Heading into this series, the Hanshin Tigers had gone ten straight games scoring 2 or fewer runs (but going 4-4-2 in that stretch), setting a new club record. The Chunichi Dragons were flying high, scoring runs seemingly at will and sitting blissfully in first place. But that’s the thing about April baseball. One bad series…
Last season, that magical season that saw the Tigers win the Japan Series, started with a three-game sweep at Kyocera Dome against these same Yokohama DeNA Baystars. That hot start propelled the team to the top of the standings, where they stayed for the better part of the season. This year things did not go…
The reigning NPB champions started their title defense on Friday night at Tokyo Dome. Koyo Aoyagi took the mound for the Tigers as they faced the Yomiuri Giants led by ace Shosei Togo. The first four innings were clean for both teams, though each had a chance to break the scoreless tie. In the top…
The Hanshin Tigers have been hard at work down in Okinawa. Camp started on February 1, and runs through the 27th. Starting this weekend, practice games will become more frequent, and we will see which players are going to get more playing time during the March exhibition games, and which will end up in the…
Interleague has taught us an important lesson. Our relievers are good, but they aren’t invincible. For the third time in 10 days, Atsuki Yuasa came into the game with a lead, and left the field with the loss (or tie). On the whole, it was a good series (pitchers’ duel on Tuesday, big production from…
Who would have thought that the outcome of first series at Es Con Field Hokkaido would (in part) be determined by two bit-players who got traded for each other this past offseason? Taiga Egoshi showed up his old mates by robbing them of several base hits in center, throwing out a runner at third, hitting…
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 2023 and beyond….
There is a lot of talk about this team being young, is there not? It is definitely true that the oldest position player is just 31 years old. That said, many of the regulars are now in their late 20s and I for one feel like we need an injection of new blood in the…
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….