Six players to watch in the Pacific League in 2020
From Hawks outfielder Yuki Yanagita to aspiring Rakuten starter Yuki Matsui, there's plenty of stellar talent to look forward to from the Pa League.
NPB stars no longer shy about expressing MLB aspirations
Kohei Arihara wants to pitch in the major leagues in the near future. Haruki Nishikawa wants to make the move as well. Hayato Sakamoto doesn't want to, but he had to address it all the same. Welcome to Japanese baseball's new normal — where the ...
No Sawamura winner named for 2019 season
The Sawamura Award is an honor given to the top pitcher in Japanese baseball each season. Well, except when it isn't. For the first time since 2000, and the fifth time since the award was established in 1947, no pitcher was deemed worthy of the honor ...
Race for Sawamura Award going down to wire
With the NPB season nearly over — no team has more than 16 games left — it's almost time for the group of retired pitchers who vote on the Sawamura Award to sit down and have a chat. When they finish lamenting that none of ...
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 ...
Fighters hurler Kohei Arihara improves to 5-1 with banner performance against Eagles
Kohei Arihara threw four-hit ball over eight innings behind a strong defense on Tuesday as the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters opened a three-game series against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles with a 13-1 win. The Fighters starter fanned seven at Rakuten Seimei Park Miyagi while ...
Fighters pound out 11 hits, take 10-0 lead in first inning in rout of Marines
Pitcher Kohei Arihara threw eight shutout innings and the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters backed him with a 10-run first inning in Tuesday afternoon's 14-1 win over the Chiba Lotte Marines. Nippon Ham had 11 hits in the first inning alone against Marines starter Ayumu Ishikawa ...
Oswaldo Arcia belted a three-run homer and Kohei Arihara went the distance as the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters defeated the Orix Buffaloes 4-1 on Monday. With both leagues returning to action after this year's All-Star Series, Arcia took Orix starter Yuki Nishi (5-8) deep in ...
Kohei Arihara, Haruki Nishikawa lead way as Fighters rout Hawks
Kohei Arihara was impressive over seven innings and Haruki Nishikawa drove in four runs to lead the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters to a 10-1 victory over the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks at Tokyo Dome on Monday. Arihara (5-2) allowed five hits and hit a batter, while ...
Fighters' Kohei Arihara fans nine batters en route to first victory of season
Kohei Arihara worked eight innings Saturday to pick up his first win of the season on return from a right-shoulder injury as the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters defeated the Orix Buffaloes 2-1. In front of 17,443 at a rain-soaked Hotto Motto Field Kobe, Arihara allowed ...
Fighters have to look for successor as Ohtani says goodbye
Generous Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters fans gathered at Sapporo Dome on Christmas Day to put a bow on the present they spent the last five seasons wrapping, one the Los Angeles Angels can't wait to open during spring training. The MLB-bound Shohei Ohtani said his ...
Eagles take small step in right direction with back-to-back victories over Fighters
The Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles are officially on a winning streak. It's only two games, but it's a start, and with the way the last few weeks have gone, the Eagles will gladly take it. Carlos Peguero drove in two runs, Yuki Matsui recorded his ...
