Hawks' excellence in execution results in trip to Japan Series
The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks scripted a masterpiece in the final stage of the Pacific League Climax Series. The Seibu Lions entered the series having dethroned the Hawks as Pacific League champions and with an offense that had run roughshod to the tune 792 runs during ...
Lions counting on quality starting pitching to set the tone in playoffs
The pitching staff of the Seibu Lions has put up some scary numbers in 2018. Not scary-good numbers either. The recently crowned Pacific League champions entered Wednesday's games with a 4.23 team ERA that ranked 10th in NPB. They're eighth in Japan in fielding independent ...
Swallows' Buchanan remains positive during playoff push
David Buchanan's little slice of heaven is in the outfield. He might be a pitcher by trade, but there are few things the 29-year old enjoys more than running, jumping and sliding around the outfield shagging fly balls during batting practice before games. "You ask ...
Swallows in good position to solidify spot in standings
The Tokyo Yakult Swallows may have lost against the Hiroshima Carp on Sunday, but all in all it was still a good week to be a Swallows fan. The team went 4-1-1 last week, and put a few more games between themselves and the Yomiuri ...
Carp pitcher Daichi Osera in good position in race for Sawamura Award
The Central League-leading Hiroshima Carp only have one more game remaining against the last-place Chunichi Dragons, inexplicably the only CL team with a winning record against Hiroshima, this season. Which means the two-time defending champions can get back to the task of finishing off their ...
Carp have to avoid complacency as they head toward title
Koichi Ogata didn't sound like a manager with a pennant on the horizon after watching his Hiroshima Carp drop two of three against the Chunichi Dragons, a team 16 games behind them in the standings, over the weekend. "I apologize to the fans," the Carp ...
Tokyo Yakult Swallows slugger Wladimir Balentien stays ahead of curve at plate
Every time Wladimir Balentien hits a home run, and he's hit quite a few since joining the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in 2011, he has to go back to the drawing board and recalibrate his approach. Because he knows in the time it took to jog ...
Nakamura's vintage run just what Lions need
For Takeya Nakamura and the Seibu Lions, the past week and half was just like old times, with the Lions' lineup doing damage and the burly slugger's bat roaring the loudest. "Okawari-kun" went on a vintage, nearly record-setting run of power from Aug. 4-13. He ...
Koshien officials need to be mindful of heat
The temperature in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, got as high as 34 degrees Celsius (93 Fahrenheit) on Sunday, the opening day of this year's edition of Summer Koshien. According to AccuWeather RealFeel, which measures in things such as humidity, cloud cover, intensity of the sun ...
All-around talents Tetsuto Yamada, Yuki Yangita deserving of spotlight
Three seasons ago, a Triple 3 campaign was treated as something of a phenomenon. The feat — finishing a season with at least a .300 average, 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases — had been accomplished before Tetsuto Yamada and Yuki Yanagita both ...
Bringing back Daisuke Matsuzaka could make sense for Dragons
If there's anything to be learned from the first half of the 2018 baseball season it's that a lot of people still can't get enough of Daisuke Matsuzaka. It's been over a decade since his last turn as the ace for the Seibu Lions and ...
Tigers should consider trading pitcher Shintaro Fujinami
The Hanshin Tigers should trade pitcher Shintaro Fujinami. Yes, that Shintaro Fujinami. The fire-balling right-hander who dominated at Koshien Stadium during Osaka Toin's run to the Summer Koshien title in 2012. The tall, lean rising star who for the next three years, while playing his ...
