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Taking a Break from H-TEN

Taking a Break from H-TEN

Though it received little notice or fanfare, H-TEN turned 10 years old as a website/blog on May 18. I also officially reached 200 episodes of the podcast (in just under nine years) earlier this week. The Japanese version of the podcast also has 25 episodes. On top of that, I have been doing Patreon for…

Episode 200! Interleague Preview Part Deux

Episode 200! Interleague Preview Part Deux

Hosts T-Ray and Sanjay give you all the latest team news, recap the most recent Hanshin Tigers baseball games, and preview the second half of the interleague schedule for you. How will the team fare against the Saitama Seibu Lions, Orix Buffaloes, and Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks? Probably not worse than they have done so far!…

Toreba no Toraba: Lessons from Old & New Fans

Toreba no Toraba: Lessons from Old & New Fans

From the Daily Sports Online column / デイリースポーツオンラインの連載コラムから Earlier this month, I had the privilege of being invited to Koshien Stadium two times in three days. Both were job requests of sorts, so I had an agenda upon arriving at the ballpark. The first of these was CNN – that’s right, Cable News Network. They…

Games 49-50 vs Fighters: Owned

Games 49-50 vs Fighters: Owned

This is a placeholder post, as the third game of this series will be played at the end of the interleague schedule because it was rained out on Tuesday. The Tigers played quite uninspired ball on Wednesday and Thursday, though. Despite 16 base runners in the first game, only two crossed home. And despite five…

Games 46-48 vs Giants: We Have a Hitting Problem

Games 46-48 vs Giants: We Have a Hitting Problem

The Yomiuri Giants (who seem to be trying to rebrand themselves as the Tokyo Giants based on uniforms and caps with a TG logo) have good pitching. Don’t get me wrong. But our team has been struggling mightily at the dish for some time now, and this weekend was no exception. A no-hitter on Friday,…

Games 43-45 @ Carp: Squeezed Out Series Win

Games 43-45 @ Carp: Squeezed Out Series Win

The team giving us the biggest fits this year is the team that has struggled the most with run production. That said, the Hiroshima Carp have an outstanding pitching staff, to the point that they entered this series just 1.5 games out of first place. They figured out Shoki Murakami early and often in the…

Episode 199 – Interleague Preview Part 1

Episode 199 – Interleague Preview Part 1

Hosts T-Ray and Sanjay give you all the latest team news, recap the last nine games of Hanshin Tigers baseball, give the manager a ribbing, and let you know all you need to know about our first three opponents during interleague (Nippon-Ham Fighters, Chiba Lotte Marines, Rakuten Eagles)! Recorded on: May 20, 2024 Become a…

Games 40-42 vs Swallows: Third Straight Series Win

Games 40-42 vs Swallows: Third Straight Series Win

The Tigers have been struggling to find themselves this year, and were just three games above .500 earlier this week. However, a nice 4-1 stretch since Tuesday’s loss have improved the outlook. The bats provided good offense on Thursday and Sunday, and Jeremy Beasley made a sparkling season debut on Saturday. Thanks to those two…

Baseball and the Japanese

Baseball and the Japanese

Many years ago, I read (and reviewed) one of the best Japanese books about baseball that I have ever read, which was written by Keio University professor Dr. Masaru Ikei. Not long thereafter, as I was browsing Amazon, I came across this one. The title was intriguing enough, so I decided to flag it and…