Minoru Iwata had a closing ceremony after this game ended, as the Hanshin Tigers and their fans celebrated a wonderful 16-year career. He did not make a mound appearance during the game itself, but he could have… the team played with very little urgency. Only one base runner advanced past first base, and that was…
The Tigers cannot afford to lose or tie, anymore. Heading into this, their second-last game of the season, they needed a big win and big production from a lineup that was once again absent of Koji Chikamoto and Yusuke Ohyama. Who stepped up? Teruaki Sato did. His first at-bat sent a message to Carp, Dragons,…
As I just finished saying on the podcast, when your team has to face good Masato Morishita (2020 Rookie of the Year), it’s not going to be an easy game. Take Koji Chikamoto (hamstring) and Yusuke Ohyama (back?) out of your lineup, and the task is a little taller. Thankfully, Takumi Akiyama and the bullpen…
Hosts T-Ray and Sanjay discuss the latest team news and recap the past 11 games of Tigers baseball. They then talk about the unlikely but still possible conditions that would allow the Tigers to win their first Central League pennant since 2005. Also, here’s a talk we did after we recorded the show! What is…
Most people who know the name of the first Japanese major leaguer probably only know it as the answer to a trivia question. After all, between his time with the San Francisco Giants and Hideo Nomo’s exciting career with the Dodgers (and the rest), 30 full years had passed without any Japanese on any MLB…
There is something about watching Haruto Takahashi pitching that puts fans’ minds at ease. He did not disappoint on this night, either. Everyone expected he would get a shot at another Maddux (complete game shutout with fewer than 100 pitches) but for some reason, he was pulled through 8 innings with just 90 pitches on…
Must-win games do not mean the same as can’t-lose games. With this being the Tigers’ final chance to gain ground on the Swallows without leaning on another team, they needed this one. Joe Gunkel pitched 7 ⅔ masterful innings of shutout ball, and received solid backing from set-up man Suguru Iwazaki and closer Robert Suarez…
Looking at the starting lineup before the game started, and seeing that the opposing pitcher had a 1.99 ERA against our guys this season, well, let’s just say most fans were not inspired with confidence. But three batters into our attack, the blowout was on. Koyo Aoyagi threw seven effective innings (3 hits, 4 walks,…
After losing by the long ball last night, Tigers’ pitchers Masashi Itoh and Robert Suarez kept the Carp off the board and under complete control. Meanwhile, Teruaki Sato picked up his first extra-base hit in forever, scored the team’s first run, and Takumu Nakano provided solid defense and chipped in with a hit and a…
The night belonged to the Hiroshima Carp and their solo home run hitting batters. They got four, including a pair out of Seiya Suzuki (oh please won’t you just go to the majors already?). While Mel Rojas Jr hit a big fly in the bottom of the seventh to bring the Tigers to within one,…