A three-game sweep at the hands of the then-fifth place Swallows pushed the Tigers down a spot in the standings, and the dream of reaching the playoffs seemed less likely to come true. A two-game stint in Nagoya with the team’s two best pitchers slated to start should have been the remedy to the team’s…
Host T-Ray is joined by co-host Joe to talk about the three games in Yokohama (vs. BayStars) and the three back at Koshien (vs. Swallows). They choose a player of the week, then talk about what the deal is with the constantly changing infield. Who is best suited at which position moving forward? They end off by predicting the upcoming…
At long last, the Tigers could play on their home field. The high schoolers were long gone and the Kansai region was anxious to be able to cheer on their home team – especially in light of the 4-game winning streak and the ever-heating-up playoff race. Could the Tigers claw their way up into third,…
The Tigers have a combined 4-16 record against the Hiroshima Carp and Yomiuri Giants since the start of July. On the flip side, they have a 14-6 record against the rest of the league since July 1st. For now, they can focus on the rest of the league, as they only have 8 more games total…
Host T-Ray is rejoined by rejuvenated co-host Joe! They talk about the two games at Kyocera Dome (vs. Carp) and the three at Tokyo Dome (vs. Giants). They choose a player of the week, then talk about which youngsters will still be playing full-time in a few years’ time. They end off by predicting the…
There’s no moving up in the standings too far if you can’t beat the teams at the top. After a humiliating two-game mini-series against the CL-leading Carp, the Tigers looked to redeem themselves against the second place Yomiuri Giants on the weekend. Redemption, minimal as it was, didn’t come until the last inning of play on…
If “You Gotta Have Wa” is the ultimate book to shed light on the American’s experience playing baseball in Japan, then “Cherry Blossoms Over the Stars and Stripes” is the opposite. Though likely not intended to be so, this book, written by Robert Whiting (of “Wa” fame) gives the Japanese audience a look into the…
This year the Hiroshima Carp have utterly dominated our boys, no matter the venue. In Hiroshima, they have won 8 of 12, and at Koshien, they have won 7 of 9. Would playing in a different city but still being the home team reverse the Tigers’ fortunes? It reversed Takahiro Arai’s fortunes in 2015, and…
Host T-Ray is flying solo this week! He talks about the three games in Hiroshima (vs. Carp) and the three at Kyocera Dome in Osaka (vs. Dragons). Thanks to contact with regular co-host Joe, the two choose a player of the week – it was unanimous. Zorny chimes in with his thoughts on this week’s hot topic –…
Today, August 13, is Randy Messenger‘s 35th birthday. Happy birthday, big fella! We are so fortunate to have such a steady guy as the anchor of the pitching staff. Here’s a little run-down of Randy’s Hanshin accomplishments: Longest serving foreigner in club history (tied with Jeff Williams and Gene Bacque, but not for long!) Second…