The truth is, the Hanshin Tigers aren’t that good at Vantelin Dome. But an even greater truth is that in Akinobu Okada‘s six years as Tigers manager (2004-08, 23) they have a winning record in Nagoya four times. Whether that means he simply knows how to win in such environs, or it is just coincidence,…
The Tigers’ bats really have not performed the way the fans expect. What better way to snap out of it than to face the Yakult Swallows at hitter-friendly Jingu Stadium? This series saw the bats on both teams come to life on Friday, then cool off a little on Saturday, and were it not for…
The title defense began on March 29 at Tokyo Dome. You would think the defending champs, and the only CL team to finish in the top 3 for 5 straight years, would get to start their season at home! However, the Tigers traded that privilege for the right to host the Yomiuri Giants at Koshien…
The reigning NPB champions started their title defense on Friday night at Tokyo Dome. Koyo Aoyagi took the mound for the Tigers as they faced the Yomiuri Giants led by ace Shosei Togo. The first four innings were clean for both teams, though each had a chance to break the scoreless tie. In the top…
The long wait is over. For just the second time in NPB (1950-present) history, the Hanshin Tigers are the best team in Japan. This series went down to the wire, but the final game was lopsided from the start. Even in the innings that the Tigers didn’t score, they knocked on the door and put…
For the first time in club history, the Hanshin Tigers have put together two 10-game winning streaks in a single season. The team is still undefeated in September, and now needs a win (OR a Hiroshima loss) to clinch the Central League pennant tomorrow night at Koshien Stadium against the Giants. There will be no…
Ironic, isn’t it, that the first full series that I was able to watch after being away from Japan most of August wasn’t even on network TV! Nevertheless, the Tigers were able to take advantage of a weakened Swallows lineup. On Friday, rookie Shota Morishita hit two bombs at a stadium he played in often…
Note: I did not watch these games and am doing this recap (along with the rest of the August scorecards) retrospectively for the purpose of having them on record. Enjoy the scorecards for what they are worth, but I do not have anything insightful to say about this series. However, with the two wins in…
Note: I did not watch these games and am doing this recap (along with the rest of the August scorecards) retrospectively for the purpose of having them on record. Enjoy the scorecards for what they are worth, but I do not have anything insightful to say about this series. It is great, though, to see our…
The way the Hanshin Tigers played this weekend, you would have never guessed they were riding a 13-game losing streak (regular season games only) at Yokohama Stadium. The same is true of the Baystars, whose defense was atrocious through two games. In any case, the team’s bats came to life and the starting pitching was…