Nippon-Ham catcher Kengo Yoshida has been removed from the roster. In the third inning with two outs in the game Rakuten Eagles on the 25th (at Escon Stadium), he attempted to advance to second base on a hit down the right field line, but was tagged out at second base for not sliding, and was replaced in the fifth defense. After the game, manager Shinjo explained the reason for the punitive substitution, saying, "I don't ask players to make great plays, get hits, or hit home run runs. I just want them to make the basic plays. If he had slid, he would have been safe without a doubt. That's the kind of thing we do as a team. We had the case with Kamikawabata last time as well. If he had slid, it would have been no problem, right?"

In the game against Hanshin on May 27th (at Hanshin Tigers Koshien), Kamikawabata, who was the runner on first base, slowed down on hitter 's bunt and was forced out at second base, resulting in his removal from the roster the following day. The manager said, "Players who can't do what they're supposed to do... I've seen many players who made simple mistakes like that get sent down to the minor leagues and then have their uniforms taken off. When a player from the minor leagues comes up, do they slow down on a base running? Of course not. It's a matter of mindset."