<figure id="attachment_469761" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-469761" style="width: 967px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="896caaa7"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/06/5969efac895cdfc656c0f4e4c35c6a68.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-469761" class="wp-caption-text">Director Ikeyama is described as &#8220;like the sun.</figcaption></figure>
 Ikeyama, we don&#8217;t need talent.
 In 1990, Yakult manager Katsuya Nomura said something that was deeply engraved in the mind of the then 24-year-old Takahiro Ikeyama. He meant that just having strong hitters and ace-class pitchers was not enough to win a game. Thirty-six years later, at the age of 60, Ikeyama is about to rewrite history at Jingu Stadium as the first manager to put on the uniform.
 We were close to winning, and then we lost, but tomorrow I want to change and fight on.
 Yakult manager Takahiro Ikeyama (60), who lost his first interleague game on May 26 after 11 extra innings, showed his usual smile behind the bench. But there was a hint of regret in his eyes.
<h2> Did you sleep well?&#8221;</h2>
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 Before the season opener, 69 out of 78 sports paper pundits predicted the Yakult Swallows to finish last. But on May 4, they became the first team in 29 years, since 1997, to win 20 games, the fastest in both leagues.
 On May 28, after the 0-8 loss, Ikeyama said to the players, &#8220;The pitching in the Pacific League is different. But let&#8217;s be cheerful.
 Manager Ikeyama is like the sun.
 A baseball team official said, &#8220;Manager Ikeyama is like the sun. Ikeyama, who served as manager of the second team for six years, had the players&#8217; complete trust.
 He would always wave to fans who called out to him during warm-ups, even during practice. He was concerned about the physical condition of his players and would ask, &#8216;Did you sleep well last night? He has both the delicacy and boldness characteristic of type AB.
 Ikeyama, who was nicknamed &#8220;Bunbunmaru&#8221; during his playing days, is a dynamic player. He hit a total of 304 home runs with his full swing, but he also struck out a lot. Manager Katsuya Nomura jokingly said to Ikeyama, &#8220;I think Ikeyama is a cheater. Nomura&#8217;s manager Katsuya Nomura jokingly remarked, &#8220;Maybe Ikeyama is a cheater.
 However, Nomura recognized Ikeyama&#8217;s &#8220;good character.
 He was different. He is trying to change himself.
 True to Nomura&#8217;s words, Ikeyama listened carefully to what others had to say and was willing to learn.
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" If he falters, it&#39;s the end."></div>
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Ikeyama&#8217;s gap between his dynamic play and his meticulous nature is fascinating.
 He is a sportswriter who has covered Ikeyama since his playing days.
 His hobbies are appreciating and collecting paintings, and playing shogi (Japanese chess). During his playing days, he visited art museums when he was on tour, and when he was off duty, he liked to have dinner with his family at his favorite restaurant in Ginza.
 Even after becoming manager, his meticulousness has remained strong. In pre-game meetings, he meticulously checks the data. He keeps track of each player&#8217;s level of fatigue and does not push them too hard.
 While he focuses on data, he also values the players&#8217; feelings above all else. He is also attentive to young players who are not as old as he is, and he is always looking ahead to what is to come.
 In 2002, he retired from active baseball. In 2011, he returned to Yakult, where he was transferred from first-arm coach to second-arm general fielding coach, and from 2020 he was second-arm manager for six years, during which time Mitsuru Manaka and Shingo Takatsu took over as first-arm managers.
<h2> &#8216;Watch.</h2>
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 I think there were a few people who thought, &#8216;Why not me? I think he felt that way more than a little. But I didn&#8217;t make any weak remarks. I told him that it was my role to nurture the younger generation, and I treated the players with a smile.
 On February 11, the seventh anniversary of Nomura&#8217;s death. Ikeyama laid his hands on the grave and vowed, &#8220;I will become a manager. Please watch over me.
 Ikeyama&#8217;s strategy of playing to the underdog is backed up by data: he places his main hitters in the first and second spots and puts his pitcher in the eighth spot to connect the bottom to the top of the order. Many pro baseball alumni have said that Nomu&#8217;s strategy of &#8220;the weak man&#8217;s strategy&#8221; has been revived in Reiwa.
 Yakult defeated DeNA in the opening game on March 27. Ikeyama said with a big smile.
 I&#8217;m thrilled. It&#8217;s thanks to all of you.&#8221;
 During the game, Ikeyama continued to smile from the bench.
 The manager says, &#8216;If the players shrink, it&#8217;s the end. So I smile in any situation. But after the game, he reflects on the situation alone.
 On the night of May 28, after three games in the interleague series, Ikeyama was on the bench at Jingu. Ikeyama was alone on the bench at Jingu, staring at the ground. His expression showed both frustration and the strength to look forward.
 The man who 36 years ago was told by Mr. Nomu, &#8220;We don&#8217;t need talent,&#8221; is about to make new history with the Yakult, a team that is by no means blessed with an abundance of talent. The rookie manager, who is now in his 60s, shows &#8220;determination behind his smile. This is the driving force behind the team&#8217;s rapid progress.

 Kyodo News

 Yakult's rapid rise to the top is unstoppable. Before the season, most pundits predicted them to finish last, but they are still in contention for the championship. Behind this is the insight of Katsuya Nomura, who saw through the naivete of Takahiro Ikeyama. The following is a secret story about Ikeyama and Mr. Nomura.

&#8216;I wonder if they&#8217;re doing 800?&#8217; &#8230;A great advance! Yakult Manager Ikeyama: &#8220;Mr. Nomu saw through the gap between his play and

‘I wonder if they’re doing 800?’ …A great advance! Yakult Manager Ikeyama: “Mr. Nomu saw through the gap between his play and

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