What is the “letter” from Hanshin Manager Fujikawa? Behind the Bench Report: Pro Baseball’s “Bright and Dark Side

A good start that defies expectations!

The baseball spring has arrived!　The teams have already played about 15 games, and the picture is already shifting from light to dark (the figures in this article are as of April 13).

The team that got off to a rocket start with a 7-1 record in their opening three games was Yakult, a team that most pundits had predicted to finish in last place.

In addition to Yasutaka Shiomi (32), who is coming off surgery, Souma Uchiyama (23), Eigoro Mogi (32), Tetsuto Yamada (33), and even Ayutaka Matsushita (23), a Dora 1 player who showed great hitting potential at camp, were out. The team entered the season in the “Ya-Sen Hospital” condition that fans have become accustomed to, but manager Takahiro Ikeyama (60) showed great tact.

The strategy of placing hitters with high contact ability in front of and behind the hard-hitting Santana (33) and Osuna (33) and using end runs, stolen bases, and grounders to score a run is reminiscent of his mentor, the late Katsuya Nomura,” said a Yakult reporter for a sports newspaper.

Ikeyama was famous for his strict coaching when he was coaching Rakuten, but after returning to Yakult, Ikeyama praised the players and was open-minded, telling reporters, “Ask me anything you want. He is now a popular topic of conversation, saying, “He’s just like Nomu-san, the good-natured old man.

The team did not make a move to acquire a big-name assistant, although they would have received money for Munetaka Murakami (26), who had joined the White Sox through the posting system. Still, the way they built a strong relief lineup with Kijada (30), Liranzo (31), and two other stiff arms who did not flourish in the majors reminds me of the “Nomura Rebirth Factory. The only thing that stuck out to me was the avoidance of the bunt. Even if the pitcher is at bat with no outs and the bases loaded, the pitcher is the ninth fielder in the lineup,” said a former team executive.

So far, no pitcher has made a sacrifice hit. Ikeyama’s “magic,” which defies the theory, may or may not prove to be a blessing in disguise.

The Hanshin team has prevented the Ikeyama Yakult team from winning four consecutive games, but they have not been as strong as their reputation suggests, “We are struggling in games we would have easily won last year,” said a desk clerk at an evening newspaper. The absence of two relievers from last season, Daichi Ishii (28) and Masataka Oikawa (24), is a major factor, but a sports newspaper reporter insists, “There is nothing to worry about.

At the spring training camp, we sent a letter to alumni informing them that we would not be covering the team again this season. Manager Fujikawa Kanji (45)’s “team management that is willing to be hated” is alive and well again this year. Last year’s DRA1 player, Ryoto Ihara (25), has already won two games. Hidetoshi Ibaraki (21), who got his first win in his first start against Yakult, Rito Kinoshita (25), a 160 km/h right-handed pitcher, and Junya Nishi (24), who is hitting nearly .300 in his first year as a hitter, are among the breakout candidates. Masahiro Tateishi (22), a Dora 1 player, has also been well received, saying, “He is more responsive than Shota Morishita (25) when he was a rookie. Advisor to owner Akifu Okada (68) also declared, “This is a player we can use,” just by looking at his swing. The new power will fill the hole.

Candidates for the next manager and “four alumni

The Giants, whose main gun, Kazuma Okamoto (29), has left the team, have maintained a 50% winning percentage with the help of Cabbage (28), a second-year player, Dalbec (30), a newcomer, and Yuta Izumiguchi (26), who has been assigned to bat third. However, the team’s alumni are concerned.

The starters don’t have an ace. Iori Yamazaki (27) is out with a right shoulder injury. The serious problem is Shosei Togo (26). There are no physical problems with his shoulder or elbow, but his performance is not improving, so I can’t see a way out,” said Shosei.

The team alumnus emphasizes the fact that Togo’s poor performance is linked to the successive departures of Tomoyuki Sugano (36) and Masumi Kuwata (58), the former second-inning manager, whom Togo was very fond of.

The Giants’ starters are all rookies, foreigners, and outsiders, with Kazuyuki Takemaru (24), Whitley (28), Mata (26), Masahiro Tanaka (37), and Takahiro Norimoto (35), and they lack a spiritual pillar. If only Maeken were here,……,” I hear people say. Kenta Maeda (38) is experienced and has a great personality. He would have made his presence felt at a time like this. In fact, he was expected to come to the Giants, but the rumor is that he was kidnapped by Rakuten because the team could not offer a clear usage plan for him, saying they wanted him to compete as a starter.

The media is already discussing the name of the next manager.

The Giants have never had a new manager in the middle of a season since the two-league system was introduced. I can’t imagine how many team officials and alumni say, ‘I hope the Giants will keep this tradition alive. The fact that the Giants are being reported to be looking for a new manager is a sign of the team’s sense of crisis. Considering the sales aspect, we would like to invite Hideki Matsui (51), but he lives in New York. He and his family like living there, and the fact that he has been away from baseball in Japan for a long time is also a bottleneck. It will not be a simple move.

Owner Juichi Yamaguchi (69) said he “did not mean it” when Kuwata left the team. I think he had an idea of ‘Director Kuwata’ in mind. In fact, there was also Hirokazu Ibata (50). He has played and coached for the Giants and could have been one of the candidates if they had won the World Championship in the WBC, but that is no longer the case.

A manager in charge of organization for the Central League teams continued, “If they want to keep Matsui, they will have to go with Miura.

If you want to pull Matsui, you have to rely on his connection with Mr. Egawa, but the promise they said they made is not to the Giants, but to the Japanese team – the Samurai Japan team. In this predicament, I see Taku Egawa (70) as having a one-point appointment. When he joined the Giants, it is said that the Giants cut him a future manager’s bill of goods, and he himself is a lifelong Yomiuri. He has both popularity and buzz.”

DeNA, with the departure of its three mainstays Jackson (29), Kay (31), and Bauer (35), has shown how dangerous it is to rely on assistant starters. The No. 1 team in Japan the year before last suffered a season in which they finished in the bottom half of the standings.

The key to the team’s ups and downs will be manager Ryoji Aikawa ‘s (49) personnel, but “No. 1 pitcher Shugo Maki (27)” was not well received, and “closer TaiseiIrie (27) was switched to a starter” failed to produce any significant results, and Irie was quickly sent to the second team.

Mr. Aikawa seems to be aiming to be a motivator-type commander with the motto, “Talk with the players from the same perspective and don’t let them worry about you,” but to the casual observer, it appears that he is just being “too familiar. When the team was loose, it was Masashi Kuwabara (32) who tightened things up, but he has moved on to FA” (sportswriter Yamato Fujimoto).

The new home run wing will narrow the right and left sides of the Bantelin Dome, the team’s home field, by up to 6 meters, and Sanó (32), who has 164 hits in the majors, will join the team. With the expected increase in scoring power, which had been an issue, Chunichi, which was listed as a favorite to win the championship, is now struggling.

The expected “home run wingers” have hit only two. On April 11 alone, the Hanshin cleanup gave up three home runs to the Chunichi, and the fans were dismayed. We have been able to score runs, but more than that, we are being outhit,” said a Chunichi reporter for a sports paper. In particular, the relief pitchers have been particularly serious, with their defensive ratio in the 5-point range, and they have dropped six games in the opening five games of the season with upsets.

This year marks the 90th anniversary of the founding of the baseball team. Manager Kazuki Inoue, 54, is feeling the rising expectations for the team as the number of paying members of the fan club has reached a record high.

Even in his hometown of Nagoya,” he says, “there are many people who ask, ‘Who is the manager of Chunichi? I’ve started to actively participate in the media. Some people are saying, “Manager Inoue has changed his character. The only flaw is that his fatherly gags are slipping,” said a desk reporter for an evening newspaper.

Abreu, 30, a right-handed relief pitcher, developed a slipped back while pitching. When the team lost the game in reverse order, the “Hurry up and tell me!” was a big hit. ……

The second part is here! Pacific League “Behind the Bench Report

From the May 1-8, 2026 issue of FRIDAY