Over the years, Hanshin has been known as a big spending baseball club. This is true to an extent, with the team consistently ranking in the top half of the salary rankings. It looks like this coming season, the team will rank #3, well behind the top two clubs, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and Yomiuri Giants….
There just aren’t a lot of good books out there (in English) about Japanese baseball. But for anyone wondering what the game was like 25 years ago, this primer by Brian Maitland is a decent way to spend a couple of hours in the offseason. Written in 1991, the book covers everything you would want to…
Yesterday, we had a look at the battle for playing time on the pitching staff. Today, we continue our look at the Tigers’ lineup and who can be expected to stand on the field and in the batter’s box at the start of 2017. In case you missed it, Fumihito Haraguchi has been given the…
Hanshin has finished its “Koshien” home portion of the exhibition schedule, and will not play on its hallowed grounds again until April 7 (vs. Giants, games 7-9 of the regular season). For now, it sees itself playing at Kyocera Dome (Osaka) for 2 before heading out on the road for 6, then returning back to Kyocera…
My worst subject in school was history. By a long shot. I could memorize the numbers and dates without a problem, but I couldn’t get excited about what people did centuries before I was born. Masaru Ikei’s book 白球太平洋を渡る (White Ball Crosses the Pacific) is a history book in the truest sense. I bet if…
T-Ray presents you the past week of preseason action, including the exhibition game against Samurai Japan. Also, a look at all the players fighting for playing time and spots on the opening day roster. Who do you like at 1B, 2B, 3B, C? Send us an e-mail (thehanshintigers@gmail.com) with your opinion. Stay tuned, too –…
To see a few pictures of the game, click here Samurai Japan seemed to have found its stroke in a recent exhibition match against Chinese Taipei. With just two more practice games before the World Baseball Classic starts (on Tuesday, March 7), Hanshin was supposed to help them feel good about their lineup and pitchers…
Happy Birthday, Haraguchi!!! (March 3) Original article can be seen here 元の記事はこちら Catcher Fumihito Haraguchi (25) took fielding practice at first base on March 2 as Hanshin resumed team workouts at Koshien. Manager Tomoaki Kanemoto and the coaching staff made the decision based on the condition of Haraguchi’s right shoulder, which he hurt last season,…
Host T-Ray has once again hooked up with Tigers legend Matt Murton for a lengthy interview. Contest trivia questions follow! Then, T-Ray summarizes the offseason and changes to the Tigers in 30 minutes or less, or the podcast is yours free! (Spoiler: I go over 30 minutes, so you get to listen for free.) Closing song – Hanshin…
* Check out the news from the 1st Cool, the 2nd Cool, the 3rd Cool, the 4th Cool or the 5th Cool if you want to look back on the month of February. In case you missed it, “cool” is not a correct transcription of the Japanese クール (which comes from the French cours = course / installment / season),…