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@ Giants – August 19-21 – Narrowly Escaping a Sweep

There’s no moving up in the standings too far if you can’t beat the teams at the top. After a humiliating two-game mini-series against the CL-leading Carp, the Tigers looked to redeem themselves against the second place Yomiuri Giants on the weekend. Redemption, minimal as it was, didn’t come until the last inning of play on…

@ Carp – July 22-24 – Cementing Our Place in Last

Nothing has gone the Tigers’ way since the start of interleague play. They sure aren’t helping themselves, either. Heading on the road against the top team in the Central League was not going to help things, either. Even with the “ace” opening the series and the true ace closing it. Game 91 – Friday 7/22:…

@ Dragons – July 1-3 – Welcome to Last Place

The way the team has been playing lately has not inspired a lot of confidence in fans. In fact, this fan (who tries to stay positive and objective as much as possible) has made the decision to write less until the team starts to perform better. For the record, since June 3 the team has…

@ Eagles – May 31-June 2 – Rough Start, Strong Finish

Last season, the Hanshin Tigers “won” the interleague season… in that they took home the best record of any of the Central League teams. Of course, in a mini-season dominated by Pacific League teams, there was no hope for them to win it outright, but a 10-8 record (including a stellar 8-1 at home) was…

vs. Giants – May 10-11 – Can’t Buy a Win @ Koshien

After two embarrassing losses at the hands of the Yakult Swallows, the Tigers needed a big two-game series at home before hitting the road on the weekend. Their opponents thoroughly humiliated them last time at Koshien, and revenge was on their minds. Could they turn the tables on their most bitter rivals? Game 38 –…

vs. Swallows – May 6-8 – Below .500 at Koshien!

The Tigers were looking for just their second three-game winning streak of the year, and needed a strong series to distance themselves from the defending Central League champions, who have shown signs of waking out of their early spring slumber. Game 35 – Friday, 5/6: The last time the Tigers’ starting nine’s average age was…