What can you say about these Hanshin TIgers? I can say that the bullpen took a real beating these past 18 games. I can also say that the bats came through a ton against some really good pitchers. Today made that evident beyond any other game in interleague play. Ace rookie Takahisa Hayakawa lasted just…
For just the second time in 2021 (I think), the Hanshin Tigers game was not on network TV in Kansai. As a result, I have very little to say about this game except that Koyo Aoyagi pitched a gem, allowing just one earned run in eight innings, and Jefry Marte hit the go-ahead two-run home…
Source: Tigers Official Website Hanshin Tigers reliever Robert Suarez and infielder Teruaki Sato were named Central League pitcher and hitter (respectively) of the month for May. Suarez appeared in 12 games as the team’s closer, recording saves in nine games, including saves in seven straight mound appearances. He allowed just five hits all month, walked…
What on earth happened on Saturday night? How did these two teams, who combined for 34 runs on Friday and Sunday, manage one measly run on a solo homer? That’s baseball for you. Rookie Shoki Murakami did not have the debut he hoped for, but the Tigers fought tooth and nail to make sure they…
Games like these leave an indelible mark on fans and could be talked about at season’s end if all continues to go well for these Hanshin Tigers. Teruaki Sato hit his first home run in what felt like ages, and for a follow-up act, he hit two more, including a ninth-inning, go-ahead, rip-the-heart-out-of-the-Lions three-run monster…
Takumi Akiyama has a bit of a complex. He knows his stuff is not particularly overpowering. But it was more than enough to get him through the first seven innings of the game allowing just one baserunner: Brandon Laird on a fly ball that had no business letting gravity pull it to the ground. The…
This game started really poorly for the Tigers bats, as they hit into double plays in the first two innings, but then they came to life after that for a couple of innings… and then went right back into hibernation. Good thing Raul Alcantara had four strong innings of his own (and two not-so-good ones),…
Some games, the hitting just does not seem to be there. When the other team’s pitcher brings his A-game, fans just need to be patient and wait for the batters to do things later in the match. Takumi Akiyama kept the Dragons at bay, save for a long ball from their catcher, and Koji Chikamoto…
The Baystars were coming into this weekend having won three straight series against their opponents. When they took the first of this series, it looked as though they might make it four. But Masashi Itoh’s gem on Saturday evened things up, and then it would be up to Joe Gunkel to defend his undefeated record…
Well, it was bound to happen eventually. Already at this point, the Pacific League had played 15 tie games, and the Central had 10. The Tigers were part of none of them. This was hardly the ideal scenario in which to break that streak – the two-run lead did not hold, and the bats were…