The last-place team's final regular season game was 29,467 spectators, and Lotte manager Yoshii cried (Min Chang-ki's Japanese baseball)

Oct 06, 2025

The last-place team's final regular season game was 29,467 spectators, and Lotte manager Yoshii cried (Min Chang-ki's Japanese baseball)
Chiba Lotte manager Yoshii stepped down after the final regular season match against Softbank on the 5th. Coach Yoshii is crying while saying his last goodbyes after the game. Photo capture = Chiba Lotte Marines SNS



The last-place team's final regular season game was 29,467 spectators, and Lotte manager Yoshii cried (Min Chang-ki's Japanese baseball)
Chiba Lotte finished last in the Pacific League this season. Coach Yoshii, who led Chiba Lotte to the postseason for the second consecutive year from 2023 to 2024, said "If I have the opportunity, I would like to lead the team again." Photo capture = Chiba Lotte Marines SNS
The last-place team's final regular season game was 29,467 spectators, and Lotte manager Yoshii cried (Min Chang-ki's Japanese baseball)
Coach Yoshii led the team for three years from 2023 to this year. This year, the coaches of both leagues' last-place teams have given up their batons. Photo capture = Chiba Lotte Marines SNS
He played fall baseball for two consecutive years from 2023 to 2024, and tried to win this season, but he fell to the floor. Lotte Giants' 「Sister Club" Chiba Lotte Marines finished the season at the bottom of the Pacific League for the first time in eight years since 2017. 56 wins, 3 draws, 84 losses, a winning percentage of .400. Pacific and Central, with the lowest winning percentage among the 12 teams in both leagues. A dominant last place, 31.5 games behind the league's No. 1 Softbank Hawks. He also has seven games to win against the fifth-place Seibu Lions.

'Monster' Both pitching and hitting have been lethargic throughout this season when Rocky Sasaki left for the United States. Coach Masato Yoshii (60), who led the team to the A-Class (1st to 3rd place out of 6 teams) for the second consecutive year, was also responsible for poor performance. Since the second half of the season, there has been talk of the next coach.

The final game of the regular season was held at ZOZO Marine Stadium in Chiba on the 5th. It was the last game that Yoshii, the third-year head coach of Chiba Lotte, commanded as Chiba Lotte manager.




Coincidentally, the opponent is the winning team. This season, Chiba Lotte lost to Softbank with nine wins, one draw and 15 losses. However, he was playing three consecutive games against Softbank before the game.

He failed to advance to the postseason early on. The manager has also been confirmed to be replaced. The final round of the de-energized pennant race, which is difficult to give much meaning to victory or defeat. As many as 29,467 people entered. It is more than the average crowd of 26,018 for the Chiba Lotte season.

The last-place team's final regular season game was 29,467 spectators, and Lotte manager Yoshii cried (Min Chang-ki's Japanese baseball)
The final regular season match against Softbank was held in front of a packed audience. Photo capture = Chiba Lotte Marines SNS
Chiba Lotte ranked fourth in average attendance after Softbank (38,281), Nippon Ham Fighters (31,441), and Orix Buffaloes (28,571). This season, the 1st to 3rd teams ranked 1st to 3rd on average.




The final match of the season was held in front of a full crowd, which is considered unusual. Chiba Lotte fans cheered for the team regardless of the team's disappointing performance and shared manager Yoshii's last.

Chiba Lotte lost 2-5 on the day. Coach Yoshii held the microphone and greeted him after the game. He congratulated Softbank on winning and apologized to Chiba Lotte fans, club staff, coaching staff and players. He added "I'm responsible for all the consequences. Actually, I wanted to do more, but I quit today." If I have a chance, I want to lead the team" Fans shouted Yoshii's name and applauded.

Following last year, the coaches of the last-place teams in both leagues put down the baton this year.




Shortly after the end of the game, Chiba Lotte announced that Saburo Omura (49), the head coach of the first team, would take the helm. This is as the media reported recently. Saburo is a baseball player who played as the main hitter of Chiba Lotte with former Doosan Bears coach Lee Seung-yeop more than 20 years ago. He is the second coach to make his debut as a player at Chiba Lotte and take the helm.

The last-place team's final regular season game was 29,467 spectators, and Lotte manager Yoshii cried (Min Chang-ki's Japanese baseball)
Chiba Lotte played fall baseball in second place in 2023 and third place last year. This year, the team was overwhelmingly last, seven games behind Seibu, the fifth-ranked Seibu. Photo capture = Chiba Lotte Marines SNS
Former Seibu Lions coach Kazuo Matsui (50), former Chunichi Dragons coach Kazuyoshi Tatsunami (56), and Eagles coach Toshiaki Rakuten (42) were replaced last year or disappeared after failing to renew their contracts. Former coach Imae, a former Chiba Lotte player and a high school junior, congratulated his senior on his inauguration.



Reporter Min Chang-ki huelva@sportschosun.com



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.