Japan drives past Mexico as Hayato Sakamoto breaks out of slump
Japan manager Atsunori Inaba professed his belief in shortstop Hayato Sakamoto, even as the star infielder struggled at the plate during the Premier12. With Japan looking to bounce back from its first loss of the tournament and facing undefeated Mexico, Sakamoto was back in a ...
Shota Imanaga, four Samurai Japan relievers toss four-hit shutout against Canada
Shota Imanaga struck out six over three scoreless innings and four relievers completed a four-hitter as Samurai Japan completed its two-game series against Canada with a 3-0 win. The win at Okinawa Cellular Field earned a series split before the two teams kick off their ...
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 ...
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 ...
Shota Imanaga, Tomo Otosaka lead BayStars over Central League-leading Giants
Shota Imanaga pitched six solid innings and Tomo Otosaka drove in two runs on Sunday in the DeNA BayStars' 3-0 win over the Central League-leading Yomiuri Giants. In front of 45,948 at Tokyo Dome, Imanaga (12-5) struck out eight of the 21 batters he faced, ...
Shota Imanaga threw a four-hitter on Thursday, leading the Yokohama BayStars to a 6-0 victory over the Hanshin Tigers. Imanaga (9-5) issued one walk, while striking out four in a 124-pitch effort for the BayStars at Koshien Stadium. He also singled and scored a run ...
Shota Imanaga struck out 11 over seven scoreless innings and Neftali Soto hit his 15th home run and the Yokohama BayStars held off the Tokyo Yakult Swallows 3-2 in the Central League on Friday. The loss was the Swallows' 15th straight, one shy of the ...
BayStars' Shota Imanaga works out of first-inning jam, earns first victory since June 10
Yokohama BayStars manager Alex Ramirez has been asking to see pitcher Shota Imanaga's fighting spirit all season. Once he saw the left-hander escape an early bases-loaded jam against the Yomiuri Giants on Thursday night, he felt like he was going to get his wish. Imanaga ...
Carp whip BayStars, spoil starter Shota Imanaga's season debut
Right-hander Yuta Nakamura worked into the ninth inning for the Hiroshima Carp in Tuesday's 7-2 victory over the Yokohama BayStars. The BayStars, who upset the CL champion Carp last autumn in the playoffs, had two key players making their season debuts, lefty Shota Imanaga and ...
MLB scouts keep tabs on young players at APBC
There were no elite players like Shohei Otani or Yoshitomo Tsutsugo, but the Asia Professional Baseball Championship served as a good showcase for MLB scouts to try and identify some up-and-coming, and possibly future MLB, talent. In fact, one anonymous major league scout said it ...
Samurai Japan southpaw Shota Imanaga baffles Taiwan batters in dazzling 12-strikeout performance
The way Shota Imanaga was pitching with a one-run lead took almost all the mystery out of Samurai Japan's game against Taiwan. Well, all of the mystery except the question of whether the next batter would strike out swinging or looking. Fresh off a Japan ...
BayStars beaten but unbowed after Japan Series experience
After the final out of the Japan Series, as the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks celebrated while glittering, golden confetti rained down from the Yafuoku Dome ceiling and jet balloons were set loose from the stands, Yokohama BayStars pitcher Shota Imanaga soaked it all in from ...
