The Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles are parting ways with manager Hajime Miki, the team announced.
“It was a decision made by the club, and we came to a mutual agreement,” team president Masayuki Morii said.
Following his dismissal, Miki stated, “I am extremely disappointed and frustrated that things have ended this way during the season. I am deeply grateful to all the fans who supported us through everything. I hope the players will continue to grow and succeed. To all the fans, please continue to support the players.”
Miki, 49, joined the Eagles as farm team manager in 2019 before being promoted to manage the top team in 2020. However, he lasted only one season after guiding the Sendai-based franchise to a fourth-place finish and was reassigned to the minors.
Following the departure of Toshiaki Imae, Miki returned as top team skipper in 2025 and led the Eagles to another fourth-place finish. But the team has fallen to last place in the Pacific League with a 21-36-1 record in 2026, ultimately leading to his dismissal. Overall, Miki registered a 143-167-11 record with the club in parts of three seasons.
Coach Tatsuya Shiokawa, 43, has been named interim manager. Shiokawa played for the Eagles from 2005 to 2011 and has coached within the organization since 2018. Though some fans had hoped farm manager Naoto Watanabe would receive the promotion, Shiokawa is considered close to Miki and represents a measure of continuity for the time being.
This season, the Eagles have shown modest improvement in the pitching department, raising their NPB-worst 84 ERA+ and 9.8% strikeout-minus-walk rate to a more respectable 95 and 12.8%. However, the staff still grades below league-average overall, while the offense has regressed significantly, falling from a 101 OPS+ to 88. The Eagles have also dropped from leading NPB in stolen bases to ranking seventh.
Miki’s dismissal marks the second in-season managerial change of the 2026 Nippon Professional Baseball campaign. It follows the stunning resignation of Yomiuri Giants manager Shinnosuke Abe last month after he was arrested on suspicion of assaulting his 18-year-old eldest daughter.
Midseason managerial changes are less common in NPB than in MLB, but are not unprecedented. In late May 2024, Saitama Seibu Lions manager Kazuo Matsui also mutually parted ways with the organization following a poor start to the season.
Fan reaction to Miki’s effective firing has been mixed. Some online commentators believe he is being scapegoated for the shortcomings of General Manager Kazuhisa Ishii, while others acknowledge that Miki’s time with the organization had clearly run its course.
