At long last, the Hanshin Tigers would make their 2016 Koshien Stadium debut. The season was off to a decent start, all without having played on their true home turf yet. Could they take the momentum from their successful road trip – and dominant win against the Giants Thursday – back to their “Sacred Ground”? Game…
WARNING: This post will be LONG and will likely not contain many visuals. If you are serious about knowing all you need to know about the upcoming season, keep reading. If you just want to know which team I pick to win it all, scroll down to the bottom of the post. For a look…
Host T-Ray holds a special interview with a Hiroshima Carp fan and recaps the spring training camp down in Okinawa. Check the Okinawa Spring Training Roster here: https://www.thehanshintigers.com/2016/01/23/spring-training-roster-announced/ Opening song – 君は君だけ – Kimi wa Kimi dake (Hakugaijin) Closing song – 夕焼け – Yuuyake (Ukulele Punk Girl) Recorded on February 27, 2016 Got any questions or comments?…
The week started well for the Tigers, though first and second place fell out of reach before September came to an end. Still, one more win in their final two games would all but punch their ticket to the postseason. Unfortunately for them, they would face a Yakult Swallows team that could clinch the pennant…
The losing streak was at four. First place was far in the distance, second was looking unlikely, and it seemed like a matter of time before third would slip away as well. The Tigers were back to being a .500 team and were heading into enemy territory, where they had not fared well. Then the…
The lead had evaporated. With 18 games to go, the most crucial games of the season started in this series. How would the team respond? Could they defeat the underachieving Carp? Take back first place? Let’s see how this one played out. Game 1: I was able to watch this one from the first base…
In a nutshell our problem is this: the Hanshin Tigers can’t beat other teams’ best pitchers. The chart below lists the Central League’s ten best qualified (enough innings played to win individual awards) pitchers by ERA. Keep in mind this chart does not look at our record in games in which their aces got no-decisions. Pitcher…
The triumphant return to Koshien was everything the fans wanted. The follow-up two games were every fan’s nightmare, unless you count the 7 runs in the last two innings of Sunday’s game (the team still lost that one, 11-8). With three more at Koshien against the team that took two straight from them in Hiroshima…
The long summer road trip is over at long last. The Hanshin Tigers pulled into first place early in the trip and finished it on Thursday still atop the Central League. With a little help from the Yakult Swallows, who beat the Yomiuri Giants three straight, the Tigers are able to come down the home…
The “Road Trip of Death” (which hardly deserves that name anymore) has officially begun. Not only will the Tigers spend the month away from the confines of Koshien Stadium (where they boast a great record this year), but they will suffer through the heat of summer while trying to remain close to the top of…