Baseball Topics

Hanshin's Murton living in the moment

May 12, 2013

Hanshin's Murton living in the moment

by Jason Coskrey

The natural inclination is to ask Matt Murton what’s changed. To find out how, exactly, he went from the lows of an often tumultuous 2012 campaign, to hitting just about everything in sight early this year. There were few hitters more consistent than Murton ...

Settsu sets tone for Hawks in win

May 12, 2013

Settsu sets tone for Hawks in win

Tadashi Settsu pitched two-run ball over seven innings, Yuya Hasegawa hit a two-run homer to key a six-run sixth, and the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks snapped a five-game losing skid with a 10-3 come-from-behind rout of the Seibu Lions on Saturday. Toru Hosokawa’s RBI single ...

Eagles rally to beat Marines

May 11, 2013

Eagles rally to beat Marines

Kazuya Fujita’s three-run double off Chiba Lotte closer Naoya Masuda on Friday lifted the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles to a 5-3 come-from-behind victory over the Marines in a battle between the Pacific League’s two hottest teams. Protecting a one-run lead in the ninth, Masuda ...

Sugiuchi, Blanco win monthly MVP honors

May 9, 2013

Sugiuchi, Blanco win monthly MVP honors

Yomiuri Giants lefty Toshiya Sugiuchi and Yokohama BayStars first baseman Tony Blanco were named the monthly MVPs in the Central League for their outstanding performances in March and April on Wednesday. Seibu Lions right-hander Kazuhisa Makita and Lions left-fielder Takumi Kuriyama won the accolades ...

Tigers' Standridge blanks Giants in outstanding outing

May 8, 2013

Tigers' Standridge blanks Giants in outstanding outing

Jason Standridge pitched a shutout and Takahiro Arai homered for the third consecutive game as the Hanshin Tigers whipped the Yomiuri Giants 5-0 on Tuesday evening at Tokyo Dome. Standridge (3-2) worked quickly to win his third straight decision in 2 hours, 25 minutes. ...

Legends Matsui, Nagashima feted

May 5, 2013

Legends Matsui, Nagashima feted

by Jason Coskrey

Hideki Matsui was back in Japan for the first time since announcing his retirement in late December and back on the field where he hit home run after home run for the Yomiuri Giants in front of packed houses from 1993-2002. He stood alone ...