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,…
The summer uniforms came out in all their glory tonight. You know the ones. They would look great on Osakan old ladies, but what are they doing on your favorite ballplayers? Never mind that. Shintaro Fujinami went 5+ innings of shutout ball, fanning six and getting key outs when he needed them, and he also…
Anyone who has been a Hanshin Tigers fan in recent years knows that Yokohama Stadium is like our home away from home. (In the past five seasons, the Baystars were 170W 110L = .607 at home against the other 10 NPB teams, but just 18W 39L = .315 against Hanshin.) The trend continued on Friday…
With just five outs to go, this one looked to be a beautiful home opener for the Tigers. Team up by 2, Fujinami went 6 IP 1 R, and the Dragons had committed 4 errors. I mean, you can’t win when you’re fielding that poorly, can you? Not against the almighty Hanshin bullpen, right? Wrong.
The 2021 season started on time, and with excitement at an all-time high, the Hanshin Tigers took to Meiji Jingu Stadium to square off against the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. Unlike last year’s opener, our ace pitcher was neither spectacular, nor did he do much of anything at the plate. But it did not matter because…
There are a few very important bits of news that need your attention and awareness: The State of Emergency is expected to be called off on March 21, and soon thereafter, the foreign players who have not yet arrived in Japan will be permitted entry into the country. There will be strict regulations that limit…
Sources: Daily Sports / Sports Hochi Hanshin manager Akihiro Yano announced to the media on March 8 that he plans on using 9th-year right-handed pitcher Shintaro Fujinami as the Opening Day starter. The original plan called for Yuki Nishi to get the nod for the second straight season, but asthmatic symptoms forced him to leave…
Normally, these reports are only available to those who have joined the Patreon family (which you are always welcome to do if you have not already). This offseason, though, they are available for the masses. The patrons already got a look at some advanced stats on the hitters just over a month ago. Here’s a…
It’s been a year, hasn’t it? Without getting into too many details about any of these stories (which have been discussed on the podcast, in the TTT sessions, and in other articles we’ve written), here are the 20 things that defined this year for your Hanshin Tigers. 20. Fourth-string catcher Kenya Nagasaka started his season…
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.