Japanese Baseball Sep 30, 2013

Blanco homers twice as BayStars down Swallows

Tony Blanco homered twice to drive in five runs, powering the Yokohama BayStars to a 6-3 win over the last-place Tokyo Yakult Swallows on Monday night. Yakult’s Wladimir Balentien extended his Japanese single-season record to 59 homers with a two-out solo blast that gave ...

Japanese Baseball Sep 28, 2013

Ino goes distance as BayStars rout Giants

Rookie Shoichi Ino threw his first career complete game, Takayuki Kajitani hit a two-run homer in a seven-run fourth inning, and the Yokohama BayStars routed the Central League champion Yomiuri Giants 7-2 on Saturday. Ino (5-7) yielded two runs on four hits over nine ...

Japanese Baseball Aug 30, 2013

Balentien belts 52nd home run, moves closer to single-season record

by Jason Coskrey

Wladimir Balentien took another step toward the single-season home run record, while the Tokyo Yakult Swallows dealt a blow to their opponents’ Climax Series hopes. Balentien sent the second pitch he saw from reliever Teruaki Yoshikawa over the wall in left field in the ...

Japanese Baseball Aug 20, 2013

BayStars stage wild comeback against Tigers

by Dave Hueston

Reality really is sometimes stranger than fiction, and the Yokohama BayStars proved it by overcoming a 7-0 deficit en route to a 9-8 victory over the Hanshin Tigers on Tuesday night. Pinch hitter Norihiro Nakamura hit a walk-off single in the ninth inning, Takayuki ...

Japanese Baseball Aug 18, 2013

Upbeat Morgan makes impact on, off field for BayStars

by Jason Coskrey

It doesn’t take a lot of digging to get to the root of Nyjer Morgan as a baseball player. The Yokohama BayStars outfielder practices hard, plays hard and, as a point of pride, keeps things refreshingly simple. Morgan is also usually the person having ...

Japanese Baseball Aug 14, 2013

Giants bounce back in win over BayStars

Ryosuke Miyaguni allowed a run in six steady innings on Wednesday, helping the Yomiuri Giants beat the Yokohama BayStars 4-1 after the Central League leaders dropped their series opener the night before. John Bowker homered for the second straight night, giving the Giants the ...

Japanese Baseball Aug 13, 2013

BayStars stave off Giants comeback

Daisuke Miura won a battle of aces, working into the eighth inning behind outstanding run support as the Yokohama BayStars defeated the Central League-leading Yomiuri Giants 10-7 on Tuesday. Miura (8-9) held the Giants to two runs through the first six innings, but began ...

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 6, 2013

Giants bash BayStars in series opener

Shuichi Murata and John Bowker homered, lefty Tetsuya Utsumi went seven shutout innings, and the Central League-leading Yomiuri Giants blanked the Yokohama BayStars 6-0 to open a three-game series on Tuesday night. Yomiuri center fielder Hisayoshi Chono went 3-for-4, delivering a two-run single to ...

Japanese Baseball Jul 7, 2013

Giants lefty Sugiuchi rattles BayStars

Lefty Toshiya Sugiuchi won a pitching duel against veteran right-hander Daisuke Miura as the Yomiuri Giants beat the Yokohama BayStars 2-0 on Sunday afternoon. Leadoff hitter Daisuke Nakai hit a two-run homer off Miura with two outs in the fourth inning at Tokyo Dome. ...

Japanese Baseball Jul 5, 2013

Kamei belts two home runs as Giants hammer BayStars

by Dave Hueston

Yoshiyuki Kamei homered twice, Shuichi Murata hit a grand slam and the Yomiuri Giants used a prolific long-ball attack to wallop the Yokohama BayStars in a 12-7 rout on Friday night. Kamei’s first blast in the third, a solo dinger, broke a 1-1 tie ...