We’re back in first! This was a true nail-biter, as the teams exchanged blows from the fourth inning on. Both teams also had bases-loaded chances that came up short, and both teams got big home runs from last year’s two biggest home run hitters. Kazuma Okamoto’s sixth-inning bomb was a dagger through the hearts of…
After yesterday’s embarrassing loss, the Tigers came out roaring on both ends. Joe Gunkel mowed down the first three batters he faced really quickly, and Koji Chikamoto smacked the first pitch in the bottom half of the inning over the wall. From there, the batters kept the foot on the pedal most of the night,…
The Tigers have been bad at home of late. I mean, really bad. The last time they won a three-game series at Koshien was May 11-13 against the Dragons, and that was due in part to a rainout. They got swept by the Baystars three weeks ago at home, and wanted so badly to end…
This was far from an ideal game, far from an ideal series. But nevertheless, with the game on the line, captain Yusuke Ohyama delivered, hitting a go-ahead three-run into a crowd of rain-soaked Yakult Swallows fans in right field. Joe Gunkel had one bad inning but was otherwise solid. Jefry Marte continues to get on…
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…
The truth is, the Hanshin Tigers *do* (kind of) have an alibi and reason for being U-G-L-Y for the second straight game. The starter today was supposed to be Joe Gunkel, but he had a migraine and sore throat this morning, and was sent to the hospital for a PCR test. It came back negative…
Manager Akihiro Yano decides to give cleanup hitter Yusuke Ohyama the day off. Rookie Teruaki Sato gets his first start at third base, where he played his whole college career but where has yet to play a regular-season inning as a pro. And let’s give him the responsibility of batting fourth, too. Looks like a…
Friday night, a boatload of walks and a pair of errors extended the Tigers’ losing streak to three, and ended the Baystars’ winless streak at 12. Saturday, the Baystars got thumped HARD. On this day, the lead changed hands four times, once thanks to a pair of defensive blunders by the visiting team – a…
Hosts T-Ray, JD and Sanjay bask in the glow of the team’s previous 10 games, and then try to offer possible solutions to the import problem that manager Akihiro Yano is about to need to figure out: how to fit 8 highly talented imports on a roster with a 5-import limit? Also, here’s our post-show…
You’ve no doubt seen the uniforms that Hanshin has revealed they will wear for the Ultra Summer week just before the Olympic (?) break. If not, highlights from the game are viewable below the scorecard… just brace yourself accordingly. This game got ugly in some ways, as the relievers nearly blew an 8-run lead… but…