Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles

Rakuten Eagles
Team logo Cap insignia
Information
League

Nippon Professional Baseball (2005–present)

Ballpark
Year established 2005
Nickname(s)
  • Washi (鷲, eagles)
  • Inuwashi (イヌワシ, golden eagles)
Pacific League pennants 1 (2013)
Japan Series championships 1 (2013)
Colors Red, gold
Retired numbers 10, 77
Ownership Rakuten Inc.
Manager Yosuke Hiraishi
Uniforms

The Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (東北楽天ゴールデンイーグルス, Tōhoku Rakuten Gōruden Īgurusu) is a baseball team based in Sendai, in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. It has played in Nippon Professional Baseball's Pacific League since the team's formation in 2005. The team is owned by the Internet shopping company Rakuten.[1]

History

The team was created to fill the void left by the merger of the Orix BlueWave and the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes during the 2004 Nippon Professional Baseball realignment. The merger was to leave the Pacific League with five teams, causing the biggest crisis in the history of the NPB, including the first player strike in Japanese professional baseball history.

After posting losing records in their first four seasons, the team finished second behind the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in the 2009 pennant race under the leadership of manager Katsuya Nomura, the oldest manager in NPB history. In the league championship playoffs the Eagles lost the six-game series against the Fighters 1–4 and Nomura announced his retirement. In 2010 the team was managed by American Marty Brown, the former manager of the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. Brown was fired after a single season after the team had slumped back to last place. Hall of Fame member Senichi Hoshino subsequently managed the team for four years, including their successful 2013 season, where they defeated the Chiba Lotte Marines to claim the League championship and went on to become Japan Series champions after defeating the Yomiuri Giants. Masataka Nashida has been the team's manager since 2016.

The team's stadium was heavily damaged by floods during the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami on 11 March.[2]

Current players

Former players

Retired numbers

  • 10 – This number is worn by both team mascots, Clutch and Clutchina, and is considered the number of the fan, the 'tenth man' on the field. It is the first retired number in NPB involving a fan, inspired by some teams in other sports (such as football, which retires "12" for the "12th man", or basketball, which retires "6" for the "6th man"). There are ten starting players in the Pacific League as the league uses the designated hitter. The Chiba Lotte Marines has the No. 26 retired in similar fashion (MLB's Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim has retired No. 26, in similar fashion, for the original owner Gene Autry).

MLB players

Active:

Retired:

Honours and records

2013 honours

Rakuten (楽天) were victorious in the 2013 Japan Series after defeating the Yomiuri Giants .

Records

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
YearManagerGamesWinsLossesTiesPct.GBBAERAPlace
2005Yasushi Tao13638971.28151.5.2555.676
2006Katsuya Nomura13647854.35633.0.2584.306
2007Katsuya Nomura14467752.47213.5.2624.314
2008Katsuya Nomura14465763.46111.5.2723.895
2009Katsuya Nomura14477661.5385.5.2674.012
2010Marty Brown14462793.44015.0.2653.986
2011Senichi Hoshino14466717.48222.5.2452.855
2012Senichi Hoshino144676710.5007.5.2522.994
2013Senichi Hoshino14482593.582-.2673.511
2014Senichi Hoshino14464800.44417.0.2553.976
2015Hiromoto Okubo14357833.40733.5.2413.826
2016Masataka Nashida14362783.44325.0.2574.115
2017Masataka Nashida14377633.55029.5.2543.333
2018Masataka Nashida
Yosuke Hiraishi		14358823.41415.0.2413.786
Total--1996889106146.462––––

Golden Eagles Fan Club honorary members

See also

References

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