OK calm down. Take a deep breath. The Tigers have won 4 of their last 5 games. They have a three-game winning streak for the first time this year. They defeated both the pitcher who shut them out earlier this year (Katsuno) and the one who no-hit them three years back (Ohno). But calm down….
It was a long first 17 games, was it not? Surely the 1-15-1 start wore you out as much as it did me. Heading into the weekend against the first-place Giants, I was worried we might be 1-18-1 come Easter. But the team is rising to life, thanks to another fine pitching performance from a…
Koyo Aoyagi was supposed to pitch on March 25. Because he tested positive for Covid-19 on March 17, the Tigers had to change their plans. I’m not trying to say that the reason for our rough start is all on him… but tonight, he threw his first game of the year, and it was a…
The 2022 season started with a ton of uncertainty for Hanshin Tigers fans. Can we trust Shintaro Fujinami to start the year well? Is he worthy of the Opening Day starter role? Is Teruaki Sato ready to hit cleanup after a disastrous second half last season? Why is Kento Itohara batting 5th? Can 40-year-old Yoshio…
If you are a new fan and are not particularly familiar with the team, let this be your introduction! We are going to break down the entire roster for you very briefly so you can get a feel for who is whom, what they have done, and what they might do in 2022 and beyond….
Must-win games do not mean the same as can’t-lose games. With this being the Tigers’ final chance to gain ground on the Swallows without leaning on another team, they needed this one. Joe Gunkel pitched 7 ⅔ masterful innings of shutout ball, and received solid backing from set-up man Suguru Iwazaki and closer Robert Suarez…
The Yomiuri Giants are in a bit of a slump. That’s putting it nicely, as they have now fallen to .500 on the year, and while it is still mathematically unlikely, they could miss the playoffs still. Their losing streak is 8 (with two ties thrown in the middle) and their star leadoff guy saw…
Every game is a must-win, and every single play by every single player is important. The Tigers got just enough out of their hitters (five hits and two runs), and despite a couple of defensive miscues, also got some fine defense when needed. Holding onto a 2-1 lead through the top of the seventh, they…
Yuki Nishi is definitely not having his best season by any means. He managed to get through six innings without surrendering a run, though, and the trio of Raul Alcantara, Suguru Iwazaki and Robert Suarez kept the bagels coming. Meanwhile, Mel Rojas Jr hit a towering home run in the top of the fourth, and…
You might not have been tracking along with me, but Hanshin hit just 10 home runs the entire month of September. It is a big reason that the team was unable to get on a roll, and ultimately, it saw the team drop into second place. But tonight, the two sluggers who were in the…