TOKOROZAWA, SAITAMA PREF. – Seibu Lions manager Norio Tanabe is intent on stepping down after the current season due to poor results, a team source revealed Thursday.
Tanabe, who took over from Haruki Ihara as an interim skipper in June 2014 and became manager ahead of last season, finished fifth and fourth in his first two seasons, and the Lions are set to miss out on a Climax Series berth again this year as they languish in fifth place.
“I’d like to concentrate on the games left. I have the responsibility to fight on through to the end,” Tanabe said ahead of the Lions’ home game against the Pacific League-leading Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks at Seibu Prince Dome.
Club president Haruhiko Suzuki said, “We have to think about it swiftly after the end of the season, but there’s nothing decided and I haven’t got things to say at the moment.”
