Japanese Baseball

Deunte Heath followed a long and winding path to reach the final stage of the Pacific League Climax Series with the Seibu Lions. "I'm blessed," he told The Japan Times about landing with Seibu this season. "It's an honor. I'm just taking it game by ...

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks catcher Hiroaki Takaya gathered his teammates in a huddle around him near the visitors' dugout and delivered a message intended to pump them up before facing the Seibu Lions. "We scored 10 runs in the first game and won," Takaya told them. ...

The Hiroshima Carp clinched their second Japan Series berth in three years on Friday with a 5-1 victory over the Yomiuri Giants in Game 3 of the Central League Climax Series Final Stage. The Carp started the six-game final stage at Mazda Stadium with a ...

Former Nankai Hawks great Joe Stanka, the 1964 Pacific League MVP who famously threw three shutouts during that season's Japan Series, died of heart failure on Oct. 15, his grandson Josh told The Japan Times Stanka, 87, passed away at his home in Katy, Texas. A ...

Pinch hitter Takahiro Arai tied the game in the bottom of the eighth before Ryosuke Kikuchi blasted a three-run homer as the Hiroshima Carp came back to beat the Yomiuri Giants 4-1 in Game 2 of the Central League Climax Series Final Stage ...

Akihiro Yano, the Hanshin Tigers' new manager, said Thursday at his inaugural press conference that he will give his all to make the fans happy. "There are worries and fears, of course, but now it's more like 'OK, let's do this.' Together with everyone, I ...

Rick van den Hurk just knows how to win under the bright lights. The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks' Dutch right-hander proved it again on Wednesday night at MetLife Dome, when he helped lead the Hawks to a 10-4 victory over the Pacific League champion Seibu Lions ...

It took 18 games and 13 losing decisions for Yusei Kikuchi to finally pick up a win against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. The Hawks only needed one big inning to both restore order and also get even in their climax series matchup. SoftBank tagged Kikuchi for ...

Although the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks failed to repeat as Pacific League champions, they have what it takes to beat the new champs, the Seibu Lions, and reach the Japan Series for the fourth time in five years. The race for the brass ring heats up ...

Two days after throwing a no-hitter to clinch the Central League Climax Series' first stage, the Yomiuri Giants' Tomoyuki Sugano was named the league's pitcher of the month for September and October on Tuesday. Although he is a strong candidate to win his second straight ...

The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks powered past the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters 5-2 on Monday, with five solo home runs from their red-hot batting lineup helping them advance to the final stage of the Pacific League Climax Series. A day after the Fighters evened the best-of-three ...

Hanshin Tigers minor league manager Akihiro Yano accepted a promotion that will make him the top team manager, the seven-time All-Star catcher revealed Monday. Yano will replace former teammate Tomoaki Kanemoto, who last week refused to accept a contract extension to take responsibility for the ...