Kazuki Inoue Faces Difficult Questions Following Protégé’s Arrest and Past Misconduct

Are you taking baseball lightly?!

Although preseason analysts had high expectations for Chunichi’s finish, the team has sunk into the lower half of the standings due to a rash of injuries and questionable managerial decisions. Manager Kazuki Inoue (54), whose future is already being speculated upon despite the season still being underway, is reportedly dealing with another source of concern.

After being invited by former Hanshin Tigers manager Akihiro Yano (57) to serve as a first-team coach for Hanshin, Inoue left the club following the 2022 season. He then spent the following year watching games from behind home plate as an observer.

“That offseason, at the request of his close friend and former Chunichi manager Kazuyoshi Tatsunami (56), Inoue became the Dragons’ farm team manager. During the 2024 season, he devoted himself to developing young players at Nagoya Stadium. One of the pitchers on the roster at the time was Kotaro Ueda (23), who had been selected in the second round of the 2021 developmental draft.

After failing to produce results, Ueda was released at the end of that season and returned to his hometown in Toyama. However, in January of this year, he was arrested for allegedly stealing a designer handbag from the home of a female acquaintance in Toyama City. At his first trial on May 11, he admitted the charges and stated that he had sold the bag to a recycling shop for ¥80,000 because he needed money,” said a reporter from a national newspaper’s social affairs desk.

A graduate of baseball powerhouse Kyoei High School, Ueda earned promotion from a developmental contract to the active roster and made eight first-team appearances as a starting pitcher in 2022. However, while trying to realize his baseball potential, his private life was reportedly in disarray.

“He drank heavily and often prioritized drinking parties over games and practice. Whenever he got paid, he spent the money almost immediately. He showed no sense of planning whatsoever. Manager Inoue, who was also responsible for guiding the younger players in their daily lives, frequently sternly told him, ‘It’s about time you grew up.’ But it was like talking to a brick wall. He never changed and eventually left the team as he was,” said a former club member.

One of Ueda’s former teammates recalled an incident that left a lasting impression.

“It was near the end of the 2022 season when Kosuke Fukudome (49) played his retirement game at Vantelin Dome. Ueda was chosen as the starting pitcher for the occasion. From Manager Tatsunami’s perspective, it was a way of showing confidence in him and encouraging him to perform well the following season. But unbelievably, on the night before the game, Ueda was out drinking tequila and trying to pick up women at a nightclub in Nagoya’s entertainment district of Nishiki.

He didn’t return to the dormitory next to Nagoya Stadium until dawn and ended up being late for first-team practice. The manager exploded at him, shouting, ‘Are you taking baseball lightly on such an important day?!’ Even Ueda looked genuinely shaken by the scolding.”

On May 18, the Toyama District Court sentenced Ueda to one year in prison, suspended for three years.

“Inoue is a man with a strong sense of responsibility, and he seemed genuinely remorseful, saying, ‘My guidance wasn’t strict enough.’ The team is already facing enough problems, so people around the club are worried about how this will affect him,” said a team official.

For Manager Inoue to regain his smile, the Chunichi players will have to rise to the occasion.