Hokkaido Nippon Ham hurler Shohei Otani struck out nine while giving up one run — a solo homer — over six innings in his fourth start this season as the Fighters defeated the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 6-4 on Thursday. Otani (2-2) allowed five hits and struggled with his control as he ...
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks outfielder Yuki Yanagita was diagnosed with an injury to his abdominal muscles and intercostal muscles between ...
Chunichi Dragons infielder Masahiko Morino, who played for Japan at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, will retire at the end ...
Tomoyuki Sugano threw a two-hit shutout on Wednesday as the Yomiuri Giants beat the Hanshin Tigers 2-0 and moved within a hair of third place in the Central League. Sugano (16-5) faced just one batter over the minimum in a 110-pitch effort. He struck out ...
The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters sold a one-of-a-kind, life-sized figure of Shohei Otani on Wednesday, the same day it was put on sale, the team said. The unique offering was priced at ¥1,111,111 (roughly $9,986) — a figure derived from Otani's uniform No. 11, and ...
Junichi Fukura has accepted the Orix Buffaloes' request that he stay on as manager for 2018, the 57-year-old said Wednesday. It will be the third full season in charge for Fukura, who was promoted from head coach to the Pacific League club's interim manager during ...
Shinnosuke Ogasawara allowed two runs over the distance, while his Dragons teammates had a field day as Chunichi knocked the Yomiuri Giants out of third place on Tuesday, winning 10-2. Ogasawara (5-6) scattered seven hits and four walks in a 151-pitch effort. The lefty struck ...
Shohei Otani will make his fourth start of the season on Thursday, Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters manager Hideki Kuriyama revealed Tuesday. Otani, who threw 78 pitches in his previous start last week, a 5-2/3 inning win over the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, is expected to ...
The Hiroshima Carp clinched their second straight Central League championship, the team's eighth overall, with a 3-2 win over the Hanshin Tigers on Monday afternoon. Two days after they were denied a chance to clinch at home, a huge number of Carp fans invaded the ...
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 ...
Right-hander Seishu Hatake won a clash of rookie starters, throwing seven scoreless innings in the Yomiuri Giants' 6-1 win over the Yokohama BayStars on Sunday. Hatake (6-2) walked five but allowed just two hits, while striking out three, and went 1-for-3 with an RBI as ...
The Hiroshima Carp will have to wait another day to clinch their second straight Central League pennant after blowing a three-run lead in a 5-4 loss to the Tokyo Yakult Swallows on Saturday afternoon. The Carp, the NPB's best pinch-hitting team this season, got a ...
There shouldn't have been any questions about which team was the best in the Pacific League this season. Still, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks went out and made it official just in case. Yuki Yanagita hit a two-run home run in the fourth and had an RBI ...
Xavier Batista hit a bases-loaded RBI sacrifice fly in the eighth inning to lift the Hiroshima Carp 5-4 over the Yokohama BayStars in a seesaw game Thursday. The Carp trimmed their magic number to claim their second straight Central League pennant to one. Hiroshima got on ...
The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters plan to ask Hideki Kuriyama to stay on as manager after the ongoing season is over, a team source said Thursday. Kuriyama, 56, failed to guide the Fighters to defend the Pacific League pennant or the Japan Series championship, but ...
