Earlier in the spring I took time to look at the Tigers’ players in a four-part series. Click on one of the links here to see them: Infielders Outfielders Starting Pitchers Relief Pitchers Today we take one last look at the team as we head into the regular season. What are the team’s glaring weaknesses?…
Sanspo and other sources are reporting that the Tigers have officially signed a fifth foreigner to a contract. Mario Santiago of Puerto Rico has agreed to a one-year, 15-million yen contract with the team. Those who watched the 2013 World Baseball Classic closely remember that Santiago was the starting pitcher on the team that defeated…
Tuesday’s “Sports Nippon” paper featured part 1 of 4 interviews that will be conducted with the Tigers’ foreign players. In this one, former catcher great Akihiro Yano interviews ace pitcher Randy Messenger. Yano: This is your sixth year in Japan. I guess you know what to expect out of spring camp by now? Messenger: Yeah,…
Up next in our four-part series about the Tigers and the upcoming 2015 season is the pitching staff. Click here to see the infield analysis and here for the outfield. The series will wrap up with a look at the intriguing puzzle pieced together with the relievers. OK here we go! The first four starters…
As a numbers guy, statistics fascinate me to no end. The January “Monthly Tigers” Magazine – it sells at bookstores for ¥410) had a piece on the Tigers’ main pitchers and their numbers in 2014. Some interesting things came out of them and I thought I would share. It’s too much to share it all,…
Guess who just got back today? Those wild-eyed boys that had been away… Thin Lizzy had a smash hit in 1976 with their celebration of reunification. The Hanshin Tigers were hoping for something similar these past two days but first baseman Mauro Gomez experienced a smash of his own. Scheduled to leave his home country of…
Becoming a Legend Tigers’ Messenger Looks to Catch the Great Bacque and Lead the Team to the Top The original article, written by Kenji Miki, can be found here 元の記事は三木建次氏によって書かれた Gonna be a legend! Pitcher Randy Messenger (33) signed a 2-year contract (worth 500 million yen) with the Tigers through the end of 2016 at…
I usually don’t like watching other people play video games. This video, however, is an exception. This is from before the start of the 2014 season, but presents an interesting matchup: if Messenger were to face Murton, who would win? Just as a set-up, Messenger uses himself as starting pitcher, and Murton chooses his favourite Nohmi-san….
No one likes wallowing in the gloom of a postseason loss. For that reason, I will not dwell too much on the losses themselves, or the potential reality of losing Takashi Toritani to Major League Baseball. Instead, I will look at three striking numbers/factors that brought about Hanshin’s demise quickly in games 2-5. Setting Game…
The heartbreak continues for Hanshin Tigers fans. A strong showing against the Yomiuri Giants and a brilliantly played Game 1 had fans hoping for the team’s first Nippon Series title since 1985. Instead, the SoftBank Hawks (particularly their pitching) silenced the Tigers and their fans, winning four straight while only allowing 4 runs in 37…