History of the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles facts for kids
The Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles are a professional baseball team in Japan. Their story began in 2004. Back then, two teams, the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes and the Orix BlueWave, joined together to form the Orix Buffaloes. This left a gap in the Pacific League (PL).
To fix this, baseball players went on strike for the first time ever in Japan. After the strike, it was decided that a new team could join the league. Hiroshi Mikitani's internet company, Rakuten, was chosen to create this new team. They beat out another company called Livedoor. The new team was named the "Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles". They would play their games in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, at the newly updated Miyagi Stadium.
Contents
How the Eagles Team Started (2004)
In June Nippon Professional Baseball's (NPB) 2004 season, two teams, the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes and the Orix BlueWave, announced they would merge. They were having money problems. Both teams were in the Pacific League (PL). If they merged, there would be an uneven number of teams compared to the Central League (CL).
Many players were worried about losing their jobs because of the merger. So, the Japan Professional Baseball Players Association (JPBPA) organized a strike. They wanted the merger to be put off for at least a year. When team officials said this was not possible, the players went on a two-day strike on September 18–19, 2004. To avoid more strikes, team leaders agreed to make it easier for a new team to join NPB the next season.
Choosing a New Team
That same month, Takafumi Horie, who ran the internet company Livedoor, created a new baseball team. He asked NPB if his team could join. He hoped to hire players who lost their jobs from the merger. He also planned for his team to be based in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. A week later, another internet company from Tokyo, Rakuten, also applied to form a team. Rakuten's president, Hiroshi Mikitani, also wanted his new team to be in Sendai.
In early October, NPB started looking at both companies to decide which one would get to form a new team. Both Livedoor and Rakuten had time to present their team and budget plans to a group of five baseball executives. These executives looked at how good the plans were, if the teams would last, their money plans, and their stadium plans.
As the meetings continued, more details came out. Rakuten announced that Marty Kuehnert would be their general manager and Yasushi Tao would be their manager. Their new team was named the "Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles". The name came from the Japanese golden eagle, a large bird found in the Tōhoku region. Rakuten found out that Livedoor had already registered an "eagles" name. But Livedoor let Rakuten use the name because "eagles" was not their first choice in a fan poll.
Rakuten Wins the Bid
A survey showed that many people in Tōhoku wanted Livedoor to win. Forty percent supported Livedoor, while only seven percent supported Rakuten. However, Rakuten was seen as more likely to be chosen by NPB. Rakuten's president, Mikitani, had many connections in Japanese business. He also already owned another sports team, the soccer club Vissel Kobe.
On November 2, NPB chose Rakuten over Livedoor. Rakuten would create a new Pacific League team in Sendai. The team would play its home games at Miyagi Stadium, which Rakuten was updating. This was the first time a new team joined NPB since 1954, not counting mergers.
Mikitani wanted someone new to run the team. He hired Kuhnert, who was NPB's first foreign general manager. Mikitani hoped Kuhnert would bring "new ideas" to Japanese baseball. Kuhnert liked using data to make decisions. He also thought that traditional Japanese training methods were too intense. The Eagles' budget for the year was $22 million, which was the lowest in NPB.
Building the Team Roster
Instead of letting the Eagles pick players from all NPB teams, they had to choose from 107 players left over from the old Kintetsu and Orix teams. This happened in a special dispersal draft on November 8. Orix was allowed to protect 25 players from this draft, including all free agents and foreign players. Rakuten could then pick 20 unprotected players, but not first or second-year players. After that, Orix and Rakuten took turns picking 20 more players.
The Eagles picked 40 players in total: 17 pitchers and 23 position players. Many people blamed this unfair draft system for the team's future struggles. An "expansion draft" would have allowed the new team to be more competitive. Mikitani felt the draft was "unfair".
In the draft, Rakuten picked up outfielder Koichi Isobe. Orix did not protect Isobe because he refused to play for their new merged team. Pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma, who led the league in wins the year before, was protected by Orix. But Iwakuma did not want to play for the merged team either. After many talks, Orix agreed to trade him to the Eagles for money. Rakuten also signed five foreign players to help fill out their first team.
First Seasons and Road to the Playoffs (2005–2009)
The Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles won their very first game in their debut season, thanks to pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma. But they lost their second game to the Chiba Lotte Marines, 0–26. This loss tied a record for the biggest loss in Japanese professional baseball history.
After starting with only 6 wins and 22 losses, the Eagles removed Kuehnert as general manager. It turned out there were problems between Kuehnert and the team's leaders. He was not given the usual powers of a general manager. The team had two separate 11-game losing streaks that season. They finished last in the Pacific League a month before the season ended. The Eagles ended up 51.5 games behind first place. They were the first NPB team in 40 years to lose over 90 games in one season. Because of this, ten players were let go, and manager Tao was fired.
Bright Spots and Growth
Even with a tough season, there were good moments. The team's first home game on April 1 was a success. Only five months after getting the team, Rakuten ran the game smoothly in front of a full stadium. Isobe hit a home run in the team's first turn at bat. They beat the Seibu Lions, who were the champions, 16–5.
The team also brought in about $300 million to the Tōhoku region in its first year. The team even made a profit, instead of the big loss they expected. This was because many fans came to games, merchandise sold well, and players' performance pay was low. The stadium was also updated, adding more seats for 23,000 fans, a sports bar, and more food places.
For their second season, Mikitani changed his approach. He hired Hall of Famer and experienced manager Katsuya Nomura. They also got third baseman José Fernández from the Seibu Lions. The team got a little better in 2006, and Fernández won the Eagles' first Best Nine Award. But they still finished last in the Pacific League. At the end of the season, Rakuten drafted pitcher Masahiro Tanaka. They won a lottery to pick him first.
First Playoff Appearance
The Eagles really started to improve in 2007, their third season. First baseman Takeshi Yamasaki led the league in home runs early on. He was named the Pacific League MVP for May, the team's first such award. Yamasaki was also chosen by fans to play in the All-Star Series. One All-Star game was played at the Eagles' home stadium that year. Fans also voted in seven other Rakuten players, including rookie pitcher Tanaka. This was the first time a PL team had eight players chosen for the All-Star team since 1978.
Rakuten finished the 2007 season with more losses than wins, but they did not finish last. They came in fourth place. Yamasaki led the league in both home runs and runs batted in (RBIs). Tanaka won the Pacific League Rookie of the Year Award. The stadium's name was changed to Kleenex Stadium. The team finished fifth the next season. However, Iwakuma had the best earned run average (ERA) and most wins in the league. He won his and the team's first PL Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Eiji Sawamura Awards.
In the 2008–09 off-season, Nomura's contract was extended for one more year. By mid-August of the 2009 season, the team was fighting for their first chance to play in the playoffs. With a win on October 9, Rakuten secured second place in the Pacific League. This meant they would go to the Climax Series.
However, before the playoffs started, it was announced that Nomura would not return as manager next season. This was despite the team making the playoffs for the first time. The Eagles won two games at home, both pitched by Iwakuma and Tanaka, to move on in the Climax Series. But the news about the manager made things difficult. Rakuten lost to the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in four games in the Climax Series' Second Stage, ending their season. Even with the loss, Nomura praised the fans in Sendai.
From Disaster to Championship (2010–2013)
Rakuten hired American manager Marty Brown to replace Nomura. Brown was let go a year later after the Eagles finished last in the 2010 season. The club then hired Senichi Hoshino to turn the team around. Before the season, the team allowed Iwakuma to try to play in Major League Baseball (MLB). The Oakland Athletics offered a transfer fee, but Iwakuma did not agree to a contract and returned to the Eagles. Kazuo Matsui and Akinori Iwamura, who had played in MLB, also joined the team. Teppei Tsuchiya was named the team's first ever captain.
The Great East Japan Earthquake
On March 11, 2011, two weeks before the start of the season, the Tōhoku region was hit by the largest earthquake in Japan's history. The earthquake and tsunami caused huge damage, including in Sendai, the Eagles' home city. A preseason game the Eagles were playing was stopped so players could check on their families.
The start of the season was put off until April 12. The Eagles continued to train away from Sendai because of the damage to their city and Kleenex Stadium. All 12 teams played charity games to raise money for earthquake relief. The Eagles opened their season away from home. Fans who had to leave their homes because of the earthquake could watch Rakuten's comeback win on big screens set up at 20 shelters.
Days later, the Eagles played their first "home" game at Koshien Stadium while their own stadium was being fixed. The earthquake had damaged 47 parts of Kleenex Stadium, including its lights and walls. Baseball finally returned to Sendai on April 29. The Eagles played their first game at their home field. An opening ceremony was held before the game, and Rakuten won. Also, the final game of the 2011 All-Star Series was moved to Kleenex Stadium.
Road to the Championship
Rakuten finished the 2011 season in fifth place and missed the playoffs again. However, Tanaka won a Golden Glove and a Best Nine award. He was also named PL MVP of the month three times, a first in the Pacific League. After the season, Hisashi Iwakuma left the club to play for MLB's Seattle Mariners.
For the 2012 season, Kazuo Matsui was named team captain. Later that season, Toru Shimada, the team president, retired. Yozo Tachibana was hired to replace him, and Mikitani became the owner again. Rakuten was close to making the playoffs that year but missed by one game, finishing fourth.
Before the 2013 season, the Eagles signed former MLB players Casey McGehee and Andruw Jones. During spring training, Tanaka and Matsui played in the 2013 World Baseball Classic (WBC) for Japan. Because Tanaka played in the WBC, he did not pitch on Opening Day. Instead, Takahiro Norimoto was chosen to be Rakuten's Opening Day starting pitcher. He was the first rookie to start Opening Day in the PL in 55 years.
The Eagles were in fifth place in April. But in May and June, Tanaka won two monthly MVP awards, helping the team reach second place. The team took first place in the Pacific League in early July and stayed there, winning the Eagles' first PL pennant! Over the next three months, Tanaka kept winning games and finished the season with 24 wins and no losses. He won a record five monthly MVPs in a row.
As league champions, the Eagles went straight to the Final Stage of the Climax Series. They beat the Marines to reach their first Japan Series. Rakuten then defeated the Giants at home in the final game of a seven-game series to win the team's first and only Japan Series championship! Pitcher Manabu Mima was named the Japan Series MVP. At the end of the season, Tanaka won the PL MVP and Eiji Sawamura Awards. Norimoto was named the PL Rookie of the Year. Senichi Hoshino received the Matsutaro Shoriki Award. After the season, Miyagi Stadium's name was changed to Kobo Stadium. It was also made bigger to hold over 28,000 fans because of the high demand for tickets.
After the Championship (2014–2017)
After their championship season, Masahiro Tanaka left the Eagles to play for the New York Yankees. The team received $20 million for his transfer. McGehee also left for MLB. The team struggled after they left, finishing last in the next season. Manager Senichi Hoshino resigned because of this and his own health problems, even though the owner wanted him to stay.
Rakuten promoted their farm team manager Hiromoto Okubo to manager. Motohiro Shima was named the team's new captain for the 2015 season. Later, it was found that owner Hiroshi Mikitani had been getting involved in game decisions, like setting the batting order. After this, Mikitani started talking with the field staff before making decisions. But the team finished last again, and Okubo resigned.
The problems caused by Mikitani's involvement made Rakuten rethink how the team was run. It was decided that Hoshino, who stayed on as an Eagles vice chairman, would have full control over baseball operations, like a general manager in MLB.
Stadium Updates and New Managers
Before the 2016 season, Kobo Stadium had its last major renovation. Its capacity grew to over 30,000 people. The team wanted to avoid finishing last for a third time. They hired experienced Pacific League manager Masataka Nashida and signed free agent Toshiaki Imae. During the season, Rakuten created a special training team to help develop new players. The Eagles avoided finishing last but placed fifth and missed the playoffs. During the off-season, Hoshino was put into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame.
The 2017 Eagles played much better. They fought the Lions for second place near the end of the season. The team finished third, which earned them a spot in the First Stage of the Climax Series against the Lions. After losing the first game, Rakuten won the next two to beat Seibu and move on to the Final Stage. They played against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. The Eagles won the first two games but were eliminated after the Hawks won the next three.
New Leadership and Tanaka's Return (2018–Present)
Hoshino passed away in January 2018. Rakuten set up a memorial for him at Rakuten Seimei Park Miyagi. Mikitani announced that Hoshino's uniform number 77 would be retired forever. The Eagles started the season poorly, losing many games by mid-June. Nashida resigned as manager, taking responsibility for the team's performance. Head coach Yosuke Hiraishi took over for the rest of the season. The Eagles finished last that season.
Before the season ended, Rakuten brought back the general manager position because Hoshino was no longer there. Former NPB and MLB pitcher Kazuhisa Ishii was hired for this role. Infielder Kazuki Tanaka won Rookie of the Year at the end of the season.
Before their 2019 season, Rakuten signed Jabari Blash and former Lions' captain Hideto Asamura. Ginji Akaminai was named the Eagles' captain for the year. Normimoto had elbow surgery in March and missed half of the season. Blash and Asamura each hit 33 home runs. The Eagles just barely got the third spot in the Climax Series. The Eagles lost to SoftBank two games to one in the First Stage.
Another change in manager happened in the off-season when former farm team manager Hajime Miki was promoted. However, in a shorter 2020 season, the Eagles did not make the playoffs. After the season, Ishii announced that he would be both the manager and general manager for the 2021 season. Miki returned to his old job as manager of the second team.
Images for kids
-
Newly renovated Miyagi Stadium at the time of the Eagle's inaugural season
