After what has to be the worst preseason in history, the Tigers looked lifeless, and that all the February talk about a pennant was smoke and mirrors. And heading into Tokyo Dome to face the reigning Eiji Sawamura Award winner surely wouldn’t be an encouraging start to the regular season, would it? Starting Pitchers: Randy…
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,…
Former Hanshin Tigers manager Senichi Hoshino, who led the team to its first pennant in 18 years in 2003, passed away on January 4th of pancreatic cancer. He was 70 years old. As a young man, Hoshino wanted nothing more than to take down the Yomiuri Giants. He was chosen by the Chunichi Dragons in…
The Yomiuri Giants have gotten the better of us most of the year, especially on our home turf. Though our spot in the playoffs was secure, second was still up for grabs, and the Giants were looking to complete their comeback attempt at sneaking into third. Though the BayStars shut us out in two straight…
Last season it took the Tigers until around this point to finally win a home game against their most bitter rivals. This season went a little better, but the team’s 3-6-2 home record against the Yomiuri Giants still left a bitter taste in the mouths of fans. Could this final game against the Evil Empire,…
In case you missed it, there is an amazing baseball tour that can take you all across Japan. You can travel in from anywhere in the world, join the group, and experience Japan and its yakyu from multiple perspectives: different cities, stadiums, seats, subcultures, and more. The tour comes in three options: Main Tour, See…
The Yomiuri Giants aren’t a fourth place team on paper. With three of the best starters in the Central, and a lineup of proven veteran hitters and free agents, they should be contending for the pennant. And when they play the Hanshin Tigers, they look like a pennant team. The reality in this series was…
No matter how weak the Yomiuri Giants appear (1 game under .500 entering this series), they always seem to bring their best against the Hanshin Tigers. As the Tigers’ long 27-game stretch away from Koshien Stadium drew to a close with this series, the team hoped to end on a high note. Unfortunately, the note…
Details were taken from this article and this one (both Japanese). Ace Hits DL Due to Injury for First Time; Season Over? The Yomiuri Giants‘ announcers kept prattling on and on about how Shinnosuke Abe needed just four more hits to reach 2,000 for his career. Could he get it done tonight? Could he finish…
It doesn’t seem to matter how either of these teams are faring in the standings. These “Legendary Games” (伝統の一戦) have a special atmosphere, and neither team wants to lose. This is an important time of year for both teams – Hanshin needs to play well on the road and patiently wait for the high schoolers…