[Miyagi Prefecture] Let's show you the true power of baseball! Trivia about Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles

In 2004, 18 years have passed since the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles made their first entry into the Japan Professional Baseball (NPB) Pacific League, based in Sendai, in 50 years.

It was only the ninth season after the team was founded that they won their first league championship and became number one in Japan.

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (NPB: Pacific League)

The official franchise is Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, but as the official name "Tohoku" suggests, they are a team from six Tohoku prefectures and host official Pacific League games in each prefecture.

Recently, an increasing number of children are wearing Eagles hats in the other five prefectures, and over time, the Eagles are becoming established as a professional baseball team in Tohoku.

What does Golden Eagles mean? What is the team color?

Golden Eagle is the English name for the golden eagle, which is commonly found in the Tohoku region, so it is used in the team name, and is also used in the emblem of Vegalta Sendai of the J League soccer team.

The team color is ``Crimson Red'', which is technically a deep, deep red, unlike ``Enji'' or ``Wine Red.''

The team logo depicts "EAGLS" as a "flapping golden eagle" and the "E" part is used as a mark on the hat.

By the way, among fans, the Eagles' team caps are sometimes called ``hair hats'' because the letter ``E'' resembles the kanji for ``hair''.

Permanently retired numbers “10” and “77”

The Eagles uniform number ``10'' has been permanently retired since the team's founding as a ``number for the fans.''

In baseball, defensive positions are often represented by numbers 1 to 9 and used as jersey numbers, and the Eagles say that Hwang is the 10th starting member.

In addition, ``77'' is the uniform number of the late manager Senichi Hoshino, who led the team to their first ever title in Japan in 2013, and in honor of his great accomplishment, the uniform number of a manager has been made permanent for the first time in Japanese baseball. .

Team mascot loved by fans

CLUTCH is a golden eagle boy who is a hard worker, loves rice balls, and wears the number 10 on his back.

CLUTCHENA is a kind and honest female golden eagle who loves strawberries and has cute pink feathers.

The word ``Clutch'' in their name means ``Washi-zukami'' in English, and it symbolizes their desire to win and capture the hearts of their fans.

Also, since 2016, the male harpy eagle "SWITCH" has arrived from California, USA as a new foreigner.

In addition, various characters will appear, including "Mr. Carrasco," who sometimes intrudes into matches despite being unofficial.

Tohoku Golden Angels

Since 2005, our cheer team has been working together with our fans to encourage support.

In addition to cheering at the stadium, we also carry out activities closely related to the six Tohoku prefectures, such as the Tohoku Rocken Activities, which visit kindergartens, nursery schools, and elementary and junior high schools in the six Tohoku prefectures, as well as local events and visitation activities.

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles’ journey so far

Lotte once made Miyagi Stadium (currently Rakuten Mobile Park Miyagi) a quasi-franchise from 1973 to 1977, but it was incomplete as the Japan Series was never held, and there was no professional baseball team that took root in Tohoku.

However, in 2004, the Orix Blue Wave and Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes announced a merger, creating an opportunity for the creation of a professional baseball team in Tohoku.

Creation of a team based on the problem of professional baseball reorganization

• October 22, 2004: Team name "Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles" (commonly known as Rakuten Eagles) announced.
• November 2, 2004: Rakuten's entry is officially approved at the professional baseball owners meeting.
• November 8, 2004: A distribution draft with the Orix Buffaloes was held, and 40 players joined the team.
• November 17, 2004: Participated in the professional baseball draft meeting and nominated the first native player.
• February 1, 2005: The team's first training camp is held on Kumejima, Okinawa Prefecture.
• March 26, 2005: The 2005 season begins under the direction of first manager Yasushi Tao.

First climax stage advance

In their first season in 2005, they started in last place with 38 wins, 97 losses, and 1 draw, but in 2006, they hired the late and experienced manager Katsuya Nomura as their second manager and aimed to advance to the top.

• October 9, 2009: Ranked 2nd in the season and entered Class A for the first time in the team.
• October 2009: Defeated Softbank in the first stage of the Climax Series and advanced to the second stage
• 2010: Marty Brown, who was Hiroshima manager until the previous year, becomes the third manager.

Determination for recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake

In 2011, when the late Senichi Hoshino was appointed as the fourth manager, the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred on March 11th.

The team, which was in Akashi City, Hyogo Prefecture, for an open game, was unable to return to Sendai, which was affected by the disaster, and will continue to open the season.

On April 2, 2011, at a charity game played by 12 baseball teams to support reconstruction efforts, Motohiro Shima, who was the players' president at the time, gave a speech on behalf of the team that said, "Let's show you the true power of baseball," which touched the hearts of the Japanese people. It shook me.

“Let’s do our best in Tohoku” to become the best in Japan!

In the 2013 season, Hoshino's third year as coach, the Eagles won their first league championship with 82 wins, 59 losses, and 3 draws, and defeated Lotte in the final stage of the Climax Series to advance to the Japan Series.

The Japan Series against the Giants went to Game 7 with 3 wins and 3 losses, and in the top of the 9th inning, Masahiro Tanaka, who had pitched a complete game the previous day, took the mound as the closer, and in his last game before going to the United States to play in the majors, he became the best in Japan. He became a top pitcher.

When No. 18, who had achieved the feat of 24 consecutive wins this season, took the mound, the chorus of the featured song ``Ato Hitotsu'' that spontaneously arose in the stadium evoked the greatest emotion, and is still talked about among fans to this day. .

Aiming for the second Japan No. 1 title

In the 10 years since Japan's No. 1 until this year, the managers have changed one after another: the 5th manager Hiromoto Okubo, the 6th manager Masataka Nashida, the 7th manager Yosuke Hiraishi, and the 8th manager Hajime Miki. GM Kazuhisa Ishii also serves as the 9th manager.

This year, Masahiro Tanaka decided to return from MLB's New York Yankees, and will stand on the mound for the Eagles wearing uniform number 18, which had been treated as a ``semi-permanently retired'' number.

Where is the home stadium of Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles?

The Miyagi Baseball Stadium in Miyagino Ward, Sendai City is renovated as a ballpark every year and is now being used as Rakuten Mobile Park Miyagi (capacity: 31,272 people).

The asymmetrical seats have a wide variety of seat types, allowing you to enjoy a variety of viewing styles.

Initially, the facility had artificial turf, but it was changed to natural turf in 2015.

Behind the left seats is the small amusement park "Smile Glico Park" with a Ferris wheel and merry-go-round, as well as the "Rakuten STAY x EAGLES" facility where you can stay overnight while enjoying the atmosphere of the stadium.

INFORMATION

• Team name: Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
• Office address: 2-11-6 Miyagino, Miyagino-ku, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture (Rakuten Mobile Park Miyagi)
• Phone number: 050-5817-8066
• URL: Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles official website
• Home stadium name: Rakuten Mobile Park Miyagi (Miyaginohara Park General Sports Ground)

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summary

For the 2023 season, as the coronavirus pandemic of the past few years has subsided, admission restrictions have been lifted and it is now possible to cheer loudly.

As of April 25th, they were in 5th place (7 wins, 11 losses) and got off to a somewhat slow start, but with the slogan "Eagle will seize" they are looking forward to making a comeback and aiming to become number one in Japan for the first time in 10 years.