The Tigers have been playing excellent baseball in the past month or so. Losses were few and far between, and series losses were becoming so rare, they were more like mythology than real life. But during this particular weekend, the team had uncharacteristically poor fundamentals. Two errors and two (or three, depending on how you…
A rare mid-week day off and a home series against the last-place Yakult Swallows seemed like a perfect recipe for extending the winning streak from seven to ten. However, four errors cost the team five runs on Friday, ending the hot stretch. Fortunately, the team got back on its horses on Saturday and Sunday, collecting…
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…
Last season, that magical season that saw the Tigers win the Japan Series, started with a three-game sweep at Kyocera Dome against these same Yokohama DeNA Baystars. That hot start propelled the team to the top of the standings, where they stayed for the better part of the season. This year things did not go…
On Tuesday night (November 28) in Tokyo, Nippon Professional Baseball held its annual awards ceremony to recognize excellent players and their contributions to the game. Here’s how it went down for our Hanshin Tigers. Matsutaro Shoriki Award: Akinobu Okada Central League MVP: Shoki Murakami Central League Rookie of the Year: Shoki Murakami Central League Best…
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…
Despite the dramatic win in Game 4, the Tigers still needed to win this one in order to head back to Kyocera Dome with some momentum and the pressure squarely on the Buffaloes. Their two best pitchers await, so forcing them into two must-win games was the only option. In spite of this, the Tigers’…
Before the Japan Series started, pretty much everyone predicted a low-scoring series. However, that surely has not been the case. Starter Hiroto Saiki labored through five innings but held the Buffaloes to a single run despite 8 base runners, and the relievers allowed the tying run to cross home (they were helped by a Tigers…
It’s always a little alarming when people start talking about a perfect game before it’s half over, but Shoki Murakami was dealing. No one reached base against him through four innings, conjuring up images of his first start in 2023 against the Yomiuri Giants (April 12, 7 perfect innings). The perfect game vanished against the…