Shigeru Takada's departure from the Tokyo Yakult Swallows on Wednesday leaves the struggling Central League team under the stewardship of head coach Junji Ogawa.
Ogawa's role as interim manager is becoming a familiar one in the NPB. Takada's exit marks the third straight year a manager has resigned midseason.
Though compared with Major League Baseball, in-season turnover is still a relatively rare situation in Japanese baseball.