Katsuya Nomura, who steered the Yakult Swallows to four Central League titles in the 1990s, responded positively Tuesday to an offer to take over as manager of the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
The 70-year-old Nomura, currently manager of amateur corporate league team Shidax, confirmed receiving an offer from Rakuten and said he feels willing to take the helm of the Pacific League team.
Shidax Corp. Chairman Tsutomu Shida has reportedly given the nod for Nomura to make a comeback to professional baseball after his current contract with Shidax expires this year.
On Sunday, Rakuten announced the dismissal of manager Yasushi Tao after the Eagles struggled all year at the bottom of the league standings in their inaugural season.
The Sendai club, which joined Japanese pro baseball following the merger between the Orix BlueWave and Kintetsu Buffaloes, became the first Pacific League club in 40 years to post 90 losses in a season and is 38-95 with two games left in the regular season.