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The story
On September 19, 2026, the Yomiuri Giants routed the Chunichi Dragons by a season-high 14 runs, winning their second straight game and pushing their winning margin to 13 games above .500. Starter Tanaka Masahiro went 7 innings allowing just 1 run, earning his 204th combined NPB/MLB win and his 4th win of the season. Chunichi, meanwhile, suffered a pitching collapse, giving up 15 hits and 14 runs, and missed out on the Climax Series for a 14th consecutive year. On the same day, Seibu’s Watanabe Seiya hit his 10th home run, becoming the first player since Kiyohara Kazuhiro — 39 years ago — to post double-digit home runs in each of his first two seasons after being drafted. The second half of the thread shifted to live commentary on the Hiroshima–Hanshin game, where posters were split over the Giants’ pinch-hitter decisions and Hanshin’s bullpen management.
What people said
Giants Acting-Manager Thread 142
Departures
Released: 26 Imamura, 28 Takahashi, 36 Baba, 54 Otsaka, 95 Toda
Free agent (unsigned): 29 Griffin, 33 Keller, 39 Frulp, 42 Hernandez, 50 Okoe
Active Player Draft (lost): 68 Kikuchi
Compensation pick (given up): 48 Tanaka Chi
Trade (out): 59 Wakabayashi
Posting: 25 Okamoto
Retired: 7 Nagano, 30 Kondo, 43 Shigenobu
Demoted to development roster: 69 Sasahara, 90 Ishida Mitsuru, 94 Kita, 98 Suzuki, 99 Kyomoto
Arrivals
Draft picks: 21 Takemaru, 30 Tawa, 33 Kohama, 36 Yamashiro, 39 Minagawa, 99 Fujii
FA signing: 9 Matsumoto, 43 Norimoto
Active Player Draft (gained): 54 Matsuura
Trade (in):
Other (foreign signings): 26 Whitley, 28 Howard, 29 Dalbec, 42 Mata, 56 Kitaura, 98 Ogasawara
Promoted to first-team roster: 25 Shiroki, 48 Luciano, 50 Tima, 59 Suzuki, 68 Utsunomiya, 69 Hirayama, 94 Chinen, 95 Sasahara
2025 first-team registrations: 69
2026 first-team registrations: 70
Vacant numbers
7, 18, 55, 83
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/f209d06e1e92885c475aa903b419ee41fe57e241
[Chunichi] Season-worst pitching collapse — 15 hits, 14 runs allowed, miss the Climax Series for a 14th straight year… Nakanishi goes just 4 innings, allows 5 runs for his 4th loss; Abreu gives up a homer in the 2nd, allows 6 runs, gets knocked out; only 4 hits all game, with Fukunaga's timely single good for their lone run
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/193c7ccf39c7fce881494b55c9b0fc7b756c7e55
Or was it Maru(-chan)? lol
(Giants–Swallows) Ogasawara Shinnosuke vs. Takahashi Keiji
(Dragons–Carp) Ohno Yudai vs. Mori Shohei
(Tigers–BayStars) Saiki Koya vs. Takeda Yu
(Fighters–Buffaloes) Arihara Kohei vs. Takashima Taito
(Eagles–Hawks) Takinaka Ryota vs. Otsu Ryosuke
(Marines–Lions) Jackson vs. Takeuchi Natsuki
Dig in and finish it!
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/59e105423e544f8ed53ba0e4a314095e6b4508ca
Whoa, having to go all the way back to Seibu-era Kiyohara for that comparison
Nice work, Kuririn
That was great
I want to lend him some cabbage (in-joke, meaning unclear)
They're going all in for that one run
So by the time they play us for 4 straight, they'll be pretty worn down
Go all out and take the win today!
That one run is absolutely huge
Even if Morishita or Sato-Teru hits a solo shot, we can still win
Background and Key Points
As the Chunichi roster-changes list (post #2) shows, the club has been shedding key players through releases and trades and is very much in rebuilding mode — this game’s pitching collapse was emblematic of why the team has now missed the Climax Series for a 14th consecutive year. Tanaka Masahiro’s “204 combined NPB/MLB wins” is often misunderstood: it’s the sum of his win totals from MLB (the Yankees, etc.) and NPB combined, a different measure from a standard NPB-only career win total based purely on years pitched domestically. Watanabe Seiya’s record is likewise conditional — “double-digit home runs in each of his first two seasons since being drafted” — a distinct achievement from a simple career home-run ranking, so that context is worth adding. In the thread’s second half, discussion turned to the Hanshin bullpen, where youngsters have increasingly taken over for Iwasaki, the presumed closer, sparking disagreement in the thread over the team’s relief strategy. Hiroshima’s Kuribayashi (Kuririn) has likewise been pulled away from full closer duties at times, so any read on bullpen usage should be weighed against each team’s specific circumstances.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch thread (on the board nicknamed “Hello Pro”) “Giants Acting-Manager Thread 143.”
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