Pressure on Yokohama DeNA BayStars manager Alex Ramirez to deliver a pennant has been heightened since owner Tomoko Namba stepped into the center of a circle of reporters last year — about an hour after the team was eliminated from 2019 postseason — and essentially said 2020 was title or bust.
Plus, recently-retired Yokohama great Daisuke Miura is already on the coaching staff, and there's no manager more popular than the old legend who isn't actually managing the team.
That brings us to this past weekend. The BayStars were eliminated from pennant contention in the Central League on Friday. On Saturday, Ramirez announced his intention to resign after the season.