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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.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 24, 2015
Hawks' Igarashi relishes chance to face former team in Japanese Fall Classic
Before Ryota Igarashi was a star reliever for the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks, and even prior to his time in the major leagues, he was very good arm out of the bullpen for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 23, 2015
Easygoing Swallows skipper Manaka guides club's climb from worst to first
Mitsuru Manaka is still playing it cool. Nothing, not even a banner season in which he's already won two titles and stands four wins away from a third, can shake the Tokyo Yakult Swallows manager's calm, cool demeanor it seems.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 23, 2015
Led by first-year managers, Hawks, Swallows chasing Japan Series title
The Fukuoka Softbank Hawks and Tokyo Yakult Swallows have already proven themselves to be the top teams in the Pacific and Central Leagues.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Oct 20, 2015
After Hara's exit, Tanishige becomes longest-serving CL skipper
Continuity in Japanese dugouts took a hit when now-former Yomiuri Giants manager Tatsunori Hara sat down for his retirement news conference on Monday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Oct 19, 2015
Hara leaves big shoes for next Giants manager to fill
Other than the timing, the news of Tatsunori Hara's decision to step down as manager of the Yomiuri Giants didn't exactly come out of left field.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 17, 2015
Swallows advance to Japan Series for first time since 2001
The Tokyo Yakult Swallows gathered near the mound at Jingu Stadium, grabbed Mitsuru Manaka and tossed their first-year manager into the air as the cheers of their exuberant fans rang out into the night sky.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 16, 2015
Swallows persevere, capitalize on key opportunities in Game 3 triumph over Giants
Tokyo Yakult Swallows fans were singing in the rain on Friday night at Jingu Stadium. If their club can come up with one more win, the Yakult faithful will carry their tune all the way to Fukuoka.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 15, 2015
Swallows blank Giants in Game 2 of CLCS
The Tokyo Yakult Swallows finally landed a knockout blow against Yomiuri Giants pitcher Miles Mikolas. The fact they got some of their own stars going in the process has them sizing up the rest of the Giants for a similar knockdown before everything is said and done.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Oct 15, 2015
Time for NPB to rethink senseless playoff format
Where else but Japanese baseball can a team lose Game 1 of a playoff series and show up at the ballpark the next day down 0-2?
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 14, 2015
Giants wipe out deficit with Game 1 win
The Yomiuri Giants were at a one-game disadvantage before the first pitch was even thrown in the Central League Climax Series final stage.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 14, 2015
Balentien ready to go after fine-tuning game
The Tokyo Yakult Swallows had a lengthy break between the end of the regular season (Oct. 4) and the beginning of the Central League Climax Series final stage on Wednesday night.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 13, 2015
Strong bullpen helped transform Swallows into title contenders
If you don't get to the Tokyo Yakult Swallows early, you might not get to the Birds at all.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 12, 2015
Giants finish Tigers, set up Swallows showdown
The Yomiuri Giants finally managed to cage the Hanshin Tigers once and for all.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 11, 2015
Tigers stave off elimination
As reporters left the field at the conclusion of the Hanshin Tigers' batting practice, Tom O'Malley, one of the team's hitting coaches, gave a wave and said, "We'll see you tomorrow."
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 10, 2015
Giants slip past Tigers in opener
Yoshinobu Takahashi picked up the biggest RBI of the Yomiuri Giants' season without even swinging his bat.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 9, 2015
Tigers, Giants make final preparations for playoffs
The Hanshin Tigers had their bags packed earlier in the week, they just didn't know if they were headed for the playoffs or the offseason.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Oct 5, 2015
Yamada deserving of MVP award
Last Friday, after the Tokyo Yakult Swallows were crowned as the best team in the Central League for 2015, Tetsuto Yamada wasn't quite ready to weigh in on the topic of the CL's best player.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 3, 2015
Ishikawa savors resilient Swallows' rise from cellar to CL champions
Masanori Ishikawa was soaked in beer from head to toe. The white Central League Champions T-shirt clung to the veteran Tokyo Yakult Swallows pitcher as he shuffled onto the makeshift stage in center field after the Swallows' pennant-clinching 11-inning 2-1 victory over the Hanshin Tigers on Friday night....
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 2, 2015
Swallows claim first CL pennant since 2001
The Swallows fans packed into the stands at Jingu Stadium had already been cheering about as loud as they had all season for the past four hours
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 1, 2015
Murton reflects on Akiyama's pursuit of single-season hit record
On Oct. 5, 2010, Matt Murton made NPB history with a single into center on a wet night at Jingu Stadium that propelled him past Ichiro Suzuki and established a new NPB record for hits in an single season.

Longform

Members of the nonprofit group Japan Youth Memorial Association search for the remains of dead soldiers in a cave in Okinawa Prefecture in February.
The long search for Japan’s lost soldiers