Jason Coskrey - The Japan Times

August 21, 2025

Today's print edition

Subscribe for more access

Jason Coskrey

Meta

Twitter

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 / HIT AND RUN

Mar 3, 2014

Swallows' Balentien keeps focus on steady improvement

Wladimir Balentien launched a few balls to the farthest reaches of Tokyo Dome during batting practice on Sunday, turned his hat backwards and, as he sat down near the visitor's dugout, proclaimed that his timing was off.

BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball

Feb 1, 2014

Hawks need more quality in starting rotation

The Fukuoka Softbank Hawks fielded a pitching juggernaut in 2011, the likes of which will be hard to replicate without the help of outside forces.

BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN

Jan 30, 2014

Apologetic Balentien faces long road back

Wladimir Balentien has apologized twice now — once in the United States and, on Wednesday, back on Japanese soil — with much of his time spent atoning to the Tokyo Yakult Swallows fans and the organization.

BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN

Jan 25, 2014

Tanaka's exit puts focus on Maeda

Outside of New York Yankees fans, the conclusion of Masahiro Tanaka's move to the majors probably had the biggest effect on Kenta Maeda and the Hiroshima Carp.

BASEBALL / MLB

Jan 24, 2014

Splitter expected to be 'money pitch' for Tanaka in the majors

Now that the New York Yankees have agreed to part with a whopping $175 million in order to fit Masahiro Tanaka for pinstripes, baseball fans and observers will spend the next several years trying to figure out if "Ma-kun" was worth the hefty price tag.

BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN

Jan 11, 2014

Dual role won't be easy for Tanishige

Chunichi Dragons catcher/manager Motonobu Tanishige began his workouts this year with a vow not to change anything about the way he prepares for the season.

BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN

Dec 30, 2013

Eagles' future largely forgotten amidst race to land Tanaka

Watching the flow of a news cycle can be interesting at times.

Japan Times

BASEBALL

Dec 28, 2013

The Batting Stance Guy waxes poetic on Youkilis, NPB

Kevin Youkilis' batting stance is, shall we say, a little different than most.

BASEBALL

Dec 25, 2013

Tanaka given chance to pursue dream in majors

Major League Baseball fans and executives finally found what they were looking for under the Christmas tree.

BASEBALL / MLB

Dec 21, 2013

Cromartie hungry to bring baseball back to Montreal

Warren Cromartie's energy can be infectious. When the former Montreal Expos and Yomiuri Giants star gets going on a topic, his voice rises, his words drip with conviction and even over the phone, you can imagine him flashing that familiar, toothy, megawatt smile.

BASEBALL

Dec 17, 2013

Tanaka informs Eagles he wants to pitch in majors in 2014

The man at the center of the posting system drama finally broke his silence, and it was music to the ears of MLB fans and executives.

BASEBALL

Dec 16, 2013

Oka looking to rein in knuckleball

The last few years have seen a small group of pitchers trying to master the knuckleball in an attempt to revive or extend their careers.

BASEBALL / HIT AND RUN

Dec 14, 2013

New posting system puts Rakuten in unfavorable position

While the relevant parties have given their blessings to a new posting agreement between Nippon Professional Baseball and Major League Baseball, there is still no resolution to Masahiro Tanaka's situation.

BASEBALL

Dec 2, 2013

Giants now banking on Kataoka to shore up second base

The Yomiuri Giants have, at long last, finally found their second baseman.

BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN

Nov 30, 2013

For once, MVP voters got things right

One thing that's always surprising when NPB voters get both the Pacific and Central League MVP winners right.

BASEBALL

Nov 26, 2013

Tanaka, Balentien earn MVP honors

Masahiro Tanaka pitched his way into the record books. Wladimir Balentien slugged his way there.

BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN

Nov 16, 2013

New rules needed for posting system

Masahiro Tanaka will probably end up in the majors next year, thanks in no small part to the terms NPB players seem to be willing to accept in regards to the posting system.

BASEBALL / HIT AND RUN

Nov 11, 2013

Kokubo gets started in Japan dugout with one eye on future

Hiroki Kokubo got his feet wet as Samurai Japan manager by sweeping Taiwan in a three-game exhibition series between the two countries over the weekend.

BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball

Nov 4, 2013

High-flying Eagles reign supreme after eight-year rise to top

To say simply that Senichi Hoshino put Masahiro Tanaka in the game during the ninth inning of the Japan Series finale somehow does the moment a disservice.

BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball

Nov 3, 2013

Eagles blank Giants in Game 7, capture first Japan Series title

More than 25,000 roared in unison as a light rain suddenly got a little bit harder. They were now one out away from their first Japan Series title, and had their ace, Japan's ace, on the mound to do the honors.

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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

By Tomoko Otake

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Ishii Iron Works remakes self for workers, new energy

Ishii Iron Works remakes self for workers, new energy

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

international-reports