Japanese Baseball

Just like the weather outside of the relatively comfortable and cool confines of Tokyo Dome, the Yomiuri Giants are starting to heat up again. Giants captain Hayato Sakamoto set a career-high with a solo home run in the first inning, rookie starter Yuki Takahashi kept ...

Hiroshima Carp first baseman Xavier Batista, who leads the Central League club with 26 home runs, has tested positive for a banned substance, the team said Saturday. The Carp deactivated the 27-year-old after hearing of the failed test from Nippon Professional Baseball. Batista's positive test is ...

Daichi Osera threw a five-hitter and scored the game-winning run on Friday, as the Hiroshima Carp beat the Yokohama BayStars 4-2 and moved past them into second place in the Central League. Osera (10-6) struck out four, while allowing five hits and three walks after ...

A trip to visit the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters was just what the doctor ordered for Chiba Lotte Marines pitcher Chihaya Sasaki. The Fighters, meanwhile, are still desperately searching for the cure to their own malaise. Sasaki (2-1) threw five shutout frames and got plenty of ...

Tetsuto Yamada and Keiji Obiki both bagged three-run homers in the first inning, opening the floodgates as the Tokyo Yakult Swallows blew away the Yokohama BayStars 15-2 in the Central League on Wednesday. With their offense clicking into gear from the outset, the last-place Swallows ...

Shuta Tonosaki hit a three-run, first-inning home run, leading the Seibu Lions to an 11-4 victory over the Orix Buffaloes on Tuesday that saw two ejections. With the Lions leading 5-1 in the third, the benches emptied momentarily after Seibu starter Hiromasa Saito hit Shunta ...

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks slugger Alfredo Despaigne stole the spotlight from a duel of big-name pitchers on Monday, homering twice to lead the Pacific League-leading SoftBank Hawks to a 6-3 win over the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. Despaigne capped the Hawks' three-run first inning with a ...

Ariel Miranda pitched out of a pair of bases-loaded jams and Kenji Akashi delivered a tie-breaking, two-run single as the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks beat the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters 2-0 in the Pacific League on Sunday. Miranda (6-3) survived five walks and an error, allowing ...

Kodai Senga battled through seven innings for the win Saturday as the Pacific League-leading Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks came from behind for an 8-4 victory over the error-prone Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. The Hawks ace improved to 11-4 after striking out 10, while allowing four runs ...