Last week I broke down the final few days remaining on the schedule, as well as the importance of finishing first (or at least second). The Tigers’ regular season is now over, and it ended on a positive note, as they defeated the second-place Hiroshima Carp, 4-2. Since I didn’t see the game, I will…
Disco’s dead but the man born in the disco era is showing signs of life. Disco went out in a blaze of glory on July 12, 1979, as fans (and haters of the genre) gathered at Comiskey Park in Chicago to burn up records, clothes and more. Kosuke Fukudome was born April 26, 1977, right in the…
Not another September meltdown. Not a repeat of last year. That’s all fans, players and management alike have talked about since the middle of this season, as the Tigers started to contend for first place. A six-game losing streak earlier this month gave everyone nightmares and it felt like the Tigers were simply going through…
They needed just one more run. In the last 5 1/3 innings they put nine guys on base, and only one needed to cross home plate. None did. The Tigers were aiming for their first three-game series sweep since their 8-game winning streak at the start of July, but fell short. Down 3-2 in the sixth, Yamato rapped…
They wanted a sweep. They needed a sweep. They didn’t get it. The basement-dwelling Yakult Swallows pulled off a come-from-behind win in the second game, 5-3. Starter Minoru Iwata looked to have this one under control, but with a one-run lead in the sixth, he gave up a hit to leadoff hitter Kawabata, then served…
After Friday night’s victory over the Hiroshima Carp, co-heroes Shintaro Fujinami and Seung-Hwan Oh were interviewed by the media. When asked about the team’s young ace, Oh speculated that Fujinami is the type of pitcher who could move on to the major leagues some day. The game commentators also reminded viewers that Fujinami is basically right…
It seems like some weeks the Tigers get you excited for the playoffs, while others make you wonder if they even deserve to make it. This week had a little of both. Not terribly surprising when you go 2-2, winning in exciting fashion twice and losing badly to inferior opponents twice. This was supposed to…
Heading into the All-Star Break, the Tigers were the hottest team in Japanese baseball. They took 11 of their 13 matches in the first half of July. Waiting for them out of the gates for the second half were key matchups against the Giants at home and the Carp on the road. Let’s look at…
Article Translation – Seung-Hwan Oh Reaches 300 Saves The original article was found here. Hanshin Tigers closer Seung-Hwan Oh, who recorded 277 career saves in Korean professional baseball, reached 300 career saves in Korea and Japan combined. “Today is a special day,” Oh said in one breath, while continuing, “But I didn’t come to Japan to…
This week was a short one because of the all-star break. The Tigers had just one 3-game series on the road against the Chunichi Dragons. It wasn’t long ago that they got humiliated by this very team and lost their tenuous hold on third place, falling out of the playoff picture for the first time…