Senichi Hoshino passed away earlier this year in January. The Rakuten Eagles announced on March 26 that they decided to honor him by retiring the uniform number (77) he wore while he managed the team. The number will also be added to all team uniforms (left chest area) for the duration of the 2018 season. For the home opener, the number will appear on the mound.
Hoshino’s number 77 joins the number 10 as the only two numbers to be retired by the Eagles (the number 10 was set aside for the fans). The Eagles are the first team in NPB history to retire a manager’s number.
Source: Rakuten 3/27/2018, Nikkan Sports 3/26/2018
0 CommentsJaphet Amador felt discomfort in his left knee during a game against the Yokohama Bay Stars on March 13. He was examined at a hospital in Shizuoka on March 14 and diagnosed with mild inflammation in the pes anserinus.
Source: Sports Hochi 3/16/2018
0 CommentsThe Rakuten Eagles announced today that Kohei Morihara had surgery to clean his right elbow at a hospital in Kanagawa on March 5. Morihara was earlier diagnosed with osteoarthritis in the elbow. He will most likely require about four months for a full recovery.
Source: Sports Hochi 3/7/2018, Nikkan Sports 3/7/2018, Sanspo 3/7/2018
0 CommentsKazuya Fujita was examined at a hospital in Sendai on January 29 and diagnosed with an injury to his left soleus muscle that will require three to four weeks for a full recovery. He will start the year at Ni-gun spring camp.
Source: Sanspo 1/31/2018
0 CommentsRelationships
Morihara (26) filed marriage papers in Hiroshima with a twenty-four-year-old woman from Hyogo on December 26, 2017.
Source: Rakuten 1/31/2018, Sponichi 1/31/2018, Nikkan Sports 1/31/2018, Daily Sports 1/31/2018
0 CommentsThe Rakuten Eagles held a press conference today and unveiled new uniforms for the 2018 season. The uniforms were modeled by Takahiro Norimoto, Yuki Matsui, Ginji, and Motohiro Shima.
Home Uniforms
Visitor Uniforms
Tohoku Pride Uniforms 2018
FANS’ Uniform 2018
The Eagles also opened a special site to show off the new uniforms.
Source: Rakuten 1/26/2018, Sports Hochi 1/26/2018, Daily Sports 1/26/2018
0 CommentsRunning
Yamasaki ran the ten-meter in 1.68 seconds during rookie workouts on January 17, 2018. He can run the fifty-meter in 5.8 seconds.
Source: Nikkan Sports 1/18/2018, Daily Sports 1/18/2018, Sports Hochi 1/18/2018
0 CommentsThe media learned that Rakuten Eagles’ Vice Chairman Senichi Hoshino passed away on January 4. He was seventy years old.
Hoshino apparently fell sick toward the end of last year and canceled plans to spend time with family in Hawaii at the last minute. He did attend Hall of Fame celebrations in Tokyo on November 28, 2017 and in Osaka on December 1 last year.
As a pitcher with the Chunichi Dragons, Hoshino went 146-121 with a 3.60 ERA over 2128.2 innings spanning 500 games between 1969 and 1982. As a manager, he led the Dragons to two first place finishes, the Hanshin Tigers to one first place finish, and the Rakuten Eagles to one first place finish that culminated in his first and only Nippon Series Championship. He was voted into the Hall of Fame last year.
Source: Sponichi 1/6/2018
[UPDATE 1/7 @ 5:19am]
Additional information:
Source: Sanspo 1/7/2018
[UPDATE 1/10 @ 1:51am]
The Hanshin Tigers and Chunichi Dragons scheduled memorial games for Hoshino.
The Rakuten Eagles announced on December 26 that they reached an agreement with twenty-seven-year-old O’Koyea Dickson. He was assigned the uniform number 55.
Dickson had surgery on his left shoulder in October and is currently making his way back from the injury. The Eagles confirmed through a physical that he is making steady progress.
The Eagles will head into the 2018 season with seven foreign players (three pitchers, four position players).
Source: Rakuten 12/26/2017, Sanspo 12/26/2017, Sports Hochi 12/26/2017, Daily Sports 12/26/2017
0 CommentsThe Rakuten Eagles announced today that Miyagi Stadium will have a new name next season.
Official Name: Rakuten Seimei Park Miyagi
Shortened Versions: Rakuten Seimei Park, Rakuten Seimei
Terms: January 1, 2018 – December 31, 2019
Source: Rakuten 12/25/2017
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