<figure id="attachment_236370" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1024px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-236370"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="07738ff3"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/03/7e0a0165bdf5d63f56a49d0a447c34a1.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-236370" class="wp-caption-text">Opening game against Softbank. Big Boss with a splashy appearance (Image: Kyodo News)</figcaption></figure>
 The 8th ranked rookie in the draft was selected as the opening pitcher, 7 pitchers were thrown in the first game, and Kotaro Kiyomiya, who hit 0 home runs in the opening game, was used as the 4th pitcher. &#8230;&#8230;
 Professional baseball season opened on March 25. Nippon Ham manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo (50, registered name &#8220;Big Boss&#8221;) showed a parade of bizarre strategies against SoftBank. Shinjo has publicly stated that he would &#8220;play&#8221; the opening three games of the season. As he said, he certainly charmed the fans with his outlandish and bizarre arrangements.
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 In the second game, no player played in the same batting order or position as in the opening game. There was not a single person. We are trying out different things to see how the players are suited for the job.
 Shinjo is actually a very strict manager. He is very strict with his coaches, telling them, &#8220;If you don&#8217;t get results, you will all be fired after one year. While he says, &#8220;We don&#8217;t aim for championships,&#8221; he also insists on taking measures to win. Unfortunately, we lost three straight games on the opening day of the season. &#8230;&#8230;
 Shinjo turned down a multi-year offer from a baseball team and signed a single-year contract. This is a sign of his determination to go into the season with his back against the wall.
 I don&#8217;t think the team will say, &#8216;We won&#8217;t sign him for the next season,&#8217; unless there is some kind of trouble,&#8221; he said. With no absolute ace or cannon to fill the hole left by Sho Nakata, who moved to the Giants last year, the team will probably turn a blind eye even if results are poor. The economic impact of Shinjo is said to be tens of billions of yen. Nichi-Ham will make a fresh start next season in a new stadium. Shinjo will be the perfect face for the &#8220;New Fighters.
 However, I think there is a possibility that Shinjo will say, &#8220;I want to resign. If the results are disappointing, he may reveal his own responsibility. After losing three consecutive games in the opening round, he even made a self-deprecating joke, saying, &#8220;Starting tomorrow, I&#8217;m changing my registered name from &#8216;Big Boss&#8217; to &#8216;Big Botsu&#8217;. In his final year of active duty (2006), he also announced his retirement during a game just after the season opener. His unpredictable behavior was called &#8220;Shinjo Theater&#8221; and surprised fans.
<h2>The big contender is the man of stability.</h2>
 It may be early to say, but what names have been suggested as candidates for the &#8220;next&#8221; manager after Shinjo?
 The real contender is probably GM Atsunori Inaba. He played for Nippon Ham for many years and is very popular with the fans. He has a good coaching career, having coached and managed the &#8220;Samurai Japan&#8221; team. He was under the tutelage of the late Katsuya Nomura when he was with the Yakult baseball team, and he is someone who can embody the teachings of Nomura.
 Originally, Mr. Inaba was scheduled to lead Nichi-Ham this season. Although he is the GM of the team, he frequently visits the field and directly instructs the players. Kiyomiya, who had a poor start to the season, has often received advice from Mr. Inaba.
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 There are also rumors of some unexpected names.
 Yuki Saito, who retired last year. He is still young, in his 30s, and fits the image of the &#8216;New Fighters&#8217; starting next season. He himself says, &#8216;I want to be involved in baseball all my life.
 It is true that he has been plagued by injuries and his performance as a player has not been good. Even during his time with the second team, he was a sounding board for young players who were struggling. With his clever and mild-mannered personality, Saito-san would be a perfect leader for today&#8217;s young players.
 This time last year, no one would have expected NIHAM to have a &#8220;Big Boss. Yuki Saito&#8217;s appointment as manager may not be a zero possibility.

 Kyodo News

 Unfortunately, Nippon Ham, led by manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo, has lost three consecutive games to start the season. Turning down a multi-year offer, the Big Boss is now taking on the challenge of a backwater season on a single-year contract. The name of the next manager candidate is already too surprising.

Big Boss 3 Consecutive Losses Resulting to Rumored Replacement of What Believed to be the “Next Shinjo” of Nippon Ham

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