“Balentien and Coach Yano have been ejected from the game.” What??? How do a big Dutchman and a little Japanese middle-aged man get tangled up, when it was lanky Shintaro Fujinami who threw one a little too close to Kazuhiro Hatakeyama’s head? It was the top of the fifth inning, no outs and a man…
T-Ray talks Hanshin news, recaps the weekend season-opening series against the Hiroshima Carp, chooses his player of the week, and talks about how much patience manager Tomoaki Kanemoto needs with his young players. What’s your take on playing time for slumping players? Send us an e-mail (thehanshintigers@gmail.com) with your opinion. Closing song – Hanshin Tigers – Sim…
Did you know that the legendary Babe Ruth played a baseball game at Koshien Stadium? That’s right, el Bambino came to the stadium in 1934 when it was still just 10 years old! He was in the twilight years of his career, and legend has it that he was going through a rough period in…
The new team slogan for this year is 挑む Tigers Change. 挑む (Idomu) can be translated as “challenge” or “defy” or “dare to try”. After the opening series in Hiroshima, all the Hanshin Tigers seem ready to challenge is the record for most errors in a season. What has changed? The defense has certainly not…
If you were to head out of Koshien directly behind the museum entrance, you will see a shopping mall called Lalaport Koshien. Follow the road south past Lalaport, and on the same side of the road, you will come across this shop: Its name says タイガースグッズ、虎虎. The first part is easy – Tigers Goods. The…
Photos courtesy of Tim Herr Kris Johnson won the Sawamura Award last year and gave up just 7 earned runs to the Hanshin Tigers all season. (He did even better against the Dragons and Giants, but let’s leave that aside for now.) The defending champion Hiroshima Carp looked to start their season with a triumphant…
The Japanese title of this book is 眠れないほど面白い野球の見方 – How to watch baseball, so interesting you won’t be able to sleep. I bought it thinking that it would give some insights into what to watch while a baseball game is going on. Things outside of the usual pitching, hitting, base running. You know, maybe catcher’s…
T-Ray invites 9 guests to the show to give their Central League final standings predictions. T-Ray also gives predictions about which player will lead the team in each big category. Who do you have leading the Tigers in batting average, home runs, runs batted in, stolen bases, wins, earned run average, and saves? Send us…
Yes, that’s right, ladies and gentlemen. Last season, if you’ll recall, I did an informal “Fantasy Tigers” league with two of my friends. We drafted almost all the Tigers players, and kept track of first squad and farm stats to determine a winning manager. It was a little too simplistic, and lost its excitement when…
T-Ray presents you the past week of preseason action, and talks about who should make the Opening Day 28-man roster. He also presents three possible hitting orders, including one for when injured players come back. What’s your ideal batting order look like? Send us an e-mail (thehanshintigers@gmail.com) with your opinion. Also, in preparation for Episode…