<figure id="attachment_465787" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-465787" style="width: 2691px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="d4bdd46c"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/04/dd4b316217d7f6d8ae909ce493ccf6d5.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-465787" class="wp-caption-text">I feel like I&#8217;ve had more opportunities to look tough this season &#8230;&#8230;</figcaption></figure>
<h2> At the owner&#8217;s direction: &#8230;&#8230;</h2>
 Hiroshima manager Takahiro Arai, 49, is in his fourth year in the post, and if the team fails to win the championship, the question of his future is likely to be raised at once.
 Arai, who has been close to the players with his friendly personality as he has been during his playing days, is now in trouble. &#8230;&#8230;
 In January of this year, Ryutaro Hatsuki, 26, was arrested by Hiroshima police for using &#8220;zombie cigarettes,&#8221; and Arai was furious. Since then, he has not been able to communicate with the players as much as he used to. He began to push away veteran outfielder Shogo Akiyama (38), who had temporarily left the team due to health problems, and became stern with him.
 It is said that he is also said to have a mixed feeling in his heart and has revealed his painful feelings to his close friends, saying, &#8220;If I am lenient, it will not be good for them, so I will not be lenient.
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 The team has been aggressively using young players from the start of the season.
 He asked a close media friend for his opinion on the use of DRA1 player Ren Hirakawa (22), saying, &#8220;How do I look from your point of view? &#8220;We were initially cautious about selecting rookies for the starting lineup,&#8221; he said. Most of them were of the opinion that it would be &#8216;too risky&#8217; to incorporate a player with zero professional experience into the top ranks from the start of the season, so I also told them, &#8216;I guess that&#8217;s right.
 However, just before the season opener, Arai clearly stated that Hirakawa would be used as the No. 1 player. The media people who were consulted were surprised and wondered if there had been a change of heart.
 A source close to the baseball team believes that behind the change of mind was &#8220;a directive from the team to nurture young players.
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 The only young player who could be the nucleus of the team was Kaito Koen (25), and there were not enough stars. Former owner Matsuda (75) and the rest of the front office are looking for a way to replace one generation with another. In addition to Hirakawa, the team has instructed manager Arai to prioritize the use of Dora 2 pitcher Taichi Saito (22, from Asia University) and Dora 3 fielder Naru Katsuda (22, from Kinki University).
 In his first year in charge, he ranked second in the league, but in his second year he ranked fourth, and last year he ranked fifth, a steady decline. The team&#8217;s lack of results probably forced manager Arai to accept the situation. Even so, if the team does not at least make it into the A-Class, he will be forced to step down. Manager Arai is having to fight a tough battle,&#8221; said a baseball team official.
 The team&#8217;s order is lined up with a number of .100 hitters, and the team is currently in the midst of a debt. I would like to see the three rookies be the ones to strike back. &#8230;&#8230;

 Kyodo News

 Hiroshima manager Takahiro Arai, 49, is likely to have his career in jeopardy if he fails to win a championship in his fourth year in charge of the team. The season demands results, but the pinch points continue to mount.

Was it a directive from the baseball team?　Hiroshima manager Takahiro Arai, who has had &#8220;a string of mishaps,&#8221; selects three rookies for a generational change.

Was it a directive from the baseball team?　Hiroshima manager Takahiro Arai, who has had “a string of mishaps,” selects three rookies for a generational change.

Access Ranking

Was it a directive from the baseball team? Hiroshima manager Takahiro Arai, who has had “a string of mishaps,” selects three rookies for a generational change.

Access Ranking

Was it a directive from the baseball team?　Hiroshima manager Takahiro Arai, who has had “a string of mishaps,” selects three rookies for a generational change.