A farewell ceremony for Yoshio Yoshida, the former coach of the Hanshin Tigers who was announced to have passed away in February at the age of 91 from a cerebral infarction, was held in Osaka City on the afternoon of the 25th.

On the altar decorated with yellow flowers in the Tigers' color, three portraits of Yoshida were lined up, one from his playing days, one from his time as a head coach, and one from his recent days. After a video was played looking back on the great past, the first part began, with the team, led by Coach Fujikawa, taking turns to lay flowers. In the second part, Hanshin's owner and advisor Akinobu Okada gave a eulogy.

Advisor Okada, who played under Yoshida to win the Japan Series in 1985, said, "I thought we would be able to go golfing and dining together again, so I can't believe the news of his passing. I am filled with sadness and loneliness." He added, "This year marks the 90th anniversary of the Hanshin Tigers' founding. In our long history, we have only won the Japan Series twice, and Yoshida is the only coach at the time to achieve this. I was able to achieve this as a coach in 2023 thanks to the opportunity to learn Yoshida's philosophy, which is based on doing the obvious things as a matter of course. Yoshida, who injected the Hanshin Tigers with the strength to become the Japan Series champion, is the team's greatest contributor and a great benefactor to me, for whom I can never be more grateful. In order for the Tigers, a traditional team, to continue to be a strong team that is loved by fans, we must continue to practice Yoshida's philosophy even as times change, and I believe that is my role. Please watch over us as we do so. Thank you very much. May you rest in peace."

During his playing days, Yoshida was nicknamed "Ushiwakamaru" for his elegant yet solid defense, and played as a famous shortstop. His uniform number "23" from his playing days has been retired. After retiring, he served as the head coach of the Hanshin Tigers three times over a total of eight years, leading the team to its first league championship in 21 years in 1985, and its first Japan Series championship in the team's history.