Message from T-Ray: Just for fun this offseason (and maybe into 2017 and beyond), I will be accepting writing pieces from outsiders who want to share their thoughts on the Tigers. If you’re interested, send your thoughts my way! t-ray@thehanshintigers.com Of course at first, all submissions must go through me, but I also want your…
Well, we kind of lost a bit of the early season momentum and the races became a little less exciting. In particular, Jimbo saw his hitters almost all sent down to the farm or given a spot on the bench. Zorny took advantage of low volume pitching numbers but an exception second half from the…
Host T-Ray hooked up with Tigers legend Matt Murton for a lengthy interview. Later, T-Ray is joined by co-host Joe to recap a home game against the Swallows and the final two games of the year against the Giants. They choose players of the week, hitter and pitcher of the month of September, and give out the First Annual HTEN…
Nothing is on the line anymore, with the exception of a few records and perhaps a leg up on the competition for playing time next season. Maybe for some, a strong performance in these final few games is a plea for one more contract, one more season. Either way, the 5-game winning streak the Tigers…
The Hanshin Tigers have found too many weird ways to lose too many games this season. Even against these Yakult Swallows, success has been fleeting and hard losses have become the norm. Heading into this, the third-to-last game of the season, the Tigers were 11-12-1 against the defending Central League pennant winners. This one would…
Host T-Ray is joined by co-host Joe to recap a home game against the Giants, a final road game against the Carp, and the last two road games of the year against the Dragons (@ Koshien). They choose players of the week, and choose the 10 players they don’t want back in 2017 as well as the 28 that should…
For the final time in 2016, the Hanshin Tigers hit the road. The fact of the matter is, the team has had far better success away from Koshien than it has at Japan’s holy grounds. However, heading into this one, the team that gave it the most misery away from home was, you guessed it, the…
Recently, one of the measures of a player’s value to a team has been a statistic called WAR – Wins Above Replacement. The idea is to take a fielder’s offensive contributions (batting, base running, etc.) and defensive ability (ultimate zone rating, runs prevented, etc.) to give them a value that tells nerds how many more wins…
This team simply can’t beat the Carp. But even more than that, they can’t seem to figure out the 2016 CL champ’s ace, Kris Johnson. In his two seasons in NPB, the Tigers have never hung him with a loss. The fate of both teams has already been decided but still, a win against the…
You’ve already heard it, right? The Tigers have been eliminated from the playoff race. They are winless at home against the Giants this year. The only thing left to cheer for is rookie Shun Takayama breaking club (and league?) records. Still, baseball goes on until the end of September, even for teams out of contention….