marte

Game 13 @ Baystars: Big-Bodied Bullies

Game 13 @ Baystars: Big-Bodied Bullies

Anyone who has been a Hanshin Tigers fan in recent years knows that Yokohama Stadium is like our home away from home. (In the past five seasons, the Baystars were 170W 110L = .607 at home against the other 10 NPB teams, but just 18W 39L = .315 against Hanshin.) The trend continued on Friday…

Game 10 vs. Giants: Spraying Hits in the Rain

Game 10 vs. Giants: Spraying Hits in the Rain

Last season, the Tigers not only started the year 2-10, they also dropped their first three against the Yomiuri Giants. Two of them were not even close. Enter 2021, and the Giants not only have Sugano on the DL, but they have used Togo over the weekend and also got hit with a Covid cluster,…

Take Me Out to the Koshien 2021

Take Me Out to the Koshien 2021

Last year, Covid-19 only permitted me to attend one baseball game. This year, I got a quick start to matching that number, as I headed out to Hanshin Koshien Stadium in the preseason to catch the Tigers-Lions battle-for-feline-supremacy match (Part II). It was a cloudy, cool Saturday afternoon, and Koyo Aoyagi was on the mound…

Four Imports Signed Back Up for 2021!

Four Imports Signed Back Up for 2021!

Source: Hanshin Tigers Official The Hanshin Tigers announced on Monday that they are bringing back outfielder Jerry Sands, pitchers Jon Edwards and Joe Gunkel, plus infielder Jefry Marte, for the 2021 season. Yet to be announced, but assumed to be done deals are contracts with 2020 closer Robert Suarez, KBO MVP Mel Rojas Jr, KBO…

Toreba no Toraba – Humbling Heroes with Japanese Requests

Toreba no Toraba – Humbling Heroes with Japanese Requests

Daily Sports Column (Japanese) here / トレバーの虎場(デイリースポーツ)から I can still remember July 1998 like it was yesterday. I wouldn’t call myself traumatized by what happened. Just shell-shocked. I had just come to Okinawa, Japan, and the town Board of Education threw me a welcome party. There I was, sitting at a table with a bunch…

Two Talkin’ Torakichi: Episode 008

Two Talkin’ Torakichi: Episode 008

Tora (虎) = Tiger Kichi (キチ) = short for kichigai (気違い) = lunatic We are… Episode 008: Gaijin (Un-)Employment Center Hard to believe the season is coming to an end here real quick… and yet, given that it’s already past the midway point of October, it’s a wonder (and a joy) to be able to…