Sports · Baseball · 3 hrs ago
Keizo Kawashima to join DeNA as a coach for 2027
DeNA has agreed to hire Keizo Kawashima as a coach for the 2027 season in Japan’s professional baseball league.
The 43-year-old played for four teams, including DeNA’s manager Ryōji Aikawa’s former team, the Yakult Swallows.
Kawashima and Aikawa were teammates at Yakult, and will work together again in DeNA’s coaching staff.
Kawashima retired in 2022 after appearing in 886 career games, and has since coached at Rakuten and Orix.
He most recently worked as Orix’s first-team batting coach, a role he held through the 2026 season.
DeNA has not yet announced his coaching role or uniform number; the team aims to win the league and the Japan Series.
DeNA announced that Keizo Kawashima will join the team as a coach for the 2027 season.
His coaching role and uniform number have not yet been decided.
Kawashima, 43, played for four Japanese professional teams and appeared in 886 games.
He retired after the 2022 season and has since worked as a batting coach for Rakuten and Orix.
He was a teammate of DeNA manager Ryōji Aikawa at Yakult.
- Who
- Keizo Kawashima, 43, will join DeNA as a coach.
- What
- DeNA agreed a coaching contract with Kawashima for the 2027 season. His role and uniform number are not yet decided.
- When
- The announcement was made on October 30, 2026; he is set to join for the 2027 season.
- Where
- DeNA, a Japanese professional baseball team.
- Why
- Not stated.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Kawashima retired from playing after the season.
He became a batting coach for Rakuten’s farm team.
He served as a first-team batting coach for Rakuten.
He began working as Orix’s first-team batting coach.
Orix formally announced Kawashima’s departure after he requested to leave at the end of the season.
DeNA announced that Kawashima would join as a coach for the 2027 season.
- 2027 season
- Kawashima’s DeNA coaching contract
- Age
- 43
- Playing career
- 886 NPB games
- Career statistics
- .251 batting average, 38 home runs, 185 RBIs
- Previous teams
- Nippon Ham, Yakult, SoftBank and Rakuten
- DeNA manager
- Ryōji Aikawa