Koyo Aoyagi was supposed to pitch on March 25. Because he tested positive for Covid-19 on March 17, the Tigers had to change their plans. I’m not trying to say that the reason for our rough start is all on him… but tonight, he threw his first game of the year, and it was a…
If you are a new fan and are not particularly familiar with the team, let this be your introduction! We are going to break down the entire roster for you very briefly so you can get a feel for who is whom, what they have done, and what they might do in 2022 and beyond….
Minoru Iwata had a closing ceremony after this game ended, as the Hanshin Tigers and their fans celebrated a wonderful 16-year career. He did not make a mound appearance during the game itself, but he could have… the team played with very little urgency. Only one base runner advanced past first base, and that was…
Looking at the starting lineup before the game started, and seeing that the opposing pitcher had a 1.99 ERA against our guys this season, well, let’s just say most fans were not inspired with confidence. But three batters into our attack, the blowout was on. Koyo Aoyagi threw seven effective innings (3 hits, 4 walks,…
What a close game. The Tigers had a couple of great chances that went for naught, but put up a two-spot early and got solid pitching from starter Koyo Aoyagi (career-high 12 wins) and closer Robert Suarez (first in NPB to 40 saves this year). They also won the season series against the Yomiuri Giants…
After crunching the numbers a little, it has become apparent that the Tigers really need some help from everyone who is facing the Swallows. That, and they need to keep on winning. They got off to a hot start, with four hits and a walk accounting for a four-spot in the first inning. This included…
Koyo Aoyagi has not been the same since the Olympics. He has now given up 17 runs in his last five starts after giving up just 24 (21 earned) in his first 16 starts. That said, the bats once again came up short when they had chances. Two straight innings of bases-loaded situations yielded two…
Somehow, despite having a decent number of chances to bring home runs, our guys were squeezing the bat too tightly, did not play their game, and ended the game with a check-swing foul tip into the catcher’s glove for strike three, game over. That made Koji Chikamoto the seventh batter (well, fourth — Jefry Marte…
Most of you know about RISP (batting average with runners in scoring position)… and the higher your number, the more clutch you appear to be. That said, our sluggers really blew such chances four innings in a row. The most glaring was a no-out, bases-loaded situation that came up completely fruitless. This game looked like…
Not much to say about this one. At least the Giants got beaten badly, too.