Five straight losses. Against teams that are beatable. Three at home, and two on the road with your best pitchers starting. Could it get any worse for the Tigers? The only good news was that they would host the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, who had a rough August and who have struggled against our Tigers. But…
With just a month left to play, we can start to imagine what the Tigers’ individual stats will shape up to look like. Who’s having a better year than last? Who’s slumping? Who’s primed for a breakout NEXT season? Who won’t HAVE a next season? (Rumor has it veteran reliever Shinobu Fukuhara will be released.) In our…
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…