It had been four years since the Tigers swept a 3-game series against the Yomiuri Giants at Koshien Stadium. Bringing in a 19-year old rookie against a pitcher who was undefeated against the Tigers this season did not seem like a recipe for ending that streak. Then again, you can’t predict baseball. Starting Pitchers: Hiroto Saiki (0-1, 7.50…
Through seven innings, the two hurlers combined to throw approximately the same number that Fujinami threw in that unforgettable (for all the wrong reasons) game in July 2016. Yes, they both brought their A games. In fact, the Yakult Swallows never got past first base until the eighth inning. That’s how good Akkyaman was again tonight….
When you’re playing on a field with smaller dimensions, against a team that’s not know for its pitching (the Yakult Swallows), you have to take advantage. And that’s exactly what the Tigers did. A couple of bombs and their first 10+ hit game in two weeks, and you’ve no longer got a losing streak on your…
When wins are not coming easy, you don’t take any of your opponents for granted. Even if they are the Chunichi Dragons. Even if they’re putting a developing pitcher on the mound. And especially when your own starter is unproven. But the team pushed runs across when they needed them, and the pitching was rock-solid in…
Their imports absolutely crushed it tonight. Two home runs and a slick defensive play that saved a run. Meanwhile, our starter had a rare poor outing, which was not helped by poor defense behind him. Yes, the Yokohama DeNA BayStars took it to the Tigers again to keep the slump going. P.S. – BayStars version of the…
It’s got to be a little bit intimidating to make your professional debut against the winningest, oldest, most popular team in baseball. Especially in their barn. And especially when they happen to be the hottest hitting team in the Central. Our pitchers did a valiant job of keeping the damage to a minimum. But if…
After yesterday’s ugly extra innings loss, these Tigers had something to prove. They used shaky pitching from their opponent and combined it with big bats from the two guys who couldn’t get it done yesterday to trounce the Dragons. Unfortunately, it also cost them a player who was hotter than hot until he slid awkwardly…
It’s Golden Week, so lots of families were in attendance at Friday afternoon’s game. The players’ names on the scoreboard were all in syllabic hiragana so kids could read them. And the only thing it helped kids do was read out the names of players who disappointed them time and again, as the Tigers dropped…
The Tigers’ 2018 slogan is 執念 (shunen = tenacity). But up to this point, the team has really failed to show resilience in most of its games. But the boys managed to grit out a W to finish the month of April on a positive note. And the hero was our new import slugger, who…
There was a lot of excitement about this young Tigers team, particularly the first two draft picks in 2016. The team’s future slugger and ace, respectively, had great springs. But this is one game I’m sure both of them would rather forget… Starting Pitchers: Taiki Ono vs. Kris Johnson 1 Amazing! We’re stealing bases again!…