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The story
On September 24, 2026, a live-discussion thread for the Yomiuri Giants vs. Hiroshima Carp game at Mazda Stadium went up on 5ch. After pitcher Nishidate’s failed sacrifice bunt led to Maru being thrown out, and Nishidate was left in to hit again instead of being pinch-hit for by the next batter, Matsumoto, criticism poured in with comments like “This is exactly the problem.” Meanwhile, Matsumoto’s league-leading batting average with runners in scoring position was brought up, along with hopes for the lineup. Opinions in the thread split between blaming Nishidate’s own lack of skill and questioning the managerial decision itself.
What people said
Giants Acting Manager 150
Outgoing
Released: 26 Imamura, 28 Takahashi, 36 Baba, 54 Otosaka, 95 Toda
Unconditional release: 29 Griffin, 33 Keller, 39 Fulp, 42 Hernandez, 50 Okoe
Active Player Draft (lost): 68 Kikuchi
Player compensation (sent): 48 Tanaka Chi
Trade (sent): 59 Wakabayashi
Posting: 25 Okamoto
Retired: 7 Nagano, 30 Kondo, 43 Shigenobu
Moved to development roster: 69 Sasahara, 90 Ishida Mitsuru, 94 Kita, 98 Suzuki, 99 Kyomoto
Incoming
Draft picks (regular): 21 Takemaru, 30 Tawa, 33 Kohama, 36 Yamashiro, 39 Minagawa, 99 Fujii
Free agent signing: 9 Matsumoto, 43 Norimoto
Active Player Draft (gained): 54 Matsuura
Trade (received):
Other: 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 roster registrations: 69
2026 first-team roster registrations: 70
Open uniform numbers
7 18 55 83
Starting Lineups
【Giants】 【Carp】
7 Maru 7 Sato Kei
8 Matsumoto 4 Tatsumi
6 Izumiguchi 8 Nakamura Sho
5 Dalbec 3 Sakakura
2 Oshiro 5 Sasaki
3 Masuda Riku 9 Suetsugu
9 Sasaki 6 Katsuta
4 Yoshikawa 1 Morishita
1 Nishidate 2 Shimizu
(゚д゚)ウマー (classic 2ch emoticon for smug satisfaction, like 'delicious')
Whoa, seriously… had no idea
And that's exactly why Hashigami keeps shuffling the batting order around lol
He's been way more of an asset than Ma-kun (Tanaka Masahiro)
Oh really…
Weak when it really counts
Hiroshima's left-field stands are empty
Even the fans have already given up
Background and Key Points of the Debate
This season the Giants have been playing under an acting-manager setup led by head coach Hashigami following a managerial change, and scrutiny of in-game decisions in the thread ran hotter than usual as a result. Over Nishidate’s failed bunt, opinion split between blaming his own lack of bunting skill and questioning the decision not to pinch-hit for him — that divide was the crux of the thread. As for Matsumoto, who leads the league in scoring-position average, some commenters credited the number as an achievement in spite of his spot in the batting order being shuffled constantly. Separately, the remark about “empty seats in left field at Hiroshima” points to a game with weak attendance even late in a tight pennant race, though the standings themselves only appear in the linked image and aren’t spelled out in the text.
※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “Giants Acting Manager 151.”
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