Orix head coach Toshio Haru and batting coach Keizo Kawashima to leave club
In short
The Orix Buffaloes announced on October 4 that head coach Toshio Haru and batting coach Keizo Kawashima are leaving the Pacific League club. Sankei Shimbun and Nippon TV News reported the two departures, with Nippon TV saying they take effect at the end of this season. Yahoo! News Japan reported that Haru, 56, leaves as his term expires and Kawashima, 43, submitted his resignation, and quoted Haru saying he “keenly feels responsibility” for the team’s B-class finish.
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The Orix Buffaloes announced on October 4 that head coach Toshio Haru and batting coach Keizo Kawashima are leaving the Pacific League club, according to Sankei Shimbun, Nippon TV News and Yahoo! News Japan. Nippon TV News said both will step down at the end of this season. The club gave no replacement names in the reports available. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Yahoo! News Japan’s report gave the most detail: it said Haru, 56, is leaving as his term expires, while Kawashima, 43, submitted his resignation. The same report quoted Haru saying he “keenly feels responsibility” for the team’s B-class finish. None of the documents gave a reason for Kawashima’s resignation, said whether the club sought the changes, or indicated any further staffing moves. [ 3 ]
Why it matters
The departures are an off-season staffing change at a Pacific League club and, on the documents available, are a domestic baseball story. Haru’s quoted reference to responsibility for a B-class finish is the only stated link between the team’s results and the changes.
Key facts
- The Orix Buffaloes announced on October 4 that two coaches are leaving the club. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The two are head coach Toshio Haru and batting coach Keizo Kawashima. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Nippon TV News reported both will leave at the end of this season. [ 2 ]
- Yahoo! News Japan reported Haru, 56, is leaving because his term expires. [ 3 ]
- Yahoo! News Japan reported Kawashima, 43, submitted his resignation. [ 3 ]
- Haru was quoted as saying he “keenly feels responsibility” for the team’s B-class finish. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Why batting coach Keizo Kawashima resigned. Only Yahoo! News Japan, a community-tier outlet, reports that he submitted a resignation, and it gives no reason.
- Whether the club asked the coaches to leave or whether the team’s results prompted the changes. The only stated link to results is a single-source quote from Haru about feeling responsibility for a B-class finish; the other two documents are headline-only and give no cause.
- Who will replace the two coaches, and whether more staffing changes are planned. None of the documents mention replacements or further changes.
- Where the club made the announcement. No document states a location.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Sankei Shimbun reports that Orix head coach Toshio Haru and batting coach Keizo Kawashima are to leave the club. [ 1 ]
- Nippon TV News reports that both coaches will step down at the end of this season. [ 2 ]
- Yahoo! News Japan reports the club’s October 4 announcement, including the coaches’ ages, the manner of each departure and Haru’s comment on the team’s B-class finish. [ 3 ]