Kiyoshi Nakahata Questions Japanese Baseball’s Treatment of Legends Like Tanaka

Former Chunichi Dragons manager Hiromitsu Ochiai and former DeNA manager Kiyoshi Nakahata appeared live on TBS’s “Sunday Morning” (Sunday, 8:00 a.m.) on the 15th. The program reported that pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, who became a free agent from Rakuten, participated in Mizuno’s “Ma-kun Lab 2024 supported by Mizuno,” an event held in Tokyo on the 8th, with which he is under contract. The program reported that he revealed that there has been no progress regarding his current situation. In addition, the broadcast aired a clip of Tanaka being asked by reporters, “What does baseball mean to you?” in which he responded, “Baseball has always been at the center of my life, and I think it is no exaggeration to say that baseball is my life itself.” Nakahata expressed his outrage, saying, “Why do so many players, all legends, have to have this kind of conversation?…It makes me think that Japanese baseball has a culture of not valuing legends.” He continued, “I think that if Rakuten had responded a little better before it got to this point, they could have found a way forward among themselves and said, ‘Let’s proceed in this way,’ so that things wouldn’t have had to get this bad. In that sense there is no consideration. In Japan’s case, the response is poor.”

中畑清氏、「サンモニ」で田中将大「自由契約」に憤慨「日本の野球はレジェンドを大事にしない体質があるのか」 - スポーツ報知

元中日監督の落合博満氏と元ＤｅＮＡ監督の中畑清氏が１５日、ＴＢＳ系「サンデーモーニング」（日曜・午前８時）に生出演した。

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