Tag - hit-and-run

 
 

HIT AND RUN

Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Jan 22, 2018
Ichiro wouldn't solve Chunichi's problems
While it's still improbable, Ichiro Suzuki and Daisuke Matsuzaka could both be wearing blue and white this summer if everything falls in place, as the Chunichi Dragons have interest in both players.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Jan 7, 2018
Hoshino's passion remained as strong as ever
Senichi Hoshino walked into a room full of reporters on a gray and rainy day in Sendai a few years back with a smile that lit up the room. This was the day after his Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles won the draft lottery for the rights to pitcher Yuki Matsui and the day prior to his team hosting Game 1 of the 2013 Japan Series, and Hoshino was practically beaming.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Dec 31, 2017
Infielder Murata still searching for new home
One of the curious things about the current Hot Stove season in Japan has been Shuichi Murata's inability to find a job for 2018.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Dec 25, 2017
Fighters have to look for successor as Ohtani says goodbye
Generous Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters fans gathered at Sapporo Dome on Christmas Day to put a bow on the present they spent the last five seasons wrapping, one the Los Angeles Angels can't wait to open during spring training.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Dec 18, 2017
Giants, Tigers reel in sluggers in hopes of boosting offense
The Central League's two most historic clubs had a mini arms race last week, with each hoping to have added a little more power to their attacks.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Dec 11, 2017
Incoming Angels star Shohei Ohtani enters MLB with game-changing potential
With his hair perfectly coiffed and a red Los Angeles Angels uniform having replaced his suit jacket, the most sought-after player of the offseason began his highly anticipated MLB career with six simple words.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Nov 21, 2017
APBC title gives Atsunori Inaba vital managerial experience on road to Tokyo Olympics
Samurai Japan manager Atsunori Inaba could've found himself caught between two worlds in the aftermath of Japan's championship-clinching victory over South Korea at the Asia Professional Baseball Championship on Sunday night.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Nov 6, 2017
BayStars beaten but unbowed after Japan Series experience
After the final out of the Japan Series, as the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks celebrated while glittering, golden confetti rained down from the Yafuoku Dome ceiling and jet balloons were set loose from the stands, Yokohama BayStars pitcher Shota Imanaga soaked it all in from the losing dugout.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Nov 5, 2017
Masterful Hawks again soar over baseball rivals
At the end of another NPB season, the Japanese baseball world is again wondering how to beat these Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Oct 25, 2017
BayStars reap reward of patient approach with Japan Series berth
Yokohama BayStars manager Alex Ramirez is fond of saying that it's not how you start, but how you finish. It's one of his most well-worn axioms actually.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Oct 23, 2017
Hawks have look of budding dynasty after latest triumph
In what has almost become a rite of fall, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks paraded around a field with a banner in tow in celebration of a championship.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Oct 19, 2017
Farcical finish in Hiroshima robs BayStars of fair chance to compete
The Yokohama BayStars and their fans should be furious. They were robbed in Hiroshima Wednesday night, trudging out of a soggy Mazda Stadium down 2-0 in the Central League Climax Series Final Stage despite spending a grand total of five innings actually playing baseball in the series.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Oct 14, 2017
Finally, Lions' Yusei Kikuchi living up to potential this season
Yusei Kikuchi had waited for this for far too long to not savor every last second. For seven years, the Seibu Lions left-hander had chased the shadow of his younger self, the high school phenom poised to skip right over NPB and head to the major leagues.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Oct 5, 2017
Fighters ace Shohei Otani lives up to expectations in Japan
Shohei Otani has lived up to the hype. Just as Bryce Harper in MLB and LeBron James in the NBA, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters star pitcher/DH not only entered the professional ranks to outsized expectations, he actually met them.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Oct 2, 2017
Time has come for NPB to address system for makeup games
On Sunday, the MLB season ended with all 30 teams in action, wrapping up the year in a nice and tidy 15-game bow as focus shifts to the playoffs.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Sep 18, 2017
Sarfate thrives in perfect situation in Fukuoka
Dennis Sarfate is fit, but at a listed weight of 102 kg, he isn't exactly light. So it was with some apprehension that he allowed his Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks teammates to toss him in the air after the team won the 2017 Pacific League pennant on Saturday afternoon at MetLife Dome in Saitama.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Sep 11, 2017
Balentien's power remains constant presence at plate for Swallows
Wladimir Balentien could've been written off as a one-year wonder after hitting 31 home runs in his first season in Japan, way back in 2011. Or as just a flash in the pan after doing it the next season. No one could deny Balentien his due after he shattered the NPB record with 60 home runs in 2013, or after 31 the next season, and definitely not after 31 more in 2016.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Sep 4, 2017
Sarfate has pitched way into MVP discussion
The bow has become one of the most familiar sights in Japanese baseball. Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks closer Dennis Sarfate records the final out of a game, brings his right hand up to meet his gloved left hand in front of his chest, and leans forward. When you see it, Sarfate has either converted a save or earned a win.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Aug 28, 2017
Ramirez guiding BayStars with steady hand
It might be strange to some to see Yokohama BayStars manager Alex Ramirez remaining so grounded. The same Ramirez who played with emotion, who performed special dances after his home runs (sometimes with team mascots), is calm, cool and collected as his BayStars work to secure a second-straight trip to the Central League Climax Series.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Aug 21, 2017
Kikuchi, Sugano locked in duel for Sawamura Award
Despite the amount of ink spilled trying to determine whether Seibu Lions pitcher Yusei Kikuchi was actually guilty of the illegal two-stage pitching motion he was cited for on Thursday night, it's more important to note the way he handled the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.

Longform

A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
Akira Toriyama's gift to the world