Baseball

Swallows Manager Shingo Takatsu to Step Down at the End of the Season

The Swallows are wrapping up their third consecutive losing season, and Shingo Takatsu will not receive a contract extension for 2026.

by
Ed Odeven
September 3, 2025

Tokyo Yakult Swallows manager Shingo Takatsu will not return for another season in charge.

The 56-year-old skipper told reporters on Tuesday, September 2, after that day's game against the Yomiuri Giants at Kyocera Dome Osaka, that this is his final season as Yakult's dugout boss.

Before the game, he informed Swallows players about his plans, according to numerous published reports.

"I myself felt unsettled and didn't want to go into the game with that feeling," Takatsu was quoted as saying by Sports Hochi. "So, I made sure to talk things through with the players who are here, and we approached today's game."

Takatsu is in his sixth season at the helm.

The Swallows (43-67-6) have the worst record in NPB's Central League, and they are 27 games behind the first-place Hanshin Tigers in the standings.

"It's been a tough season, [but] everyone fought hard," Takatsu said, according to Jiji Press.

Injuries to key players have taken a toll on the Swallows during the 2025 season. That said, Takatsu has accepted responsibility for the team's shortcomings.

"As a manager, I don't think it's right to blame everything on the injured players," the former Swallows and MLB reliever was quoted as saying by Chunichi Sports.

Before the end of his tenure as Yakult boss, Takatsu has a clear objective: "winning as many games as possible," he said, according to Chunichi Sports.

Shingo Takatsu Enjoyed Managerial Success with the Swallows

The Swallows finished in the Central League cellar in Takatsu's first season as manager in 2020 (41-69-10). Then they captured back-to-back Central League pennants in 2021 and 2022, winning 73 and 80 regular-season games, respectively.

The Swallows beat the Orix Buffaloes in the 2021 Japan Series. It was Yakult's first NPB title since 2001. And the Swallows lost the next year to the Buffaloes in a thrilling Japanese Fall Classic rematch.

In 2023, Yakult slipped to 57-83-3, and Takatsu's club had a 62-77-4 record in 2024.

The Swallows are wrapping up their third consecutive losing season. As a result, Takatsu's contract will not be renewed.

Author: Ed Odeven

Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.