Japanese Baseball

It took 18 games and 13 losing decisions for Yusei Kikuchi to finally pick up a win against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. The Hawks only needed one big inning to both restore order and also get even in their climax series matchup. SoftBank tagged Kikuchi for ...

Although the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks failed to repeat as Pacific League champions, they have what it takes to beat the new champs, the Seibu Lions, and reach the Japan Series for the fourth time in five years. The race for the brass ring heats up ...

Two days after throwing a no-hitter to clinch the Central League Climax Series' first stage, the Yomiuri Giants' Tomoyuki Sugano was named the league's pitcher of the month for September and October on Tuesday. Although he is a strong candidate to win his second straight ...

The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks powered past the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters 5-2 on Monday, with five solo home runs from their red-hot batting lineup helping them advance to the final stage of the Pacific League Climax Series. A day after the Fighters evened the best-of-three ...

Hanshin Tigers minor league manager Akihiro Yano accepted a promotion that will make him the top team manager, the seven-time All-Star catcher revealed Monday. Yano will replace former teammate Tomoaki Kanemoto, who last week refused to accept a contract extension to take responsibility for the ...

Tomoyuki Sugano turned, slapped his glove and thrust both arms into air once the ball was safely secure in Daikan Yoh's glove in center field. He wore a broad smile as catcher Seiji Kobayashi enveloped him in a hug near the mound at Jingu ...

If there was any lingering doubt about who Japan's best pitcher was, Tomoyuki Sugano put it to rest. Just like he did the Tokyo Yakult Swallows' season. Sugano sent the Yomiuri Giants to the next round of the postseason in style, twirling a no-hitter in the ...

Three straight two-out, eighth-inning doubles by Haruki Nishikawa, Taishi Ota and Kensuke Konda lifted the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters to a 4-2 win in Sunday's Game 2 of the Pacific League Climax Series' first stage against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. The Fighters now are a ...

Without hesitation, the Swallows sent their Giants killer to the mound for Saturday's postseason series opener, but it did not work out the way they had hoped. Instead, the Giants who came through, scoring key late runs and relying on solid pitching in their 4-1 ...

Masahiro Nakatani's 11th-inning RBI single lifted the Hanshin Tigers to a 3-2, come-from-behind win over the Chunichi Dragons on Saturday as NPB completed its regular season. With both teams playing their final games under managers who will not be back for 2019, the Tigers came ...

Alfredo Despaigne started the NPB postseason with a bang, hitting a first-inning grand slam as the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks cruised to an 8-3 victory over the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in Game 1 of the Pacific League Climax Series' first stage on Saturday. The Hawks ...