Date: April 17, 1985 Other than winning the championship in 1985, this is undoubtedly the most talked about moment in Hanshin Tigers’ history. Up to this point, the team had a 50-year history (35 in the two-league era) and still no championship to speak of. This particular season, though, boasted one of its finest-hitting lineups ever….
Tsuyoshi Nishioka – Zenryoku Shisso- (Sprint) It seems odd for an athlete to write an autobiography mid-career. Can he really have anything of worth to say before his legacy has been established? Is he that full of himself, that he thinks people will want to read his ramblings on various topics? Is there wisdom in his…
I’ve decided to go ahead and post this one without any requests for it. I love seeing what the Japanese data analysts have to say! This one comes with a few comments from yours truly as well. I’m going to limit it to the “typical top 6” batters in the order from last season. With…
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,…
The first edition of the 2015 magazine is now in the hands of fan club members. Over 90% of its content is devoted to ticket purchase information (who knew it was this complicated!) but the first few pages feature a nice interview with young catcher Ryutaro Umeno and young pitcher Ryoma Matsuda. Here is my…
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…
I’m reading a book right now called 巨人ー阪神論 (Kyojin-Hanshin Ron — Giants/Tigers Discourse). Basically it’s a guided conversation between 1980s Giants ace Suguru Egawa and 1980s Tigers cleanup hitter Masayuki Kakefu. They discuss everything from their playing days and beyond. Still halfway through but I came across a bit about this moment: June 26, 1986….
Spring Training begins on February 1st in Ginoza, Okinawa and finishes on the 25th. The Tigers have announced the 38 players who will take part in this camp. Other players, either of their own volition or club orders, will train with the minor league affiliate team in Aki City, Kochi. Here are the 38: Pitchers: Daiki…
The 2009 season was not a good one for the Hanshin Tigers. They did not make the playoffs, finishing 4th in the Central League with a 67-73-4 record. For one magical night, though, fans rejoiced as though the team had won it all. At Koshien Stadium on April 30, 2009, the team was facing the…