The independent-league BC Saitama Musashi Heat Bears announced that the managerial position had changed from resigned manager Kiyota Ikuhiro (清田育宏) to Representative Director and President Sumi Kota (角晃多), who will serve as acting manager. Sumi Kota (角晃多) will continue to hold both positions and lead the team for the rest of the season. His father is Sumi Mitsuo (角盈男), a former Yomiuri Giants pitcher.
On the 1st, BC Saitama Musashi Heat Bears announced that, following the resignation of manager Kiyota Ikuhiro (清田育宏), the managerial position had changed to Representative Director and President Sumi Kota (角晃多), who would serve as acting manager. Sumi Kota (角晃多) will concurrently serve as Representative Director and President and lead the team for the remainder of the season.
President Sumi Kota (角晃多) attended Tokai University Sagamihara High School and joined the Lotte Marines through the 2008 developmental draft. He continued his playing career as an outfielder and was promoted to the regular roster, but never appeared in a first-team game. After being told in 2014 that he was no longer in the team's plans, Sumi Kota (角晃多) continued playing for Musashi, served as manager from 2018 to 2022, and became the team's president in 2023. His father is Sumi Mitsuo (角盈男), a former Yomiuri Giants pitcher who recorded 99 saves over his career.
Acting manager Sumi Kota (角晃多) said that creating an environment in which the players could focus on baseball during this late stage of the season was the most important priority. Sumi Kota (角晃多) expressed his determination to serve both as the team's Representative Director and President and as acting manager, emphasizing his responsibility to carry the team into the future.
Former manager Kiyota Ikuhiro (清田育宏) is said to have offered his resignation on 31 August following reports in some weekly magazines of an alleged affair. The team has responded that it is not in a position to determine whether the reports are true.