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The story
Sponichi is reporting that Nippon-Ham Fighters manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo has essentially been confirmed to remain at the helm next season. Though his team missed out on the league pennant in his fifth year in charge, it has already locked in a third straight top-three (“A-class”) finish. Shinjo, who has worked on year-to-year contracts since taking the job, is set to enter his sixth season — second only to Hideki Kuriyama’s tenure since the team’s move to Hokkaido. On 5ch, threads mixed frustration over the team’s continued failure to win the pennant amid SoftBank’s golden era with praise for Shinjo’s record on attendance and player development, producing a blend of support for his return and complaints about the team’s defense and in-game management.
Sponichi [Sept 24, 2026, 1:30 AM]
It emerged on the 23rd that Nippon-Ham Fighters manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo (54) will continue in the role next season, with an official announcement from Shinjo himself expected soon. His fifth year in charge fell short of the league pennant, but a third consecutive top-three finish has already been secured. The club quietly approached him about staying on, and Shinjo has made up his mind to continue. He will enter his sixth season — second in tenure only to Chief Baseball Officer Hideki Kuriyama (65), who managed the team for a franchise-record 10 years through 2021 since the move to Hokkaido — as he chases the championship that has eluded him.
Tabbed as the preseason favorite to win it all, the team once again fell short of the pennant that has long eluded it. But Tsuyoshi Shinjo’s challenge isn’t over. The manager, who has signed one-year contracts every season since taking the job, has decided to return for a sixth season regardless of how October’s postseason plays out.
Source: sponichi.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
Six years with no title, locked in
Batting order and defense keep shuffling around
Won't the same approach be tough again next year?
They're getting crushed by SoftBank on both wins and development
Even a bad shot hits the mark if you fire enough times
Making errors like that doesn't look like pro ball
Can't be helped when positions keep changing constantly
Kiyo threw one right into a runner last year too.
>Behind Hideki Kuriyama's 684 wins, Keiji Osawa's 631, and Shigeru Mizuhara's 526 (back when the team was the Toei Flyers), Manager Shinjo's 351 wins rank 4th in franchise history. Among managers since the move to Hokkaido, he trails only Kuriyama and Masataka Nashida's 301 wins.
Kuriyama, Osawa, Mizuhara, and Nashida all won pennants, though.
Shinjo needs to get over the SoftBank wall next season.
Hawks fans, that is
this year?
Anyone still complaining is way too spoiled, no?
Though honestly, given how many core players SoftBank poached right out from under them, he's done pretty well
Shinjo's in-game pitcher management leaves something to be desired.
and it's already six?
but turns out even if you're not top-tier, you can handle just about anything competently lol
This SoftBank golden era isn't crumbling in a year or two
Rakuten, whose defense is rock solid, is going toe-to-toe with SoftBank
Surely that's enough already
It's the opposite — the front office wants him to keep finishing in the top three without actually winning
That way attendance doesn't drop and salaries stay roughly flat instead of ballooning
Then once Shinjo himself says "okay, I'm done now," they can just promote Inaba from within
Wasn't that so people can't lip-read what he's saying?
Might've had a shot if Fujimoto had stayed on as SoftBank's manager
But back when Fujimoto was managing SoftBank, the Fighters were still pretty hopeless
SoftBank manager Fujimoto reveals surprising past connection with Fighters manager Shinjo
"We actually lived in the same apartment building"
https://www.sanspo.com/article/20211104-XJ5TKZSXKFLHZNHUU56AMTBXYY/
[Nippon-Ham] Shinjo "Big Boss": "I'll keep learning"
Learning team-building from rival manager Fujimoto of SoftBank
https://www.nikkansports.com/baseball/news/202203270001208.html
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
Manager Shinjo has kept up the unusual practice of signing one-year contracts ever since taking the job, and this time too the club reportedly approached him quietly about staying on before he made up his mind. Among managers since the team’s move to Hokkaido, Hideki Kuriyama held the post for 10 years, and Keiji Osawa, Shigeru Mizuhara, and Masataka Nashida all won pennants — whereas Shinjo has racked up 351 wins over five seasons without ever capturing the league title, and that gap is what divides opinion in the thread. With SoftBank building a golden era through heavy roster investment, comments ranged from defenders arguing “he just can’t win because SoftBank is too strong” to skeptics questioning the team’s shaky defense and whether the same approach will hold up next season. On player development, some compared his record unfavorably to SoftBank’s, and a useful way to read this discussion is that commenters tend to separate business-side measures of success — attendance and popularity — from on-field results in wins and losses.
*This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports Sokuhou+) thread “Nippon-Ham Manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo to Continue Next Season — Praise for Balancing “Wins and Development,” Announcement Expected Soon.”
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