Takeya Nakamura drove in three runs on three hits, including his 24th homer of the season, as the Seibu Lions beat the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters 7-3 in the Pacific League on Tuesday night. The PL-leading Lions forced the Fighters to go deep into their ...
Nakamura's vintage run just what Lions need
For Takeya Nakamura and the Seibu Lions, the past week and half was just like old times, with the Lions' lineup doing damage and the burly slugger's bat roaring the loudest. "Okawari-kun" went on a vintage, nearly record-setting run of power from Aug. 4-13. He ...
Kona Takahashi looked rusty in his first start of the season, but the Seibu Lions' hitters kept him in the game in a 7-6 win over the Orix Buffaloes on Wednesday. Takahashi (1-0) allowed four runs on seven hits, three walks and a hit batsman ...
Lions' Tomoya Mori comes through in clutch with game-winning double in 10th against Buffaloes
Yusei Kikuchi went nine innings, setting up an extra-inning win as Tomoya Mori's pinch-hit sayonara double lifted the Seibu Lions to 2-1 triumph over the Orix Buffaloes on Thursday. Kikuchi lucked out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the second and then cruised until Koji ...
Right-hander Ken Togame pitched 7-2/3 strong innings and Takeya Nakamura went 2-for-4 with two RBIs in the Seibu Lions' 5-2 win over the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters on Tuesday. In front of a crowd of 27,749 at Sapporo Dome, Togame (5-6) struck out 10 hitters ...
The NPB postseason began with the promise of a pitcher's duel, with a pair of aces on the mound on a chilly Saturday afternoon in Saitama Prefecture. Only one was able to hold up his end of the bargain. Seibu Lions star pitcher Yusei Kikuchi threw ...
Balentien's power remains constant presence at plate for Swallows
Wladimir Balentien could've been written off as a one-year wonder after hitting 31 home runs in his first season in Japan, way back in 2011. Or as just a flash in the pan after doing it the next season. No one could deny Balentien ...
Takeya Nakamura hit his 16th and 17th home runs of the season to bring the Seibu Lions from behind in an 11-4 win over the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters on Monday. With one out in the third inning and the Lions trailing 2-1 at Tokyo ...
The Seibu Lions pounded out 15 hits, putting the brakes on the Pacific League-leading Tohoku Rakuten Eagles in a 10-5 win on Wednesday afternoon. Lions captain Hideto Asamura went 5-for-6 with a pair of RBIs as Seibu overturned an early 3-0 deficit with two runs ...
Seibu Lions lefty Yusei Kikuchi unleashed some high-velocity fastballs on Thursday when he touched 154 kph (95 mph) in an intrasquad game. The 24-year-old Kikuchi allowed two hits and a run in three innings at the Lions spring training camp. "I threw some good pitches, so ...
Venezuela's Jimenez puts friendships aside during heated Premier 12 competition
While playing for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in 2009 and for the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization in 2014, Venezuela's Luis Jimenez developed many friendships on both teams. Because of those experiences, he has special emotions about facing the Japan and South ...
Premier 12 begins with Japan-South Korea clash
One day before the inaugural Premier 12 debuts, Japan national baseball team manager Hiroki Kokubo and South Korea skipper Kim In-sik addressed the media at a Sapporo hotel on Saturday evening. "As it's finally beginning, we're thrilled," Kokubo said. "It's the first tournament, but Japan ...
