Game 4, Tuesday 3/29: Riding a two-game winning streak and bringing their best pitcher from last season to the mound, the Tigers hoped to keep the defending Central League champion Yakult Swallows winless on the season on Tuesday. Shintaro Fujinami gave up a hit and walk in the bottom of the first, but held the…
The Hanshin Tigers looked to continue their dominance against Chunichi under the dome in Osaka as the 2016 season raised its veil. Could they extend the 11-game win streak at Kyocera against the rebuilding Dragons? Game 1, Friday 3/25: As reported earlier this weekend (click here for recap), the series started on a rough note…
The first squad (ichi gun = 一軍) was announced the other day, and there are 27 players on it. There is a marked shortage of pitchers, because the team will call up its anticipated starters for the March 29-31 series @ Yakult at a later date. That means three of the players (presumably hitters) will be…
For the first time in my life (in any sport, perhaps) I took in a pre-season game. It was actually sprung on me when a Twitter friend told me that one of his friends had two spare tickets to the game. Since that friend-of-a-friend happened to be reliever Rafael Dolis, I was curious and could…
I had the pleasure of being in Okinawa from February 1-7. Six of these days were scheduled spring training camp days, with the 5th being a day off for players. As things turned out, the 4th was a day off for me. I got a little sick due to the poor weather and my lack…
I was in Okinawa for the first week of spring training, but needed a day of recovery on February 4th. The players started on February 1st and are slated to bring things to a close on the 28th before returning to Kansai on February 29th. This session will look at the fielders, the next one at pitchers…
On Wednesday, I got to line up and get an autograph from Mauro Gomez. Many others were around me, but I was the only one who could speak with him in English… so I said he was looking great and that we are excited for a great 2016 from him. He said thanks and that…
The three imports from the Dominican Republic – 3rd year veteran Mauro Gomez and newly-signed relievers Marcos Mateo and Rafael Dolis – arrived safely in Japan on January 27th. The two newcomers had a press conference at team headquarters the following day. Here is a brief look at what the press reported on all three…
The Hanshin Tigers have signed Marcos Mateo (31) to a one-year,¥75-million deal, Sanspo.com reported on Thursday. The Dominican, who played for the Padres last season, boasts a 158 km/h fastball and a perfect 0.00 ERA in the Dominican Winter League this offseason. He will wear #38 and is considered a prime candidate to take over…
Original article can be seen here 元の記事はこちら Hanshin officially signed Dominican pitcher Marcos Mateo (31), formerly of the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball, as a candidate to be the team’s new closer next season, to a contract on the 14th. According to a team representative, the main terms of the contract have been agreed…