Previous post-draft reports (2015-22) here The Hanshin Tigers won the pennant for the first time in 18 years, so this is the first time in ages that the draft takes place while the team is still playing meaningful baseball. Nevertheless, these are the rules, so on Thursday, manager Akinobu Okada made his way to Tokyo…
Hosts T-Ray and Sanjay discuss team news, the three games that made up the Climax Series Final Stage, and then break down the upcoming Japan Series – the Hanshin Tigers’ first trip to the dance since 2014. Who’s going to win? Why? In how many games? Your thoughts/comments/predictions are welcome, too! Recorded on: October 24,…
Date: Thursday, October 26 (4:30 pm JST) In order to determine whether or not a draft was successful, more often than not a few years are needed. Some players need a long time to develop. Others start out strongly and fizzle out quickly. But we can also evaluate a draft by the strategy the team…
The Tigers punched their ticket to the Japan Series on Friday evening at Koshien Stadium, defeating the Hiroshima Carp by a 4-2 score. This meant that the games that were scheduled for Saturday, Sunday, and Monday were not played, leaving a gaping hole in everyone’s baseball-viewing lives. That did not stop me from going to…
The Japan Series features two teams from the Kansai area for the first time in 59 years. Last time (1964), the Tigers bowed out in seven games to the Nankai Hawks. This series features the Tigers for the first time since 2014, and the Buffaloes for the third straight year. How do former players (now…
The Hanshin Tigers hosted the Climax Series Final Stage for the first time in team history. Would they be alright coming into the most important part of the year completely cold? The pitchers would probably be alright, but how about the hitters? Well, they didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard or hit the cover off…
Sometimes you have to watch games to get a true feel for what they were like. The scoreboard and stat line aren’t enough. This one was a bit of a stressful affair, as Masashi Itoh allowed the leadoff runner to reach base in five of his seven innings. In the eighth, they got two 2-out…
The Tigers had a long layoff from competitive baseball, having most recently played on October 4. That said, they clinched the CL pennant on September 14, so one could argue that it had been 5 weeks since their last important game. Despite just one hit in the game’s first three innings, they did put good…
The professional baseball Climax Series is underway and things are heating up. The Hanshin Tigers won their first Central League pennant in 18 years. Through covering the team, we have come across various passionate fans. What exactly draws them to the team so powerfully? This time, we look at a foreigner and an artisan, and…
Hosts T-Ray and Sanjay discuss team news, the final six regular season games of Tigers baseball, select their players of the month for September, and give you all the information you need to know about the upcoming playoff series against the Hiroshima Carp, to be held at Koshien Stadium on October 18-23. Recorded on: October…