Originally tweeted by 阪神タイガース (@TigersDreamlink) on August 31, 2020. Multiple sources, including the Hanshin Tigers official social media accounts, are reporting that longtime ace closer Kyuji Fujikawa (40) has expressed his desire to retire at season’s end. He has a 1-3 record on the season with 2 saves and a 7.20 ERA. Fujikawa has twice…
Based on my Japanese column for Daily Sports / トレバーの虎場（デイリースポーツ）はこちら Life in 2020 has shown us that things will not always go as planned. The spread of COVID-19 has changed everyone’s lives in some way, shape, or form. Baseball is no exception. The Olympics have been postponed, the NPB season has been shortened, and for…
NPB announced an agreement reached between the Orix Buffaloes and the Hanshin Tigers on the 28th. The teams swap mid-career pitchers: the Tigers will deal lefty Yuya Iida (29) to the Buffaloes, who will send righty Keisuke Kobayashi (27) to the Tigers. Iida joined the Tigers in 2018 after being dealt from the SoftBank Hawks…
Host T-Ray is joined by co-host Sanjay and guest Gabe to talk about the fortnight that was, plus listen to T-Ray’s interview with Yellow & Black Fever author James McKnight. As a follow-up, check out this chat session that the guys did after recording the show. Recorded on: August 24, 2020 Become a Patron and…
Source: Sponichi Annex Hanshin infielder Kento Itohara revealed to reporters on the 20th that he has been practicing batting tennis balls off a tee at the team’s Naruohama facility since the 19th to reduce the burden on his body (which would be heavier if he hit real baseballs). “I was hoping to start batting off…
As an unabashed Hanshin Tigers and Stryper fan, the title of this book sounds like an addiction I have suffered from in some shape or form since the seventh grade. The subtitle of the book, written by Hanshin superfan James McKnight, is “Life, Love & Baseball in the Land of the Rising Sun”. It is…
Host T-Ray flies solo this time around. After sharing the latest team news, he recaps games 31-43 of the regular season, chooses a pitcher & hitter of the month for July, digs into Yano’s decision-making skills, and talks about the vast gap between Yusuke Ohyama’s good and bad spells. Feel free to share your thoughts…
Tora (虎) = Tiger Kichi (キチ) = short for kichigai (気違い) = lunatic We are… Episode 005: Pack it in or Keep Hoping? Last time we talked, this team was on the rise. I think their record was 6-11 or 7-11 after their horrendous 2-10 start. After flying as high as 16-14-1, the team is…
T-Ray talks about the upcoming series with the Hiroshima Carp! Find out more about the enemy and the weekend ahead…
Source: Nikkan Sports Tigers infielder Kento Itohara, who is recovering from a broken hamate bone in his right hand, started playing catch at the team’s farm facility in Naruohama on August 4th, according to reports. The bone was broken in the July 22 game against the Hiroshima Carp (at Koshien), and he had surgery on…