Baseball / Japanese Baseball | NPB NOTEBOOK Jun 20, 2022
NPB experiencing surge of no-hitters
by Jason Coskrey
With four no-hitters and a couple of near misses already this season, it's possible there is more misery on the horizon for NPB hitters.
Baseball / Japanese Baseball | NPB NOTEBOOK Nov 22, 2021
Olympic memories and the record books color the 2021 Japan Series
by Jason Coskrey
Yoshida and McGough are among the handful of players giving this year's Japan Series a little Olympic flair.
Baseball / Japanese Baseball | NPB NOTEBOOK Jan 5, 2020
Milestones in play for many in 2020 season
by Jason Coskrey
With the NPB season set to begin on March 21, it won't be long before players are back in uniform and training with their teams in preparation for 2020. In addition to getting ready for the new campaign, a handful of NPB stars will also ...
Baseball / Japanese Baseball | NPB NOTEBOOK Dec 29, 2019
Ryosuke Kikuchi joins list of players to hit wall in posting system
by Jason Coskrey
Musing about whether or not certain players will get posted is fairly commonplace in discussions about the top NPB players these days. So much so it's easy to forget being posted is only the first hurdle players under contract have to clear on the way ...
Baseball / Japanese Baseball | NPB NOTEBOOK Dec 8, 2019
Handful of players from 'Matsuzaka Generation' still holding on
by Jason Coskrey
Daisuke Matsuzaka returned home on Wednesday, solidifying a deal to spend his 20th season in pro baseball with the Saitama Seibu Lions, the club he spent Year 1 with back in 1999. While the reunion angle is nice and all, Matsuzaka's signing is also a ...
Baseball / Japanese Baseball | NPB NOTEBOOK Aug 2, 2019
Tatsunori Hara has shot at top 10 for most wins by a manager
by Jason Coskrey
Tatsunori Hara moved into rarefied air when his Yomiuri Giants beat the Hiroshima Carp on Tuesday night, becoming the 13th NPB manager to reach 1,000 career victories. It's easy to look back and see how he got there. Hara has managed a number of strong ...
Baseball / Japanese Baseball | NPB NOTEBOOK Feb 10, 2019
Chihiro Kaneko draws attention from Yu Darvish, others, because of change-up
by Jason Coskrey
Chihiro Kaneko, as a 35-year-old veteran of 13 seasons, probably possesses a fair amount of wisdom he can impart on the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters pitchers younger than him. Even those who have already moved on. Former Fighters ace and current Chicago Cubs pitcher Yu Darvish ...
Baseball / Japanese Baseball | NPB NOTEBOOK Jan 12, 2019
Eagles announce plans to make Rakuten Seimei Park Miyagi world's first cashless stadium
by Jason Coskrey
The Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles want you to leave your cash at home. The Pacific League club late last week unveiled a plan to make its home stadium, Rakuten Seimei Park Miyagi, completely cashless in 2019. The Eagles say it will be the world's first ...
Baseball / Japanese Baseball | NPB NOTEBOOK Jul 23, 2018
Slugger Guerrero remains in limbo on Yomiuri's farm team
by Jason Coskrey
Sometimes the fake grass isn't always greener in the other dome. The Yomiuri Giants' Alex Guerrero can probably attest to that. It's been over a month since the Kyojin sent him to the farm team and just over a week since reports surfaced saying he ...
Baseball / Japanese Baseball | NPB NOTEBOOK Jul 6, 2018
Warren Cromartie featured in new series on YouTube
by Jason Coskrey
Warren Cromartie was a star for the Montreal Expos and a league MVP and Japan Series champion (both in 1989) with the Yomiuri Giants. Now the NPB great is adding something else to his resume: YouTuber for the History Channel. The History Channel Japan earlier this ...
Baseball / Japanese Baseball | NPB NOTEBOOK Apr 22, 2018
Kiyomiya shows off power on farm
by Jason Coskrey
After a slow start to his first season as a professional, Kotaro Kiyomiya provided fans with a small glimpse of what made him the most sought-after player in last fall's NPB draft. The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters rookie hit his first two pro home runs ...
Baseball / Japanese Baseball | NPB NOTEBOOK Mar 18, 2018
NPB stars look to build momentum in spring
by Jason Coskrey
While most baseball fans know spring numbers should be taken with a grain of salt, some players make it hard to remember at times. Because however meaningless the actual numbers are during this time of year, the process is still fun to watch. One of ...