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BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Feb 9, 2015

Media spotlight will continue to shine on Otani

Hideki Kuriyama was a television commentator for 10 years before becoming manager of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in 2012.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / MLB
Jan 29, 2015

Marlins glad to add Ichiro

Ichiro Suzuki sipped green tea, elicited a few laughs and turned the tables on a media member with three questions of his own during his introductory news conference with the Miami Marlins.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 14, 2014

Orioles reliever Hunter impressed by Japanese players' skills

Tommy Hunter's favorite thing about his first trip to Japan has been the food, sushi in particular.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Nov 8, 2014

Fateful decision in Japan put Soriano on path to MLB

Alfonso Soriano said on Tuesday that he was hanging up his cleats for good after 16 seasons in the major leagues. Soriano, who really exploded on the scene in 2001, his third with the New York Yankees, walks away with a career .270 average, 412 home runs and 1,159 RBIs.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 4, 2014

Issues with weight followed 'Dokaben' Kagawa

Sad news came last week with the death of Nobuyuki "Dokaben" Kagawa, the roly-poly rotund catcher of the 1980s Nankai Hawks. He died of an apparent heart attack on Sept. 26 in Fukuoka at the age of 52.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Sep 20, 2014

MVP awards up for grabs in both leagues

Who do you think should be selected as MVPs in the Central and Pacific Leagues this season? There does not appear to be any clear-cut favorite in either league. Ask any Japanese media person or beat writer at the bal park, and they think about it for a moment and answer with a puzzled expression, saying,...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / MLB / MAN ABOUT SPORTS
Sep 9, 2014

Brewers enjoying turnaround despite recent struggles

Darn those woebegone Chicago Cubs!
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Sep 3, 2014

Fan-favorite Inaba jumping into sunset

Atsunori Inaba may have been Japan's most popular player among foreign fans during the 2013 World Baseball Classic. The quadrennial competition doesn't just bring 16 nations together, it allows the baseball cultures of various nations to come together. Prominent among these is Japan's ouendan.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Jul 14, 2014

NPB, MLB keeping track as Otani continues to blossom

Shohei Otani struck out 12 batters over seven innings on July 2 and fanned 16 in a complete-game effort in his next start July 9. He was in the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters' starting lineup twice in the days between those outings on the mound and hit two home runs during a July 5 contest against the...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Jun 1, 2014

Tough luck for Kaneko

Chihiro Kaneko no-hit the Yomiuri Giants for nine innings on Saturday. He then watched his team lose the game.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
May 20, 2014

Cromartie book available in digital

Former Yomiuri Giants star outfielder Warren Cromartie's book on his life in Japanese baseball, "Slugging It Out In Japan," which was co-written with best-selling author Robert Whiting, is now available in digital form for the first time.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
May 19, 2014

No time to rest as Cepeda hits ground running in Japan

Frederich Cepeda has had quite the week.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
May 17, 2014

Cepeda crushes first home run in NPB; Giants snap five-game slide

Frederich Cepeda, while playing for the Cuban national team, got a chance to watch Kenta Maeda pitch for Samurai Japan during the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 19, 2014

Carp roster built to contend for title in 2014

There is excitement in Hiroshima where the Carp are off to a nice start in the Central League pennant race.
BASEBALL
Mar 26, 2014

Yoh happy to carry on tradition as Fighters' showman

There has been a certain amount of pizazz associated with Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters center fielders the last several seasons.
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 / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Mar 1, 2014

Many have fallen victim to NPB's 'false spring'

As a high school student back in the early 1960s, I can recall reading a book titled, "A False Spring." It was authored by Pat Jordan, a Connecticut native and a superb teenage baseball pitcher who, according to Wikipedia, was pursued by more than 15 major league organizations in 1959. Interesting, as...
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Feb 3, 2014

Tokyo: What do you make of the Japan Sumo Association's decision to charge fans $120 to watch live tournaments online?

The Japan Sumo Association has just introduced a pay-per-view system for live streams of top tournaments. Costing $10 per day and $15 for the final day, or $120 for the entire tournament, the concept drew sharp criticism from overseas fans.
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.

Longform

Growing families are being priced out of Tokyo’s condo market, forced to choose between downtown convenience and suburban space.
Is living in central Tokyo still affordable?