Camp is over! The team packed up late this morning and are on their way back to mainland. Exhibition season up here starts on March 3 (in Fukuoka, where they’re selling “open seating” all-you-can-eat tickets for ¥2500) and runs through the 25th. Looking forward to see how the field and mound start to take shape!…
We’re most of the way through this long meal called Spring Training. The fifth course is now in the books, and on this, Wilin Rosario‘s 29th birthday, we bring you the news of the past 3 days. First, Rosario took some time during batting practice to teach struggling outfielder Taiga Egoshi about hitting. We can…
< Previous Next > Date: June 12, 1999 Hanshin fans had had very little to cheer about for years. Fourteen seasons since the last championship and four more until the next, there was no telling when the Dark Ages would come to an end. One of the few bright spots on this team was a…
Reference articles found here and here For the first time in half a decade, the Hanshin Tigers have field representation on the all-Japan baseball team. It was announced on Tuesday (2/20) that Yusuke Ohyama (23) would be a member of the team that would play Team Australia in a couple of friendly matches on March…
It’s another precious day off for our heroes on the diamond, so let’s look back on the last few days of spring training action! First, the “news”: Newly acquired relief pitcher Diego Moreno looked good pitching in the bullpen and in live batting practice. Some have called him a “skinny Mateo” – he uses the…
Some of you may know that Valentine’s Day is a different celebration in Japan. Guys, in fact, get to be lazy and just wait for the women in their lives to give them chocolates and other sweets. This word “women” includes spouse, female siblings, female co-workers (especially those younger than you or lower on the…
< Previous Next > Date: July 30, 2004 The ironman was on a mission. And not even a broken wrist was going to stop him. Playing in his 698th consecutive full game (no innings off) on July 29th, Tomoaki Kanemoto needed just 3 more games to match the NPB record of 700, set by Hideshi…
Before we get to the highlights (yes, there were a couple of games!), here are the latest bits of news: – Manager Tomoaki Kanemoto has declared that Yusuke Ohyama will get a chance at third, which means moving ironman Takashi Toritani over to second base. I guess Hiroki Uemoto is out of a job! –…
Imagine if you could transport yourself back to 2005 and have all your baseball questions answered. That’s what this book is – a trip back in time giving you an insight into some of the earlier years of sabermetrics – at least in the eyes of the common man. (Sabermetrics have been around much longer…
It’s still just the beginning of spring training. And it’s still cold in mainland Japan. So because of the frozen nature of my fingers, and the lack of heaviness concerning any and all headlines, here’s what you missed, in short spurts: Minoru Iwata threw a 200-pitch bullpen… in case Kanemoto gets really, REALLY mad at…