swallows

Rumble Under the Dome

Rumble Under the Dome

“Balentien and Coach Yano have been ejected from the game.” What??? How do a big Dutchman and a little Japanese middle-aged man get tangled up, when it was lanky Shintaro Fujinami who threw one a little too close to Kazuhiro Hatakeyama’s head? It was the top of the fifth inning, no outs and a man…

vs. Swallows – September 27 – Sloppy Win, Slip into Fourth

The Hanshin Tigers have found too many weird ways to lose too many games this season. Even against these Yakult Swallows, success has been fleeting and hard losses have become the norm. Heading into this, the third-to-last game of the season, the Tigers were 11-12-1 against the defending Central League pennant winners. This one would…

@ Swallows – September 10-11 – Blowouts in Split Series

Who cares about the Hanshin Tigers’ season anymore? Screw this team and their summer of pathetic play. They couldn’t have won the high school tournament at Koshien Stadium this year. Bad defense that makes high schoolers look good, a pathetic 21-33-2 record in their home building, and just a game separating them from the last…

vs. Swallows – August 26-28 – Swept in Return to Koshien

At long last, the Tigers could play on their home field. The high schoolers were long gone and the Kansai region was anxious to be able to cheer on their home team – especially in light of the 4-game winning streak and the ever-heating-up playoff race. Could the Tigers claw their way up into third,…

@ Swallows – August 5-7 – Sunk by Submariner & Subpar Relief

Three straight series wins and an exciting come-from-behind victory on Thursday gave Tigers fans plenty to talk about. But this team of mostly youngsters was still sitting 9 games under .500 and 4 games out of a playoff spot heading into this one. Could they take a chunk out of both of those numbers against…

vs. Swallows – May 6-8 – Below .500 at Koshien!

The Tigers were looking for just their second three-game winning streak of the year, and needed a strong series to distance themselves from the defending Central League champions, who have shown signs of waking out of their early spring slumber. Game 35 – Friday, 5/6: The last time the Tigers’ starting nine’s average age was…