I said it in the Game 2 recap, and I’ll say it again: our young “ace” needs a short leash. And at this point, he just needs to be put in the doghouse and kept there for awhile. His six walks in five innings led to the team’s demise in the first “Classic Series” game…
One thing’s for sure: balls leave the park a lot more frequently at Tokyo Dome than they do at Koshien Stadium. Coming into this one, Hanshin already had three. After this one was done, they added a couple more to the total. Starting Pitchers: Takumi Akiyama (12-6, 3.01 ERA) vs. Ryoma Nogami (11-10, 3.63 ERA)…
The big win on Opening Day was a great sign that our guys could still hit the ball, hit it hard, hit it often, even against top notch pitching. That fun continued in Game 2, but when the tides turned in the sixth, they carried us out of the driver’s seat and into loserland. Starting…
After what has to be the worst preseason in history, the Tigers looked lifeless, and that all the February talk about a pennant was smoke and mirrors. And heading into Tokyo Dome to face the reigning Eiji Sawamura Award winner surely wouldn’t be an encouraging start to the regular season, would it? Starting Pitchers: Randy…
Yesterday was somewhat solemn, in that both teams were playing in memory of their deceased ex-manager (and in the Dragons’ case, pitcher), Senichi Hoshino. Today was also a somber day for Japan: 7 years ago, a terrible disaster (earthquake, tsunami, nuclear meltdown) struck the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan. But at least for Hanshin fans,…
< Previous Next > Dates: October 15-18, 2014 To better understand the significance of this moment, you need to know the Central League’s playoff system. Until and including 2006, the team that finished first in the regular season standings automatically advanced to the Nippon Series. However, in 2007, the CL introduced the Climax Series. The…
< Previous Next > Date: June 12, 1999 Hanshin fans had had very little to cheer about for years. Fourteen seasons since the last championship and four more until the next, there was no telling when the Dark Ages would come to an end. One of the few bright spots on this team was a…
The Yomiuri Giants have gotten the better of us most of the year, especially on our home turf. Though our spot in the playoffs was secure, second was still up for grabs, and the Giants were looking to complete their comeback attempt at sneaking into third. Though the BayStars shut us out in two straight…
Last season it took the Tigers until around this point to finally win a home game against their most bitter rivals. This season went a little better, but the team’s 3-6-2 home record against the Yomiuri Giants still left a bitter taste in the mouths of fans. Could this final game against the Evil Empire,…
The Yomiuri Giants aren’t a fourth place team on paper. With three of the best starters in the Central, and a lineup of proven veteran hitters and free agents, they should be contending for the pennant. And when they play the Hanshin Tigers, they look like a pennant team. The reality in this series was…