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Messenger to Retire at Season’s End
September 14, 2019

Messenger to Retire at Season’s End

So long, Big Mess! Hanshin announced on the 13th that pitcher Randy Messenger (38) would be retiring at the end of this season. The man himself made the request with the team that same day, and they accepted. He struggled this season, his 10th in Japan, starting 13 games and winning three, losing seven and posting a 4.69 ERA. He injured his right shoulder in July and was on the farm but could not get desirable results in his starts during the past month, and made the decision to end his career. The plan is to have a press conference in the days to come.

The Fallout After Solarte’s Departure
September 12, 2019

The Fallout After Solarte’s Departure

Sources: The Wedge / The Page / Gendai First, the story as told by most media here. Yangervis Solarte was signed in early July to breathe some life into this wilting Hanshin Tigers hitting lineup. After an impossibly strong start to his time here, his defensive lapses and slump at the plate warranted a farming…

Departures on Flight HT2019
September 8, 2019

Departures on Flight HT2019

In a recent podcast episode, we talked about the man, the legend, Takashi Toritani, who was the first one given his ticket to get out of the Hanshin Tigers organization this offseason. We also pontificated who might also be on that same flight when it is scheduled to depart at the start of December. Here…

Episode 104 – Tori Given the Bird – Who’s Next?
September 3, 2019

Episode 104 – Tori Given the Bird – Who’s Next?

Host T-Ray is joined by JD as they go over team news, the month of August, choose players of the month, and then go deep on Takashi Toritani‘s release, plus they pontificate about who else might be kicked out of Koshien at season’s end. Recorded on: September 3, 2019 Like/Review us on Facebook! facebook.com/hanshintigersenglishnews Follow…

Toreba no Toraba – How Good is Good Enough?
August 22, 2019

Toreba no Toraba – How Good is Good Enough?

Daily Sports column (in Japanese) can be seen here デイリースポーツのコラムはこちら You know, I can still remember one of the first things I was told when I arrived in Japan: “Nihongo ga jozu!” (Your Japanese is really good!) There are two ironies about this comment: (1) My Japanese was not very good at all – all…

Toreba no Toraba – A Tiger in Hibernation
August 15, 2019

Toreba no Toraba – A Tiger in Hibernation

Daily Sports column (in Japanese) can be read here So, how ’bout them Tigers? No really, how are they doing? Strange question to be asked by someone who has covered the team in-depth and detail for the past 5 seasons… but the truth of the matter is, I have not checked in on them for…

Episode 103 – Solarte & The Gaijin Problem
August 2, 2019

Episode 103 – Solarte & The Gaijin Problem

Host T-Ray is joined by JD as they talk about the last fortnight of Tigers ball, including a couple of unforgettable home runs by our newest acquisition. They then name their players of the month for July, complain a little about Yano’s strategic choices, and talk about how the team can balance the five capable,…