He returned to his former team after 20 years because he was afraid of losing trust, and a pitching coach investigated the police through online gambling

May 20, 2025

On the 19th, the Chunichi club issued an indefinite stay-at-home order to the general manager of the Koyama 2nd division, who was notified of his police appearance through online gambling. Coach Koyama returned to his former team Chunichi after 20 years last winter. Photo Capture = Sports Nippon

Coach Junichi Inoue holding the team slogan this season. Inoue took over the baton from Tatsunami after the end of last season. Photo capture = Chunichi Dragons SNS

The Chunichi Dragons announced on the 19th that Shinichiro Koyama (47), the second-tier pitching general coach, has been suspended indefinitely. The Chunichi club said that Coach Koyama appeared at the Aichi Prefecture police on charges of online gambling and was investigated. He also bowed his head, "'Online casinos have failed to let the entire team know that gambling is something to do.'" According to media reports, even simple gambling is shocking because it is not a player but a leader and a coach.

The self-report made during the voluntary report period was not belatedly known. The Chunichi team was informed of the investigation by the Aichi Prefectural Police and recognized the fact. The club said it first informed Kazuki Inoue, the head coach of the first team, and the head coach of the second team of Ochiai Age, who will go on an away trip during the week. Coach Koyama said, "I was afraid of losing trust, so I couldn't report it voluntarily" he said.

It poured cold water on the rising team atmosphere. The Chunichi 2nd division, led by Ochiai, a former Samsung pitching coach, is leading the Western League. As of the 18th, he is the lone No. 1 player, 5.5 games ahead of the Softbank Hawks.

Coach Koyama played with former national team coach Sun Dong-yeol and KT Wiz coach Lee Jong-beom as players for Chunichi. In 1997, he joined Chunichi as a rookie, and until 2004, he mainly pitched as a midfielder before moving to the new team Rakuten Eagles.

As a founding member of Rakuten, he served as the leader of the pitching staff. In 2013, when coach Senichiro Hoshino, who was the head coach during the Chunichi period, led Rakuten, he contributed to the victory as the main bullpen pitcher. In that year, he played in 45 games and posted 16 holds (1 win and 4 losses). He has 28 wins, 36 losses, 36 saves, 84 holds, and an ERA of 3.87 in 481 games.

Chunichi, who finished last for three consecutive years in the Central League, is aiming to make another leap forward this season. Photo capture = Chunichi Dragons SNS

He recorded it and retired in 2015.

What happened in the first year of his return to Chunichi. Coach Koyama joined the Rakuten coaching team shortly after his retirement. For nine years, he worked as a pitching coach for Rakuten's first and second teams. I was called by Junichi last winter and became a part of the Dragons after 20 years.

In February, during spring camp, online gambling shook Japanese professional baseball. Orix Buffaloes right-hander Daisuke Yamaoka (30) was found to have used an online casino. Twelve clubs in both leagues received their own reports while conducting their own investigation. The Japanese Professional Baseball Organization (NPB) said 16 players from eight clubs voluntarily reported in March.

NPB and clubs decided to impose sanctions, saying it was a simple gamble without habit. Based on the results of the survey, such as annual salary, number of bets, and amount, a total of 10.29 million yen was imposed, 100,000 to 3 million yen per person. Players who had less than three years of statute of limitations for simple gambling were targeted.

Yomiuri Okoe, who was later known to have voluntarily reported online gambling. It is a scene where he cheers after hitting a walk-off hit. Photo capture =Miuri Giants SNS

The clubs did not disclose the player's name. However, recently, the names of Louis and infielder Daiki Masuda were released in Yomiuri Giants outfielder Oko. The Yomiuri team also recognized the two players' use of online casinos.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.