One of the biggest baseball teams in Japan, the Yomiuri Giants, has replaced its manager after a personal incident involving his family.

“Yomiuri Giants manager Shinnosuke Abe was arrested on suspicion of assaulting his 18-year-old eldest daughter. He admits to strangling her,” wrote Yakyu Cosmopolitan after the incident.

After a few hours, Edwin Hernández Jr. shared another update.

“Yomiuri management has quickly appointed Hideki Hashigami(left) as interim manager.”

For the first time in recent Japanese baseball, a sitting manager was suddenly arrested mid-season. Shinnosuke Abe, ex-manager of the Yomiuri Giants, was arrested on Monday.

According to Japanese police reports, the incident happened while Abe attempted to separate his daughters (18 and 15 years old) during a heated family argument. The problem escalated when the elder daughter talked back.

Shinnosuke Abe allegedly pushed his eldest daughter down during the argument and choked her.

Per police sources, Abe admitted to the allegations while explaining that he became furious.

“I lost control of my emotions in the moment due to anger.”

Authorities even confirmed detecting alcohol in his body during interrogations, which points to the direction that Abe might have been drunk during the confrontation.

Reportedly, the daughter has not suffered any bodily injuries. The police have opened investigations after receiving emergency calls from child guidance officers.

The timing could not have been worse for the Giants, who currently sit 3 in the Central League.

Just hours before the Interleague game against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, Yomiuri had to change its leadership. The organization appointed Hideki Hashigami as acting manager, while the players learnt of the incident just hours before the game.

Meanwhile, Metropolitan Police officials released Shinnosuke Abe on Tuesday while continuing the investigation before forwarding evidence to public prosecutors.

The response across Japan has been intense because incidents like this involving active managers rarely happen in baseball, let alone in the Japanese league.

Some even suspect this to be a “habitual abuse or violence all along” because the complaint was not made by the victim but by the child consultation center.

“This is effectively a motion for immediate dismissal,” noted one fan, while others were vocal about their shock: “I’ve never heard of a current manager being arrested.”

Giants executive Kunimatsu Tooru apologized to the public, calling violence completely unacceptable. Reports also stated Yomiuri officials were already considering letting go of Abe if things escalated. Their president, Yomiuri Koo Dan, also released a statement following the arrest.

“Violence is absolutely unacceptable and is being taken extremely seriously. We deeply apologize to all professional baseball officials and fans for causing a serious incident on the eve of the Interleague Play opening. We will carefully consider future disciplinary actions, including dismissal or retention, regarding Manager Abe’s position.”

This situation now has a greater impact on Japanese baseball as the league has always tried to maintain its public image and family-friendly reputation. Meanwhile, Abe’s position will also be in jeopardy.

The legacy of Shinnosuke Abe in Japanese baseball

Shinnosuke Abe spent 19 seasons carrying the Yomiuri Giants on his back, through pressure-filled games and emotional championship runs.

From 2001 through 2019, Abe hit 406 home runs and 1,285 RBIs while anchoring the Giants’ lineup. During the 2009 Japan Series, Abe crushed a walk-off homer in Game 5 against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham. One game later, Abe delivered a title-clinching double, earning Japan Series MVP after Yomiuri’s championship win.

As the years passed, Abe became more than Yomiuri’s catcher.

Younger pitchers who came into the team trusted him with everything. Abe was the leader behind the plate.

Between 2007 and 2011, Abe recorded 1,709 consecutive error-free chances behind the plate, setting an NPB record. His 2012 season showed his complete dominance with a .340 AVG, 27 home runs, and 104 RBIs.

That same season, Abe received 259 first-place votes, winning the Central League MVP unanimously.

International baseball also witnessed Abe’s calm leadership whenever Japan entered pressure-packed tournaments against elite teams around the world.

During the 2013 World Baseball Classic, Abe captained Japan and blasted two homers against the Netherlands on back-to-back at-bats. By the time he hung his cleats, Abe had 406 home runs and ranked 18 in Nippon Professional Baseball’s all-time leaderboard.

After retiring in 2019, Abe slowly climbed Yomiuri’s coaching structure and eventually landed as the team’s manager. Abe managed Yomiuri’s developmental squad before joining the senior team during a rebuilding phase.

During his first managerial season, Yomiuri finished 77-59-7 and captured the Central League pennant. Although Yokohama defeated Yomiuri in the playoffs, Abe restored belief throughout Tokyo that after several disappointing seasons, the Giants were on track to become the top team in Japan.

But with all that’s gone down for Shinnosuke Abe, fans may not feel the same for their ex-manager.