I was in Okinawa for the first week of spring training, but needed a day of recovery on February 4th. The players started on February 1st and are slated to bring things to a close on the 28th before returning to Kansai on February 29th. This session will look at the fielders, the next one at pitchers…
The Hanshin Tigers started their 2015 season with one goal: winning the Central League pennant in their memorial 80th year as a franchise. Despite finishing 7 games behind the champion Yomiuri Giants and just a half game ahead of the Hiroshima Carp in 2014, the team made no significant offseason moves. In fact, officials pointed…
So you thought the Hanshin Tigers’ baseball season was over? Think again. For some players, the break was short or even non-existent. Many have been practicing at Koshien the past week or so, and starting November 1, the team will have its annual Fall Camp in Aki City (Kochi Prefecture). This will be their first…
Despite a big win yesterday, the Tigers were still at a marked disadvantage in this one. First, they were still on the road, playing in a stadium where they had a 3-12 record this season including playoffs. Second, they needed a win, whereas the Giants could settle for a tie and advance. Third, they were…
After yesterday’s heartbreaking disappointing loss, the Tigers had no choice but to take games 2 and 3 in order to advance. The task for Randy Messenger would be a tall one, as his record at Tokyo Dome this year was 1-2 in four starts and his average run support on the year was just 2.25. Still,…
Here’s a hitter-by-hitter breakdown of Saturday’s game. No spoilers in the opening! Just read and enjoy! Top 1: Hiroki Uemoto fly out to center, Ryota Imanari grounder to short, Takashi Toritani strikeout (swinging). 0 hits, 0 runs. Bottom 1: Tateoka leadoff single, Kataoka bunt, Sakamoto fly out to center, Abe fly out to right. 1…
They should not be here. And yet here they are. After last Sunday’s loss to the Carp in a game that could have clinched third place, the Tigers were left to hope the lowly Chunichi Dragons would knock off the hungry and surging Carp on Wednesday night to break the tie for third. With 50-year…
The 12-in-12 could not have been going any worse than it had up to this point. Two wins and eight losses, with the lone wins coming against the Yakult Swallows (1-1) and Hiroshima Carp (1-2). Two losses each at the hands of the BayStars and Giants, plus one against the Chunichi Dragons, completely eliminated the…
The lead had evaporated. With 18 games to go, the most crucial games of the season started in this series. How would the team respond? Could they defeat the underachieving Carp? Take back first place? Let’s see how this one played out. Game 1: I was able to watch this one from the first base…
As has been the case in the Central League all season, winning streaks are followed by losing streaks, which are followed by winning streaks again. The Tigers had won 3 straight heading into Sunday’s matchup with the Dragons, but lost 5-0 in the series finale. Would it be the beginning of another losing streak, or…