Director Shinji Sasaoka, who has led professional baseball and Hiroshima for three years and will resign at the end of this season, interviewed and said, "I was prepared for the season, but I couldn't let the team win."
Hiroshima finished the season in 5th place with 66 wins, 74 losses and 3 draws, with the final match against China and Japan on the 2nd.
Manager Sasaoka informed the team of his intention to resign at the end of this season due to poor results, and the team also accepted this, and held an interview at Mazda Stadium in Hiroshima City on the 3rd.
In this, Director Sasaoka commented on the circumstances that led to his resignation, saying, "I went into the season with the determination that I had to produce results from the camp in the third season, but when I saw that Yakult decided to win, I took responsibility. I told the team that I want to take it," he said.
After that, he looked back on the three years he led the team, saying, "I couldn't let the team win despite having this much strength.
Then, "I was a happy man to be the manager of a team that I really liked. I will never forget my first win as a manager." I was giving you my first season as a director.
The team plans to proceed with the selection of alumni to replace Director Sasaoka.