Under manager Shinnosuke Abe, the Yomiuri Giants have posted an 18–18 record through 36 games, sitting 4.5 games behind the league-leading Yakult Swallows.
The pitching staff has been without ace Yamazaki due to a right shoulder issue, while Goto started the season in the minors due to poor form and was only called up on May 4. Opening-day starter and No. 1 draft pick Takemaru, along with Inoue, veteran Tanaka, and Norimoto, have stepped up to fill the void.
One defining characteristic of this year’s team is the deliberate, planned removal of starting pitchers from the active roster to manage their workloads. Even when a pitcher performs well, the team sometimes temporarily sends him down to allow extra rest and ensure optimal conditioning for the long haul.
Takemaru, who has been a major contributor with a 4–2 record and a 2.88 ERA over six starts, was removed from the roster on May 7. After his opening-day start, he pitched twice on six days’ rest, then had an 11-day gap due to a rainout, followed by two more starts on six days’ rest before being sent down.
Inoue made his season debut on April 5 and started four consecutive weeks on six days’ rest. Despite posting a 2–1 record and a 2.12 ERA over five outings, he was removed from the active roster on May 4.
Norimoto was taken off the roster on April 29 after a schedule reshuffled by rainouts saw him go 11 days between his second start, then two straight starts on six days’ rest. He is now scheduled to start on May 13 against Hiroshima in Fukui after a 14-day interval.
Tanaka has started on rest patterns of six, seven, seven, six, and seven days since his season debut. With a strong 3–1 record and a 2.27 ERA over six starts, he was removed from the roster on May 10. That move completed the cycle, as every pitcher who opened the season in the rotation has now been temporarily sent down for rest or maintenance.
Last season, the starting rotation—Yamazaki, Inoue, Akahoshi, and others—carried the team through the first half but suffered injuries and slumps in the summer, leaving the staff short-handed during the critical stretch. Learning from that experience, Manager Abe and the coaching staff have actively implemented a policy of refreshing starters early to strengthen the team for the summer and beyond.
“It’s a team policy,” said battery coach Murata, while pitching coach Sugiura added, “We’re not going to keep running them on six days’ rest all season.” The approach has been strictly followed, with no starts on four or five days’ rest so far.
The Giants aim to win their first league championship in two years and first Japan Series title in 14 years by meticulously managing their starters’ intervals, setting the stage for a powerful push later in the season.