Sanspo and other sources are reporting that the Tigers have officially signed a fifth foreigner to a contract. Mario Santiago of Puerto Rico has agreed to a one-year, 15-million yen contract with the team. Those who watched the 2013 World Baseball Classic closely remember that Santiago was the starting pitcher on the team that defeated…
“I was a big baseball fan in Japan and found that looking at the different way the Japanese approached the game provided a window into the Japanese culture as a whole. Friends encouraged me to write a book about it and so I did. Took a year to write 100,000 words. The result was The…
On Sunday afternoon, I went to my first ever sumo basho in Osaka. It was Day 1 of the spring tournament, and I stood outside the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium hoping to get close to the rikishi as they strode in. I was thrilled to be standing just a few meters from these colossal grapplers, snapping…
As the season was heading into its final month and the Tigers fighting to catch the Yomiuri Giants (who had won 8 straight Nippon Series at this point), the Tigers faced the Chunichi Dragons at Koshien Stadium. Young ace Yutaka Enatsu (25) was on the mound, and he pitched a game for the ages. In…
Here’s an event you won’t want to miss out on if you are passionate about baseball, particularly in Japan! On Tuesday, March 24, the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (Kansai Chapter) will be hosting an evening with Hanshin Tigers all-star left fielder Matt Murton and renowned author Robert Whiting (writer of The Chrysanthemum and…
Part 4 of Sponichi’s series of interviews with the “BIG 4” title holders sees Katsumi Hirosawa interviewing batting title holder Matt Murton. They discuss Murton’s elite hitting techniques as well as his strong desire to contribute to the team’s first championship in 30 years. Hirosawa: How are you doing physically these days? Murton: Well I…
As I perused the baseball section at the local library, this book seemed like one I should read. Nothing about the cover or the title would compel anyone to read it, but the author’s name might make you feel like you should. Yoshio Yoshida was not only the manager of the 1985 championship team (the…
Yano-Messenger Interview Yano-Oh Interview On April 15, 2014, Kataoka sat down to talk with Mauro Gomez. He was hitting 20-for-58 (.345) at the time and had reached base safely in 15 straight games from Opening Day. He pointed out that Gomez was hitting the ball to the opposite field quite well. When Kataoka…
This article was written back in the spring of 2015. Hanshin Koshien Stadium has since made it a little easier to purchase tickets with some English guidance. My suggestion is that you click here and follow their instructions rather than the ones below. But for the sake of posterity, I will keep these instructions on…
The original article can be found here 元の記事はこちら Spies from other clubs are pulling for Hiroki Uemoto to win the battle for second base – the biggest position battle in the Tigers camp – over Tsuyoshi Nishioka. The Tigers handily beat the Chunichi Dragons 6-1 in their exhibition match on the 22nd (in Chatan). Said…