Economy | ANALYSIS
Households to take hit from tax hike
by Tomoko Otake
The consumption tax increase will hit every household in Japan hard, with many people’s financial future hanging on whether their wages rise enough to offset the hike's impact.
Japanese Baseball Aug 22, 2013
Balentien smacks pair of homers as Swallows maul Giants
Wladimir Balentien had his second-straight two-homer game on Thursday as the last-place Tokyo Yakult Swallows hammered the Central League-leading Yomiuri Giants 8-3. Trailing by a run in the fourth, Balentien singled in the Swallows’ five-run inning, which was highlighted by Ryoji Aikawa’s three-run homer. ...
Japanese Baseball Aug 15, 2013
Wada, Tanishige provide offensive spark for Dragons
Kazuhiro Wada hit a tying home run leading off the sixth inning and pinch hitter Motonobu Tanishige had a go-ahead RBI single as the Chunichi Dragons edged the Tokyo Yakult Swallows 6-5 on Thursday night. Atsushi Fujii broke a 3-3 tie in the fifth, ...
Japanese Baseball Aug 10, 2013
Swallows send BayStars to ninth straight loss
The Yokohama BayStars had enough fight to force extra innings on Saturday, but could not halt their losing streak as Atori Ota (1-3) issued four 11th-inning walks, sealing a 3-2 walk-off defeat to the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. The BayStars, who tied the game in ...
Japanese Baseball Aug 8, 2013
Kawabata delivers game-winning hit for Swallows
A night after sealing a victory with his glove, Shingo Kawabata broke a 2-2, ninth-inning tie with a two-run single on Thursday as the Tokyo Yakult Swallows beat the Chunichi Dragons 5-2 to complete a three-game sweep at Nagoya Dome. With no outs and ...
Baseball | SPORTS SCOPE Aug 5, 2013
Balentien, Ogawa keep Swallows in spotlight
by Jason Coskrey
There normally wouldn’t be many reasons to keep close tabs on a 35-57-1 team that’s 22½ games out of first place. Then again, most teams in that position don’t have a pair of players as worthy of the spotlight as the Tokyo Yakult Swallows’ ...
Japanese Baseball Aug 1, 2013
Giants' Takahashi delivers pinch-hit single in ninth to end thriller against Swallows
by Jason Coskrey
Yoshinobu Takahashi’s single in the ninth inning felt like one of the few hits that remained in the park in a game that at times resembled a home run derby. Takahashi’s hit may not have gone as far as some of the night’s big ...
Japanese Baseball Jul 20, 2013
MVP Arai, solid pitching guide CL All-Stars to Game 2 victory
by Jason Coskrey
Hanshin Tigers star Takahiro Arai delivers a go-ahead single in the third inning to lead the Central League to a Game 2 victory in the All-Star Series.
Japanese Baseball Jul 20, 2013
Swallows' Balentien reflects on All-Star fun, superb start to season
by Jason Coskrey
Wladimir Balentien was joking around with Tony Blanco during an interview when he took off his hat to reveal he’d had a large star cut into his hair in celebration of his third All-Star Series appearance in as many seasons. “He’s a star,” Blanco ...
Japanese Baseball Jul 12, 2013
Swallows prevail over Carp in slugfest
by Dave Hueston
Kazuhiro Hatakeyama’s three-run homer keyed a four-run second inning, the bullpen barely stitched things together after starter Masato Nakazawa imploded and the Tokyo Yakult Swallows held off the Hiroshima Carp 11-9 on Friday night. The Carp struck in the opening frame at Jingu Stadium. ...
Japanese Baseball Jul 6, 2013
Ogawa tosses eight-hit shutout with parents in attendance
Rookie right-hander Yasuhiro Ogawa threw his second shutout of the season and won his Central League-leading ninth decision in the Tokyo Yakult Swallows’ 4-0 whitewash of the Chunichi Dragons on Saturday afternoon. Wladimir Balentien stayed on his torrid home run pace in a possible ...
Japanese Baseball Jul 1, 2013
Blanco, Balentien putting up impressive homer totals
by Jason Coskrey
If there’s a home run derby during this year’s All-Star Series, odds are it won’t be half as exciting as the one Wladimir Balentien and Tony Blanco are currently staging on a near-nightly basis during the regular season. The Tokyo Yakult Swallows’ Balentien, and ...
Japanese Baseball Jun 13, 2013
Balentien equals record in Swallows victory
Tokyo Yakult Swallows slugger Wladimir Balentien became the 18th player in Japanese baseball history to homer in four consecutive at-bats with a two-run drive in the first inning of a game against the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks at Yafuoku Dome on Wednesday. The Swallows would ...