Tuesday, May 1. You’d think that after the Yokohama DeNA BayStars showed us who’s boss last postseason, that they would continue to put up a good showing against our guys. But not so far. Four of our guys got multiple hits, five knocked at least one runner in, and one of the lightest guys on the…
The Tigers had their share of chances in this one, but one particular hitter struggled to capitalize on his chances with runners in scoring position, and for the second straight game, the Giants came out on top. Starting Pitchers: Takumi Akiyama (1-2, 2.84 ERA) vs. Kazuto Taguchi (0-1, 8.36 ERA) Surely you don’t need to…
You know, there are days when the team plays well but loses a close one. There are days when the team plays alright but wins a close one. And then there are outright stinkers, like today. Instead of dwelling on the negatives, here are some of the “highlights” of today’s shutout loss. Starting Pitchers: Takumi…
After yesterday’s rather frustrating loss to the Dragons, the Tigers were in need of a win on Saturday at Kyocera Dome Osaka. Starting Pitchers: Takumi Akiyama (0-1, 4.50 ERA) vs. Dillon Gee (0-1, 7.50 ERA) 1 Tsuyoshi Nishioka got his first start of the year, and reached base in his first at bat via an…
One thing’s for sure: balls leave the park a lot more frequently at Tokyo Dome than they do at Koshien Stadium. Coming into this one, Hanshin already had three. After this one was done, they added a couple more to the total. Starting Pitchers: Takumi Akiyama (12-6, 3.01 ERA) vs. Ryoma Nogami (11-10, 3.63 ERA)…
The Hanshin Tigers announced their top squad members today in preparation for the start of the 2018 season, which starts tomorrow against the Yomiuri Giants at Tokyo Dome (March 30, 6:00 pm JST). Here is the list, as well as some comments from yours truly: Catchers #12 Seishiro Sakamoto: Of the three catchers, he’s got…
Hey everyone. Just thought you might want a concise look at all that has been going on as far as roster moves in the past week or so. The season starts in 10 days, and management is starting to solidify the roster for Opening Day. Who’s been brought up? Who’s been sent down? Which positions…
March 16: Stomping on the Eagles in Shizuoka This game started quite slowly, as the two aces showed off their repertoires before helpless bats. Our guys finally got to Takahiro Norimoto in the fifth, when Kento Itohara smacked a 2-run double to the left field corner. T 2-0 E Randy Messenger is just getting warmed…
March 9: Let’s just say that Randy Messenger didn’t get off on the right foot. The first inning saw him give up 5 hits and 4 runs. He said after the game that it was his first time facing live hitting this year, and that a lot of his pitches were right over the plate…
Since it’s the preseason and these games mean precious little once the season has begun, we will keep things short and sweet. March 3: Starting pitcher Takumi Akiyama went 4 scoreless innings, scattering 3 hits (no more than one per inning) and striking out 4. Kyuji Fujikawa (37) threw the fifth and allowed 2 runs on…