The All-Heisei Tigers
I was planning to steer clear of all the Heisei-Reiwa hype, but the Japan Era-Records Klerical Service (JERKS) are making me post something. Here is your all-Heisei Hanshin Tigers squad, as chosen by the fans!
Hanshin Tigers English News
Ride the Tiger - 騎虎之勢
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Nishi Wins Big Out West
As already detailed in a prior article, the Hanshin Tigers bats have failed to impress this season. Their franchise-worst eighth straight game scoring three or fewer runs and getting nine or fewer hits was capped with a 10-3 drubbing on Saturday night in Hiroshima. Led by key free agent acquisition Yuki Nishi (RHP), the team…
Ex-Tiger Arai Announces Retirement
After twenty years of professional baseball, including seven (2008-14) with the Hanshin Tigers, Hiroshima Carp first baseman Takahiro Arai announced his retirement effective at season’s end. Despite a diminished role with the soon-to-be three-time CL champion Carp, Arai is a beloved teammate and player to all. Those who know him personally attest to his humility,…
Games 69-71 @ Swallows – Bad Ump Prevents Sweep
The Tokyo Yakult Swallows had an incredible interleague mini-season. In fact, they became just the second Central League team to finish with a better record than all PL teams. They looked to parlay that momentum into a spot near the top of the CL standings, but if the Tigers have their way, it will be…
Games 66-68 @ BayStars – Home Away from Home
Life as a Tigers fan had been pretty depressing for much of June. Surprisingly, one of the few teams we’ve had success against this season is the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. Thanks to them (really, thanks to some untimely errors) we were able to put that 5-game losing streak behind us. SWEEP! Game 66: Brought to…
Games 51, 52, 62 vs. Buffaloes – Kissing Your Crosstown Sister
The Kansai Derby always seems to be interesting. This year, it was the Orix Buffaloes turn to “hit the road” and come over to Koshien. The series was delayed thanks to a rainout on Wednesday (June 6), and the rubber match wasn’t played until two weeks after it was originally scheduled. The way it was played,…
Games 53, 54, 61 vs. Marines – 3, 2, 1… Run Production Problems
If only it had rained a few more times. This series against the Chiba Lotte Marines came during the heart of rainy season, and in case you missed it, Hanshin is perfect so far this season on days after rainouts. So Friday’s rainout was a good omen, but Monday’s rainout only helped them win their first…
Games 55-57 @ Fighters – No One Pitched Well
After a lot of rain and mediocrity during the week at Koshien, the Tigers took their act on the road for the final week of interleague play. First stop: Sapporo Dome to face the resurgent Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. Given the powerful bats they have, Hanshin would need theirs to come out and play, plus…
Games 48-50 @ Lions – Beaten by a Better Cat
Hanshin used its two best pitchers against the Hawks, to no avail. Now they were left with the back end of their rotation, against the powerful Saitama Seibu Lions hitting order. This had the making of an ugly weekend and a terrible start to interleague play. Game 48 – Another Great Start Wasted Starting Pitchers:…
Games 45-47 vs. Hawks – Eating Humble Pie
The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks came into interleague play struggling. Our Hanshin Tigers came in ablaze. Amazing how the tides turned for both teams in just a few short days. Game 45 – Tuesday 5/29: Lots of “Chance” Cheers, No Rokko Oroshi Starting Pitchers: Randy Messenger vs. Ken Okamoto Everyone in the stadium, and everyone watching this one…