* The Japanese use the word クール (from the French cours = course / installment / season) to divide the spring training sessions into parts. But since クール is usually used to mean “cool” I have turned it into a cool headline. Are you クール with my decision? Happy Super Bowl Sunday, Hanshin Tigers fans! May…
New relief pitcher Roman Mendez (age 26, formerly of the Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers) arrived in Japan on the 28th and met the press formally for the first time on the 29th in Nishinomiya. Here is a partial transcript of his Q & A: －What’s your mindset in joining Hanshin? I’m really happy….
Although both Marcos Mateo and Roman Mendez came off the airplane in t-shirts, for some reason only the latter made headlines for his attire. The flame-throwing Dominican relievers arrived in the Kansai area on the 28th with huge smiles on their faces. When asked about how he was feeling, Mateo said, “I’m really happy to be back in…
Hanshin announced on Sunday (11/20) that it has reached an agreement with former Boston Red Sox (AAA) reliever Roman Mendez (26) for the 2017 season. The Dominican righty is expected to compete for the role of closer next year. His fastball reaches 159 km/h (99 mph) and he also throws a slider and a changeup. He…