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Read the full story on SportsLook – Managerial Changes Aplenty as the 2024 NPB Regular Season Concludes
Managerial changes happen almost every off-season but this year sees an unprecedented shuffling of bench bosses in NPB.
A total of five teams will have new managers at the helm when the 2025 season gets underway next spring.
The Chunichi Dragons started the ball rolling when manager Kazuyoshi Tatsunami announced on Wednesday, September 18 that he was stepping down after the season.
The Dragons (60-75-8) finished last in the Central League for the third straight season under the former infielder.
“In a job where the only thing that matters is winning, I have not done that,” Tatsunami said, according to Kyodo News.
Tatsunami will be replaced by farm team coach Kazuki Inoue as the new top team manager in 2025. Inoue has his work cut out for him.
The last time the team won the Japan Series was way back in 2007 under legendary manager and former player Hiromitsu Ochiai.
It’s hard to pinpoint what the problem is with the Dragons. Their team pitching and batting stats are not the worst in the Central League.
The team lacks a big-name star like Muntetaka Murakami with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows or Kazuma Okamoto of the Yomiuri Giants.
In 2018, four teams made highly coveted two-way player Akira Neo their first pick. The Dragons won the lottery and then signed Neo.
At the time it was seen as a big boost for Chunichi but Neo’s career just hasn’t panned out and the team seems mired in a general malaise.
Of course, it’s not Neo’s fault but had he blossomed into a big star, things might have been better for Tatsunami and the Dragons.
Continue reading the full story on SportsLook.
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Author: Jim Armstrong
The author is a longtime journalist who has covered sports in Japan for over 25 years. You can find his articles on SportsLook.