s leadership style of not fearing being disliked remains intact. Last year’s first-round pick Takato Ihara (25) already has two wins. Other breakout candidates are plentiful, including Shunji Ibaraki (21), who earned his first win as a starter against Yakult; Rito Kinoshita (25), a 160 km/h right-hander; and Junya Nishi (24), who is in his first year as a position player and is hitting nearly .300 in the minors. First-round pick Masahiro Tateishi (22) has also been praised, with evaluations such as better adaptability than Shota Morishita in his rookie year. Advisor Akifu Okada (68) even declared after just seeing his swing, ‘He can play.’ The new talent should be able to fill the gaps.”

Next Manager Candidates and Four OBs

With cleanup hitter Kazuma Okamoto (29) having left the team, the Giants have managed to stay around a .500 winning percentage thanks to the strong performances of second-year player Cabbage (28), new acquisition Dalbec (30), and Yuta Izuguchi (26), who has been assigned the No. 3 spot. However, a former team OB expresses concern.

“There is no true ace in the starting rotation. Iori Yamazaki (27) is out with a right shoulder injury. What is more serious is Shosei Togo (26). It’s not that he has any physical injury to his shoulder or elbow—his performance just isn’t improving, so there’s no clear way forward.”

This former OB places importance on the fact that Togo’s decline coincides with the departures of Tomoyuki Sugano (36) and former farm manager Masumi Kuwata (58), both of whom Togo deeply admired.

“Giants’ starting rotation is filled with rookies, foreigners, and players acquired from other teams—Takayuki Takekuma (24), Whitley (28), Mata (26), Masahiro Tanaka (37), and Hirokazu Norimoto (35)—and there is no real emotional pillar. You even hear people saying, ‘If Maeken were here.’ Masahiro Tanaka (38) is experienced and has an excellent personality. He would have shown his presence in moments like this. In fact, he was expected to join the Giants, but reportedly the team could not present a clear role for him as a starter competing for a spot, and he ended up being taken by Rakuten.”

Media outlets are already discussing potential next managers.

“Since the introduction of the two-league system, the Giants have never replaced a manager midseason. Many within the organization and among OBs insist, ‘This tradition must be preserved.’ Still, the emergence of such reports reflects a sense of crisis within the current team. From a business perspective, they would ideally bring in Hideki Matsui (51), but he lives in New York. He and his family are settled there, and his long absence from Japanese baseball is a major obstacle. It will not be easy.

Owner Toshiaki Yamaguchi (69) reportedly lamented when Kuwata left the farm team manager role, saying, ‘That was not our intention.’ It is believed there may have been an internal plan for Kuwata as a future manager. Another possibility was Hirokazu Ibata (50). He played for the Giants and has also coached there. If he had led Japan to a WBC title, he could have been a candidate, but that scenario has disappeared,” said the source.

A National League team executive adds:

“If they are to bring in Matsui, they would have to rely on his ties to Mr. Giants, but the rumored promise between them may not have been about the Giants at all—it may have been about Samurai Japan. In this crisis, I believe there is a chance of an emergency one-batter appearance by Suguru Egawa (70). When he joined the team, it was said the Giants gave him a future managerial guarantee, and he has remained loyal to Yomiuri. He also has popularity and name recognition.”

The star of the ’88 generation, Hayato Sakamoto (37), and Maeken’s (Masahiro Tanaka) skillful pitching are also drawing attention.

The danger of relying on foreign starting pitchers is clearly shown by DeNA, which lost its three pillars—Jackson (29), Ke (31), and Bauer (35). The team that was Japan Series champion just two years ago has fallen to last place early in the season, suffering a bitter setback.

The key to their rise or fall lies in the managerial decisions of Ryoji Aikawa (49). However, his use of leadoff hitter Shugo Maki (27) has been unpopular, and his experiment of converting closer Taisei Irie (27) into a starter has also failed to produce results, leading to Irie being quickly sent down to the farm team.

“Aikawa aims to be a motivational type of manager who talks to players on the same level and doesn’t make them feel pressured,but from the outside it just looks too familiar and casual. When the team started to loosen up, it was Masashi Kuwahara (32) who used to tighten things up, but he has left via free agency,” said sports writer Yamato Fujimoto.

With the installation of a new home run wing, the right-center and left-center fields of the home stadium (Vantelin Dome Nagoya) have been shortened by up to six meters. Slugger Sano (32), who has 164 MLB career home runs, joined the team, and expectations were high that their offensive production would improve, with some even picking Chunichi as a title contender.

However, the expected home run wing blasts have only totaled two so far. “In one game on April 11 against Hanshin, they allowed three home runs from the clean-up hitters alone, and fans were saying, ‘This is like giving wings to the tiger.’ They can score more now, but they are conceding even more,” said a Chunichi reporter for a sports newspaper.

The team has already conceded the most losses in the league with 10. The bullpen ERA has ballooned to over 5.00, and they have suffered six comeback losses in their first five series.

This year marks the 90th anniversary of the franchise. Fan club membership has reached a record high, and manager Katsuya Inoue (54) is reportedly feeling the rising expectations firsthand.

“There are even voices in Nagoya saying, ‘Wait, who is the Chunichi manager again?’ so he has started appearing more actively in the media. Some say ‘Manager Inoue has changed his personality.’ His dad jokes, though, are reportedly not landing well,” said a tabloid editor.

Reliever right-hander Abreu (30) suffered a sudden back spasm during pitching. His postgame comment, “You should have told me earlier,” became a fan favorite.

[Part 2 available here] Pro Baseball Special Report: Clear Winners and Losers! Pacific League Behind-the-Scenes Bench Report

 

From the May 1-8, 2026 issue of “FRIDAY”