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July 04, 2025
 

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Jason Coskrey

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Jason Coskrey
Jason Coskrey is a sports writer for The Japan Times. His primary focus is Japanese baseball, but he has also covered soccer, American football, boxing and basketball. He previously worked for the Marietta Daily Journal in Marietta, Ga. A native of Detroit, he is a graduate of the University of Alabama-Birmingham.
The BayStars' Trevor Bauer pitches during a game at Jingu Stadium in May.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jun 29, 2025
BayStars' Trevor Bauer dejected and searching for answers as slump continues
Bauer has lost four straight decisions and allowed 19 runs in his last 20⅓ innings. 
The Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani joined Yankees slugger Aaron Judge as being the first two players to earn nods for next month’s All-Star Game in Atlanta.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 27, 2025
Shohei Ohtani selected for All-Star Game after leading fan vote in NL
The Yankees' Aaron Judge led all MLB players in the voting and earned a starting spot in the American League.
Goldin Auctions CEO Ken Goldin speaks to a collector in Ikebukuro on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS
Jun 17, 2025
Ken Goldin brings his sports memorabilia from Netflix to Tokyo
Goldin Auctions CEO Ken Goldin brought some high-end sports memorabilia for the public to see on his first trip to Japan.
The Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani throws against the Padres during the first inning at Dodger Stadium on Monday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 17, 2025
Shohei Ohtani makes Dodgers pitching debut
Ohtani made his long-awaited return to the mound — and his first pitching outing in Dodger Blue — as an opener against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium on Monday.
Junto Nakatani celebrates after defeating Ryosuke Nishida to unify the WBC and IBF bantamweight titles at Ariake Coliseum on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Boxing
Jun 9, 2025
Junto Nakatani remains on collision course with Naoya Inoue after latest win
Nakatani will have to move to a higher weight class to challenge Inoue.
Junto Nakatani (right) fights Ryosuke Nishida during the fifth round of their bout for the WBC & IBF world bantamweight titles at Ariake Coliseum on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Boxing
Jun 8, 2025
Junto Nakatani wins slugfest against Ryosuke Nishida to unify WBC and IBF titles
Nakatani improved to 31-0 with his fourth successful title defense.
Shigeo Nagashima (left), then the manager of the Tokyo Giants, waves to fans with players and coaches during a victory parade in central Tokyo in 2000. Nagashima died at the age of 89 on Tuesday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jun 3, 2025
Japanese baseball legend Shigeo Nagashima dies at 89
Long before the rise of Shohei Ohtani and Ichiro Suzuki, Nagashima was arguably the most famous player in Japanese baseball history.
The Fighters' Franmil Reyes celebrates after hitting a walk-off home run against the Marines on Sunday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jun 3, 2025
What you need to know ahead of NPB interleague play resuming
Since 2005, one constant has been Pa League dominance.
South Korea's Yonsei University is one of the 12 teams that will compete in the first AUBL tournament in August.
BASKETBALL
May 30, 2025
League backed by Nets owner looks to raise profile of college basketball in Asia
The AUBL will holds its inaugural tournament in August.
Fighters starter Hiromi Ito pitches against the Hawks in Fukuoka on April 29.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / Sac Bunts
May 26, 2025
Fighters already showing last season's playoff run was no fluke
Nippon Ham manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo has dialed back his antics lately, and perhaps with good reason — because it looks like the players are ready to take center stage.
Carp pitcher Hiroki Tokoda has seven hits this season, including a double.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / Sac Bunts
May 20, 2025
Can the Central League hold out against designated hitters?
There have been plenty of calls for the league to adopt the DH over the years. But some prefer the status quo.
Trey Cabbage celebrates after hitting a home run at Tokyo Dome on May 1.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
May 19, 2025
Giants' Trey Cabbage not weighed down by pressure to replace Kazuma Okamoto
Cabbage has taken the majority of the at-bats in the cleanup spot since Okamoto suffered an elbow injury on May 6.
Japan's Shohei Ohtani carries the Japanese flag onto the field before the start of the World Baseball Classic final against the United States in Miami on March 21, 2023.
BASEBALL
May 15, 2025
Historian Rob Fitts discovers earliest ever reference to baseball in Japan
The widely held belief is that American Horace Wilson introduced the sport to Japan in 1872. Fitts' discovery revises the timeline to 1869.
The Giants' Kazuma Okamoto, seen during a game on April 16, suffered an elbow injury during a game against the Tigers on Tuesday at Tokyo Dome.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
May 6, 2025
Giants star Kazuma Okamoto expected to miss extended period with elbow injury
Giants manager Shinnosuke Abe told reporters Okamoto will miss a lot of time.
Tigers slugger Teruaki Sato knocks in a run during Hanshin's win over the Swallows at Koshien Stadium on Friday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
May 6, 2025
Confident Hanshin slugger Teruaki Sato taking game to next level
Even with everything Sato, a three-time All-Star, has already accomplished, his start this year has some wondering if he has finally put everything together.
Christophe Lemaire rides Admire Daytona, who was bred in Japan, during the UAE Derby at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai on April 5.
MORE SPORTS / Horse Racing
Apr 29, 2025
Could this be Japan’s year at the Kentucky Derby?
Japan has made great strides in thoroughbred racing, and many feel it is no longer a question of "if" a Japanese horse will win the event but "when."
The Tokyo Yakult Swallows' Munetaka Murakami bats during spring camp on March 14 in the city of Urasoe, Okinawa. Murakami returned from a spring injury on Thursday but was taken off the roster again the next day.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Apr 21, 2025
Munetaka Murakami's return cut short as Swallows’ struggles deepen
The Tokyo team’s star slugger returned on Thursday but was taken off the roster again the next day.
Shohei Ohtani and his wife Mamiko Tanaka attend a Lakers game in Los Angeles on Dec. 8, 2024.
BASEBALL / MLB
Apr 20, 2025
Shohei Ohtani announces birth of daughter
Ohtani announced the birth of his first child in a post on social media.
BayStars pitcher Andre Jackson throws during Game 1 of the Japan Series on Oct. 26 last year.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Apr 16, 2025
Baystars pitcher Jackson 'honored' to wear No. 42 on Jackie Robinson Day
The stars almost aligned perfectly on Tuesday night for the American, who pitched six strong innings on the day that the baseball world celebrates the Dodgers legend.
Giants fans cheer during an exhibition game against the Dodgers at Tokyo Dome on March 15.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / Sac Bunts
Apr 14, 2025
NPB can learn from MLB amid backlash to its new social media policy
Arguing that the rights of NPB and its broadcasters are in peril because fans upload short videos from games is a hard sell.
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
Onosato's yokozuna promotion causes rare quirk in new sumo rankings
Newly promoted yokozuna Onosato holds a copy of the latest banzuke ranking in Anjo, Aichi Prefecture, on Monday.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Over 900 earthquakes strike Tokara islands in space of two weeks
A screenshot shows many quakes occurring in the Tokara islands over the past 30 days, in this image taken from the U.S. Geological Survey website.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

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