Batterymates Katsuya Nomura, Joe Stanka shared special bond decades after playing for Hawks
The ball that brought an end to the 1964 Japan Series between the Nankai Hawks and Hanshin Tigers landed, as so many others had over those seven games, in Hawks catcher Katsuya Nomura's mitt. That final pitch (a swinging strike) was thrown by Nankai star ...
2019 Japan Series managers take trip down memory lane on eve of Game 1
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks manager Kimiyasu Kudo admitted to feeling a little bit nostalgic on the eve of this year's Japan Series matchup against the Yomiuri Giants. Kudo was a pitcher for Yomiuri the last time these two clubs vied for the crown. That was in ...
Stanka's family reunited with '64 MVP trophy
Joe Stanka's Pacific League MVP trophy was missing for over 30 years. He won the award with the Nankai Hawks during the 1964 season. Pitching to catcher Katsuya Nomura, "Big Thunder" went 26-7 with a 2.40 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 277⅔ innings. He was ...
'Home Run Jizo' testament of bond between Sadaharu Oh and ailing boy
It's raining hard at Shinbanba station in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward. Pouring, actually, real cats-and-dogs-type stuff. Sac Bunts is here, on the Keikyu Line platform, with Marty Kuehnert, former general manager of NPB's Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles and currently a senior GM with the B. League's ...
Baseball legend Sadaharu Oh praises Ichiro's contributions to the game
Hall of Famer Sadaharu Oh said Friday that, like the rest of Japan, he was riveted by Ichiro Suzuki's last game and his retirement news conference that ran well past midnight. The SoftBank Hawks chairman, who as manager of Japan at the first World Baseball ...
Hawks manager Kimiyasu Kudo receives Shoriki Award for third time
Kimiyasu Kudo, who this month managed the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks to their third Japan Series victory in four years, won his third Matsutaro Shoriki Award on Tuesday. Kudo, who won the award in 1987 as a player, also won as Hawks manager in 2015. Hall ...
Hawks rule the roost with dominating NPB title run
In the moments after the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks clinched their second consecutive Japan Series title on Saturday, club chairman Sadaharu Oh was asked for his thoughts about this year's team. Oh's words hold more weight than most in Japanese baseball. He's a living legend, owner ...
Koshien: Annual event has provided a century of thrills
Ah, Koshien. The 100th National High School Baseball Tournament gets underway on Sunday at historic Koshien Stadium near Kobe. Organized by the Japan High School Baseball Federation in association with the prestigious Asahi Shimbun, the tourney is the largest sporting event in Japan, on par ...
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks chairman Sadaharu Oh, whose 868 home runs are the most by a professional baseball player, said Friday he has married for a second time. "This is the 10th year we've been living together, so it's time to draw the line and make ...
Hall of Famer Sachio Kinugasa, whose 2,215 consecutive games played remain a Japan pro baseball record, died of colon cancer Monday at 71, an informed source said. Nicknamed "Iron Man," Kinugasa played for the Hiroshima Carp from 1965 to 1987 and was the Central League's ...
Hall of Fame skipper Tatsunori Hara reflects on Alex Ramirez's guts, father's advice
On the day of his induction into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame, Tatsunori Hara gave praise to one of his former players, current Yokohama BayStars manager Alex Ramirez. Ramirez, the only foreign-born player to join Japan's iconic 2,000-hit club, has called Hara, his skipper ...
Hawks reliever Dennis Sarfate named Matsutaro Shoriki Award recipient
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks closer Dennis Sarfate on Thursday became just the second player to win the prestigious Matsutaro Shoriki Award in 16 years and the first foreign-registered player. The award, sponsored by the Yomiuri Shimbun and named after the man who was the driving force ...
