Hiroshima, Rocked by the “Zombie Cigarette” Scandal, Begins Serious Search for Next Manager… Top Candidates Are “Tomonori Kanemoto & Kenjiro Nomura”

The “Kikuchi Plan” has been shelved

Hiroshima manager Takahiro Arai (49), whose team was rocked by the “zombie cigarette” scandal, is struggling to rebuild a team that remains stuck in fifth place in the league. Although Hiroshima finished second in the league during Arai’s first year as manager, the team has gradually slipped to fourth and then fifth place since then…

“This season, we were fired up to reclaim the championship for the first time since 2018, but at the same time, we’ve been facing a wave of generational change. Just before the season opener, team management instructed the coaching staff to make developing young players their top priority.Rookies Ren Hirakawa (22) and Naru Katsuta (23), along with second-year pro Yasushi Sasaki (23), were actively included in the starting lineup from the opening game, but due to factors such as Hirakawa’s injury, they haven’t been able to deliver the standout performances that were expected of them,” said a former team player.

Off the field, in January of this year, former player Ryutaro Hazuki (26) was convicted of violating the Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Act for using the controlled substance etomidate and received a one-year prison sentence, suspended for three years.

“Mr. Hazuki stated that six people, including himself, were involved with ‘zombie cigarettes.’ The team has said it will conduct a re-investigation, but the results are expected to remain confidential. Manager Arai, who had high hopes for Hazuki as a key player, feels a heavy sense of responsibility.“In fact, last offseason he had already taken responsibility for the team’s poor performance and hinted to those around him that he intended to resign, but team executives persuaded him to stay on, telling him, ‘Don’t quit yet.’ If the team continues to struggle like this, he will likely make the decision to hang up his uniform this time,” (ibid.)

The team is now urgently moving forward with the selection of its next manager. In fact, the name of a certain high-profile active position player has been circulating for some time.

“It’s veteran infielder Ryosuke Kikuchi (36). Now in his 15th professional season, he continues to excel as a starter, but the team is poised to groom Katsuta as his successor. On the other hand, he is a favorite of former owner Gen Matsuda (75) and is considered a candidate for future executive roles.

A plan was being considered behind the scenes for him to make a surprise retirement at the end of this season—much like former Giants manager Yoshinobu Takahashi (51), who hung up his uniform while still in his prime and immediately took over as first-team manager—and then assume the role of first-team manager right away.“However, it’s said that the possibility of him taking the helm next season has become virtually zero—perhaps because the team judged it would be too harsh to pass the baton under these ‘turbulent’ circumstances,” said a baseball insider.

Instead, the names emerging as potential replacements are Kenjiro Nomura (59), who managed the team for five years from 2010 to 2014, and former player Tomonori Kanemoto (58).

“Mr. Nomura is credited with developing players such as Kikuchi, Yoshihiro Maru (37), and Seiya Suzuki (31) during his previous tenure as manager, laying the foundation for the team’s three consecutive league championships starting in 2016.Mr. Kanemoto served as the Hanshin Tigers’ first-team manager for three years starting in 2016, shifting the team—which had previously relied on free agents and foreign players—toward a strategy of developing young talent. He developed Yusuke Oyama (31) into the cleanup hitter, but was effectively dismissed after being held responsible for the team finishing in last place in his final year.

Since hanging up his uniform, he has kept his distance from the Hanshin Tigers; however, he maintains a good relationship with Hiroshima’s owner, Matsuda, and even participated in an alumni game last offseason. “It’s unclear whether he’ll receive the same level of treatment as he did with the Hanshin Tigers, but compared to earlier times, he’s starting to return to work. If he were to take over the team from his protégé, Manager Arai, he would likely be able to showcase his skills more easily,” (ibid.)

It seems certain that the Hiroshima Carp are headed for a turbulent offseason.