Sports · Baseball · 3 hrs ago
Four Chunichi Dragons coaches to leave after the season
Chunichi announced four coaching departures on October 13.
The Japanese baseball team said Nobuhiko Matsunaka, Eiji Ochiai, Ryosuke Hirata and Yutaka Nakamura will leave at the end of this season.
Matsunaka has been the team’s batting coordinator for two seasons.
Ochiai previously led the farm team to a Western League title and a farm championship in 2025.
Hirata and Nakamura have worked in outfield coaching roles, with assignments across the first and second teams.
The changes affect both the first-team and farm coaching staff, but no replacements were named in the announcements.
The Chunichi Dragons announced that four coaches will leave the team at the end of the 2026 season.
The coaches are Nobuhiko Matsunaka, Eiji Ochiai, Ryosuke Hirata and Yutaka Nakamura.
Their roles included batting, pitching coordination and outfield defense and baserunning.
The reports did not state why the four are leaving.
- Who
- Chunichi Dragons coaches Nobuhiko Matsunaka, Eiji Ochiai, Ryosuke Hirata and Yutaka Nakamura.
- What
- The team announced that all four will leave at the end of the season.
- When
- The announcement was made on October 13, 2026; they will leave at the end of the season.
- Where
- The Chunichi Dragons.
- Why
- Not stated.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Ochiai became head coach and pitching coach.
The team announced Ochiai’s departure, but he stayed after being persuaded by manager Kazuki Inoue and became farm-team manager that month.
Ochiai led the farm team to the Western League title and the farm championship.
The Dragons announced that Matsunaka, Ochiai, Hirata and Nakamura would leave at the end of the season.
- Departing coaches
- Nobuhiko Matsunaka, Eiji Ochiai, Ryosuke Hirata and Yutaka Nakamura
- Announcement date
- October 13, 2026
- Matsunaka’s role
- First-team batting coordinator
- Ochiai’s role
- Pitching coordinator
- Hirata’s role
- First-team outfield defense and baserunning coach
- Nakamura’s role
- Farm-team outfield defense coach
Sources
Related news
Guardians rally past Rays 7-3 in ALCS Game 1
LG and Doosan name squads for KBO wild-card series
Hanwha Eagles appoint national team coach Ryu Ji-hyun as manager
Brewers beat Dodgers 7-4 to take 2-0 NLCS lead
Brewers deal Dodgers another blow in NLCS
Former Orioles pitchers face a rough day
William Contreras hits a solo home run in Brewers-Dodgers NLCS game
Could the Cardinals upgrade in center field?
Phillies offseason dates and Aidan Miller news announced
A 2021 trade sent Junior Caminero from Cleveland to Tampa Bay
