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The story
Masumi Kuwata, who stepped down as manager of the Yomiuri Giants’ farm (ni-gun) team last October, revealed the circumstances behind his departure on a radio program aired August 30. According to Kuwata, the team had told him during the Miyazaki Phoenix League that they wanted him back next year, only to suddenly tell him to hang up his uniform, giving an explanation to the effect of “it’s hard to work with me around.” On 5ch, users pointed to friction with the farm team’s general manager at the time, while others speculated Kuwata could end up managing another team next season. Reactions especially focused on his name coming up as a candidate for the DeNA BayStars job, with the discussion spreading to his relationship with Kazuhiro Kiyohara and the Giants’ tendency to favor homegrown talent.
Masumi Kuwata, who abruptly stepped down as the Giants’ farm team manager last fall, has revealed the details behind his departure on a radio show. His candid remarks about internal team relationships and coaching philosophy have sparked surprise both inside and outside the baseball world. While some Giants fans are now calling for him to become next season’s manager, the possibility of him taking charge of another club is also gaining real traction.
Masumi Kuwata explains why he left the Giants
Appearing on the radio program “Ikushima Hiroshi’s Sunday at 9” on August 30, Kuwata explained his reasons for leaving the Giants last October. At the time, during the Miyazaki Phoenix League, the team had told him they wanted him back next year — only for him to be abruptly told one day to hang up his uniform. He also revealed he was given an explanation along the lines of “it’s hard for people to work with me around.”
Source: jprime.jp / Original article here
What people said
This, so true.
Time to finally ditch that old tradition.
Sugano and Okamoto both went to the majors too.
After Sakamoto, there's really no talent left.
I'm dying for Matsui to become manager — does MLB experience even matter?
Want him as Shinjo's successor.
We need a manager who's moved on from old-guard spirit-based baseball to modern theory.
worse than Kiyo (Kiyohara).
Oh, Shukan Josei ("Weekly Woman") — my mistake.
There really isn't anyone else. Going by the "pure Giants blood" rule and requiring ace-pitcher or cleanup-hitter caliber, it's basically just:
Hara (cutting it close age-wise)
Abe, Takahashi, Saito Masaki, Sakamoto
and that's about it.
and when that happens, wouldn't Kuwata be the manager?
well, now Abe's gone from the Giants too, lol.
If Kuwata had stuck around, wouldn't it be him running things instead of Hashigami?
Then come back already.
Back in the Showa era they used to glorify stuff like training through injuries or playing with a broken bone — things that, in hindsight, you should never actually do.
Even from the outside you can tell, so of course that's how it'd play out on the inside.
Sounds like he just didn't see eye to eye with Abe.
He's the blunt, say-it-like-it-is type after all.
so the real answer is that Abe was the problem, not Kuwata.
Background and Key Points of This Story
Kuwata was the ace pitcher of the famous “KK Combo” alongside Kazuhiro Kiyohara, and the two joined the Giants together after starring at PL Gakuen high school. After retiring, and following a stint in Major League Baseball, he took on a coaching role with the Giants’ farm team. The term “Oh Sadaharu path” refers to the precedent of Giants-bred figures going on to succeed as managers of other teams, and the same possibility is now being floated for Kuwata. Opinions in the thread were split between those praising his theory-driven, non-spirit-based coaching style, and those who felt his blunt, say-it-straight personality tends to create friction within an organization. Some posts also pointed to a former player who was let go at the same point in fall camp for the same reason, raising questions about the Giants’ farm-team system itself. It’s worth noting that the account of his departure comes solely from Kuwata’s own remarks, and the team has not issued any official explanation.
*This article is compiled as an excerpt/summary of the 5ch (Geinou/Sports Express+) thread “[Baseball] Did Masumi Kuwata Brace for a Break with the Giants? Bombshell Behind His “Shock Departure” Fuels Real Talk of “Managing Another Team Next Season” and the “Oh Sadaharu Path”… DeNA the Frontrunner? [Ailuropoda melanoleuca★]“.
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