Blockbuster matchup: Hawks' Kodai Senga vs. Giants' Shun Yamaguchi in Japan Series opener
Shortly before the end of the Japan Series managers' meeting the skippers of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and Yomiuri Giants were asked to name their starters for Game 1. Hawks manager Kimiyasu Kudo spoke first, grabbing a mic and stating simply with no hesitation, "For ...
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 ...
Yomiuri Giants catcher Shinnosuke Abe made his retirement official on Wednesday, saying he felt ready to step away from the game after he ticked enough boxes this season, his 19th in Nippon Professional Baseball. As the former captain of the Tokyo-based Central League club, the ...
Giants capture first Central League pennant since 2014
Yomiuri Giants manager Tatsunori Hara wrapped an arm about Shinnosuke Abe, one of his longest-serving veterans, as they walked toward the left-field stands at Yokohama Stadium, where their fans were waiting to greet them with rapturous applause. The pair, who have been through so many ...
Warren Cromartie still eager to pitch in to help Giants, Expos
Warren Cromartie says he's always been a team player. So when his former Yomiuri Giants teammate Tatsunori Hara, currently the club's manager, asked for his help, there was no way the 1989 Central League MVP was going to turn him down. Cromartie was already in Japan, ...
Central League set up for exciting race to finish line
Things looked so simple in the Central League at the All-Star break. The Yomiuri Giants were in first place when the second half started on July 15, with the closest object to them in the rearview mirror 9½ games back. But, as they say, life comes ...
Tatsunori Hara has shot at top 10 for most wins by a manager
Tatsunori Hara moved into rarefied air when his Yomiuri Giants beat the Hiroshima Carp on Tuesday night, becoming the 13th NPB manager to reach 1,000 career victories. It's easy to look back and see how he got there. Hara has managed a number of strong ...
Giants beginning to hit stride ahead of All-Star break
Following a spring training game against the Seattle Mariners in March, Yomiuri Giants manager Tastunori Hara mused that the MLB club's lineup looked similar to his own. Hara was specifically referencing the Mariners using one of their best hitters, Mitch Haniger, in the No. 2 ...
Naoki Yoshikawa could play key role for 2019 Giants
The Yomiuri Giants are set up to have a lot of star power in their 2019 lineup. Yoshihiro Maru is the two-time reigning Central League MVP, Hayato Sakamoto has been on four Best Nine teams, including last season, and Kazuma Okamoto was an All-Star last ...
Giants go on offseason flurry in effort to revive glory days
The Yomiuri Giants are often referred to as Japan's answer to the New York Yankees — the "Evil Empire" version of the Bronx Bombers anyway — and the offseason they've had makes it easy to see why. After finishing a fourth straight season without winning ...
MLB All-Stars jump on Giants early en route to exhibition victory
The MLB All-Stars prepared for their series against Samurai Japan by giving former Japan manager Tatsunori Hara a rude welcome in his return to the dugout. Washington Nationals rookie sensation Juan Soto drove in a run with an infield double off the Tokyo Dome ceiling ...
The saga of Japan's most storied pro baseball team took a new twist on Tuesday, when former Tatsunori Hara rejoined the Yomiuri Giants as skipper for the third time. The 60-year-old Hara, the skipper of Japan's second World Baseball Classic championship team in 2009, guided ...
