Tatsuya Imai pitches first career shutout as Lions blank Eagles
Right-hander Tatsuya Imai threw a three-hitter for his first professional shutout on Sunday in the Saitama Seibu Lions' 4-0 win over the Tohoku Rakuten Eagles. Imai (4-2), who will turn 21 this week, walked four, while fanning five of the 33 hitters he faced at ...
Takumi Kuriyama lifts Lions to comeback win against Buffaloes
Takumi Kuriyama's eighth-inning, bases-loaded RBI single lifted the Saitama Seibu Lions to a 4-2 come-from-behind win over the Orix Buffaloes on Sunday. Tomoya Mori drew a bases-loaded walk to tie the game, and Kuriyama singled to right field against Buffaloes reliever Sachiya Yamasaki to put ...
The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks' lineup combined for 16 hits on Sunday to claim their three-game series on the road against the Saitama Seibu Lions. While the Hawks' bullpen thwarted the Pacific League's defending champions, last year's Japan Series winners had back-to-back five-run innings in their ...
The Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles announced Wednesday they have acquired infielder Hideto Asamura, who earlier this month declared domestic free agency after playing on the Seibu Lions' top team for the past nine seasons. Asamura, 28, was Seibu's third pick in the 2008 amateur draft ...
Pacific League RBI leader Hideto Asamura to file for free agency
Saitama Seibu Lions second baseman and Pacific League RBI champ Hideto Asamura will file for domestic free agency, the club said Monday. The 27-year old was the Lions' third pick in the 2008 draft out of high school. He set career highs this season with ...
Lions to submit application for Yusei Kikuchi to use posting system
The Saitama Seibu Lions have approved Yusei Kikuchi's wish to pursue a career in the major leagues and will post the left-hander soon, executives of the Pacific League team revealed Monday. Since Kikuchi cannot file for international free agency until 2020, he needed Seibu's approval ...
Hawks repeat PL dominance, defeat Lions to reach Japan Series
The 2018 NPB season didn't quite go the way the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks had planned. Even so, they're going to end it right where they expected to be all along. In the Japan Series. The dynastic Hawks have won four of the last seven Japan Series ...
Hawks again get best of Yusei Kikuchi, dominate Lions to even PL Climax Series
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 ...
Hawks look set to maintain stranglehold over Pacific League rivals
The following is the first of a two-part NPB preview beginning with the 2018 Pacific League. In order of predicted finish: Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks Last season: 94-49 (1st) The reigning Pacific League and Japan Series champions return with most of the pieces intact from the 2017 squad ...
Otani's legend grows with PL pennant-clinching win
Shohei Otani was sublime on Wednesday night. He was dazzling, superb, resplendent. He was all that and more, almost more than there are adjectives to describe him. Basically at Saitama Seibu Prince Dome on Wednesday night, Shohei Otani the pitcher was good enough, for ...
