Giants eliminate Tigers to reach Japan Series for first time since 2013
Yoshihiro Maru stood at the plate with two outs, a runner on third and Yuki Nishi staring in from the mound. The game was tied in the sixth inning and the Yomiuri Giants and their fans were hoping for a hit. Some, perhaps, may ...
Tigers slip past BayStars into final stage of Climax Series
Anyone who thought the Hanshin Tigers used all nine lives just to make it into the Central League Climax Series was mistaken. They clearly have a few more left up their sleeves. Hanshin took advantage of a pair of costly wild pitches, Ryutaro Umeno broke an ...
Fumiya Hojo-led Tigers stage spirited rally against BayStars in CL Climax Series opener
Big, improbable comebacks are becoming the Hanshin Tigers' speciality. Fumiya Hojo hit a three-run home run to get the Tigers close in the seventh and put them ahead with a two-run triple in the eighth as a spirited rally resulted in an 8-7 win over ...
Giants seize opportunities in Game 1 triumph over Swallows
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 ...
BayStars begin quest to reach Japan Series on the road against Tigers
The Yokohama BayStars finished third in the Central League for the second straight season, and seek to do better than they fared in last year's postseason. To that end, the ballclub will count on two key pitchers' tendency to perform better away. Last year, the BayStars ...
Ramirez guiding BayStars with steady hand
It might be strange to some to see Yokohama BayStars manager Alex Ramirez remaining so grounded. The same Ramirez who played with emotion, who performed special dances after his home runs (sometimes with team mascots), is calm, cool and collected as his BayStars work ...
The Yokohama BayStars won their second elimination game of the postseason, beating the Hiroshima Carp 3-0 in Game 3 of the Central League Climax Series Final Stage on Friday. Four days after winning the do-or-die Game 3 of the first stage against the Yomiuri Giants, ...
Yusuke Nomura threw six shutout innings and Kosuke Tanaka scored three runs Thursday to put the Hiroshima Carp on the verge of their first Japan Series since 1991. Before 31,264 at Mazda Stadium, Tanaka reached base and scored his first two times up, and then ...
Ramirez's leadership pivotal for BayStars
The BayStars turned the music up. Way up. It didn't matter that a wall separated the clubhouse from the room where manager Alex Ramirez was meeting with the media after a triumphant showing in the first stage of the Central League Climax Series on ...
BayStars fans revel in win over Giants
Yokohama BayStars fans on Monday celebrated their team's win over the Yomiuri Giants after their three-game series at Tokyo Dome to advance to the final stage of the Central League Climax Series. "This was by far the best first stage ever in the 10 years ...
Unlikely hero Minei sends BayStars to final stage of CL Climax Series
The roar of the fans in the stands after the final out could probably be heard all the way to Hiroshima. Very soon, the Yokohama BayStars players will be trying to make their voices heard there as well. Yokohama's Hiroki Minei, who played in only ...
Cruz practices with Giants ahead of decisive Game 3
Yomiuri Giants infielder Luis Cruz, who was deactivated prior to the start of the Central League Climax Series First Stage, practiced with the top team at Tokyo Dome on Monday ahead of the decisive third game against the Yokohama BayStars. "I feel good," Cruz said. ...
