Mitsuru Manaka is still playing it cool. Nothing, not even a banner season in which he's already won two titles and stands four wins away from a third, can shake the Tokyo Yakult Swallows manager's calm, cool demeanor it seems.
"I'm not gonna lie to you, he's relaxed," Swallows slugger Wladimir Balentien said during the team's practice session on Friday afternoon at Yafuoku Dome. "He hasn't said anything; just go out there and play guys. He hasn't created any pressure or anything."
Manaka may be a rookie manager, but he handled his first Japan Series eve like a true veteran. He was collected during the manager's meeting when denying a request by Fukuoka Softbank Hawks skipper Kimiyasu Kudo that both teams name their probable starters the day before each game. Manaka gave a curt, but polite, refusal and knew the rules when he brought up that both managers have to agree for the system to be in place.