DeNA is in a “crisis of pieces” after losing Masashi Kuwabara… Captain Tsutsuka is “a little bit scary”!

He is being kind now, but ……

DeNA, led by new manager Ryoji Aikawa (49), has had a hard time making waves since the start of the season.

Aikawa has been taking a hard line with the players during camp in an effort to change the loose atmosphere in the team. When Ryuki Toei (23, Watarai Ryuki), who does not look like he will make the starting lineup, had a poor performance in the opening game, he immediately told him to readjust to the second team.

He has long meetings with the leadership and takes the stance of listening to the opinions of each person in charge, but his good-naturedness gets in the way and he is not very good at organizing opinions. Some people involved with the team are saying, “He is still inquisitive in his first year, but we would like to see him develop the ability to make quick decisions as if he were in charge of the field.

In 2024, under the leadership of Daisuke Miura (52), the Bay Stars won the Climax Series (CS) and became the first Japanese champions since 1998. At the time, alumni were concerned that the team lacked cohesion, but it was Masashi Kuwabara (32), who has been playing for Seibu since this season, who put their concerns to rest.

He was nicknamed “KUWA” by his teammates, and from the time he first joined the team, he had a cheerful disposition and was loved by the older members of the team. When the team had to go through hard training in camp, or when they were in a pinch in a game, he would cheer them up and say, ‘Let’s get on with it! and at meetings, he would appeal head-on for team unity. He was a rare presence for the BayStars, and the team’s victory in Japan two years ago would not have been possible without his presence.

However, the team has been pushing for a generational change in the outfield, including Toei and Tatsuo Emina (28), and seems to have somewhat neglected Kuwabara’s accomplishments. That may be one reason for the outflow. It hurts not only in terms of the team’s strength, but also the loss of a leader and mental pillar of the DeNA nine, who tends to play as an individual, hurts more than anything.

To fill Kuwabara’s vacancy, Aikawa named Yoshitomo Tsutsugo (34) captain for the first time in seven years.

He is desperately trying to organize the team in Kuwabara’s place, as he said at a press conference after his contract renewal last offseason, “Anyone who does not have a strong desire to win a championship has no right to enter the field.

However, there are many players in DeNA who take their own pace, and some of them are not able to keep up with Tsutsuka’s demand for stoicism. The middleclass players who support Tsutsuka are indispensable to change this situation, but the middleclass players are still a bit scared of him, saying, “He is gentle now, but I am still traumatized by Tsutsuka’s aggressiveness before he challenged the major leagues. It’s a headache.

The team’s condition is improving, with five consecutive wins since April 17, but the team will not be able to win a long season if the nine players do not work together as a team.