nishioka

Game 4 Recap – The Sweep is Complete!

Game 4 Recap – The Sweep is Complete!

Before the Giants could even get out of the first inning, Tigers fans were partying like it was 1999 2005. If they keep this up, the party may turn into something circa 1985 in a week or so. The Tigers rode three early home runs to a 8-4 victory over the Giants, sweeping them for the…

Game 3 Recap – Tigers Take Stranglehold!

Game 3 Recap – Tigers Take Stranglehold!

The Tigers are just a win away from their first trip to the Japan Series in nine years. With tonight’s 4-2 win over the Giants, the series now sits at 3-1 in favor of the road team, which needs just one win in its next three to advance. Tonight’s win was slightly different from their…

Game 2 Recap – Advantage: TIGERS!

Game 2 Recap – Advantage: TIGERS!

On paper, the series leans in the Giants’ favor considerably. There’s a reason they take things to the diamond, though. The Hanshin Tigers stormed out to a 5-0 lead and never really looked back. With closer Seung-hwan Oh on the mound in the 9th, the atmosphere in Tokyo Dome was subdued, as fans were left to…

Game 1 Recap – Giants Toppled!

Game 1 Recap – Giants Toppled!

Eight pitches. That’s all it took to bring the Tigers bats out of their postseason slumber. A leadoff hit by Nishioka, sacrifice bunt by Uemoto, RBI double by Toritani and a 2-run HR by Gomez put the Tigers in the lead — one they would not relinquish all night as they cruised to a 4-1…

Weekly Update – September 8-14, 2014

Weekly Update – September 8-14, 2014

When it rains, it pours. Even when the weather is nice, as it was all week, it still felt rather gloomy at Koshien. The Tigers got swept by the Giants at home for the first time since 1999. The slump has been well documented, including my own analysis (click here), so I will not talk…

Sputtering, stalling, spiralling downward…

Sputtering, stalling, spiralling downward…

Anyone out there who is following the Tigers knows that this is the worst stretch they have been through all season, and it couldn’t come at a worse time. When they need runs and wins the most, they are falling short. Well short. The pitching has not been great of late. Messenger uncharacteristically tanked against…

Article Translation – Nishioka Coming Back Soon?

Article Translation – Nishioka Coming Back Soon?

The original article can be found here 元の記事はこちらです It looks like the long road to recovery for the Tigers’ Tsuyoshi Nishioka will soon be coming to an end. The infielder is slated to play against Western Hiroshima (Carp farm team) at Naruohama tonight (September 5). The plan is to give him 2 or 3 at…