yohkawa

Game 72 vs. Dragons – All-Star Randy Roasted

Game 72 vs. Dragons – All-Star Randy Roasted

The Hanshin Tigers received great news on Monday, as ninth year import pitcher Randy Messenger was named to his first ever all-star team. He was also joined by Kento Itohara (first time) and Yuta Iwasada (second time). Yoshio Itoi was voted in by the players. (Unfortunately, Itoi has been diagnosed with a broken bone in…

Games 69-71 @ Swallows – Bad Ump Prevents Sweep

Games 69-71 @ Swallows – Bad Ump Prevents Sweep

The Tokyo Yakult Swallows had an incredible interleague mini-season. In fact, they became just the second Central League team to finish with a better record than all PL teams. They looked to parlay that momentum into a spot near the top of the CL standings, but if the Tigers have their way, it will be…

Games 66-68 @ BayStars – Home Away from Home

Games 66-68 @ BayStars – Home Away from Home

Life as a Tigers fan had been pretty depressing for much of June. Surprisingly, one of the few teams we’ve had success against this season is the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. Thanks to them (really, thanks to some untimely errors) we were able to put that 5-game losing streak behind us. SWEEP! Game 66: Brought to…

Preseason vs. Giants: Even March Wins vs. Rabbits Feel Good!

Preseason vs. Giants: Even March Wins vs. Rabbits Feel Good!

Yesterday was somewhat solemn, in that both teams were playing in memory of their deceased ex-manager (and in the Dragons’ case, pitcher), Senichi Hoshino. Today was also a somber day for Japan: 7 years ago, a terrible disaster (earthquake, tsunami, nuclear meltdown) struck the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan. But at least for Hanshin fans,…

Spring Training 2018 – Le Sixieme Cours

Spring Training 2018 – Le Sixieme Cours

Camp is over! The team packed up late this morning and are on their way back to mainland. Exhibition season up here starts on March 3 (in Fukuoka, where they’re selling “open seating” all-you-can-eat tickets for ¥2500) and runs through the 25th. Looking forward to see how the field and mound start to take shape!…

Spring Training 2018 – Le Quatrieme Cours

Spring Training 2018 – Le Quatrieme Cours

It’s another precious day off for our heroes on the diamond, so let’s look back on the last few days of spring training action! First, the “news”: Newly acquired relief pitcher Diego Moreno looked good pitching in the bullpen and in live batting practice. Some have called him a “skinny Mateo” – he uses the…