What did Hanshin do as a follow-up act to yesterday’s dramatic, come-from-behind, escape from the jaws of death landmark of a game? They sure didn’t build on the momentum, as the Baystars scored three early runs against Raul Alcantara and tacked on another in the third inning before he was chased. Meanwhile, the batters looked…
For the first time in 17 games, Yusuke Ohyama hit a ball over the fence. And all it took was dropping him down to seventh in the batting order. That was a huge key to victory, but so was Koyo Aoyagi’s outstanding outing, which has further cemented him as a true pillar in the rotation,…
Joe Gunkel was having himself a game for the ages. The second-year American hurler, who says he is more of a contact pitcher than anything, struck out ten and scattered just three hits (one a solo home run) over seven innings. He left with the game tied, and no one could have possibly imagined a…
A solid outing from starter Raul Alcantara ended prematurely with a single to the shin, but he still threw six shutout innings and the bats came through at a fairly constant pace. Takumu Nakano led the way with two hits, including the opening RBI single in the fifth. The Tigers won all three against the…
The Baystars were coming into this weekend having won three straight series against their opponents. When they took the first of this series, it looked as though they might make it four. But Masashi Itoh’s gem on Saturday evened things up, and then it would be up to Joe Gunkel to defend his undefeated record…
There’s nothing more dangerous than playing a team that is riding an extra-long winless streak. You just don’t want to be the team that ends it for them. And yet these Tigers played their worst game of the year, and what honestly should have been a 1-1 tie at worst ended up a blowout loss,…
Sources: Tigers Homepage / Sponichi / Nikkan Sports The Hanshin Tigers roster (and mental health) took a huge blow on September 25th as the team announced that five of its players and two staff members tested positive for COVID-19. At first, just one player, right-handed pitcher Masumi Hamachi, complained of headaches, slight fever, and lethargy….
Tora (虎) = Tiger Kichi (キチ) = short for kichigai (気違い) = lunatic We are… Episode 005: Pack it in or Keep Hoping? Last time we talked, this team was on the rise. I think their record was 6-11 or 7-11 after their horrendous 2-10 start. After flying as high as 16-14-1, the team is…
The Kansai Derby always seems to be interesting. This year, it was the Orix Buffaloes turn to “hit the road” and come over to Koshien. The series was delayed thanks to a rainout on Wednesday (June 6), and the rubber match wasn’t played until two weeks after it was originally scheduled. The way it was played,…
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…