Baseball / Japanese Baseball Nov 23, 2020
Dragons ace Yudai Ono wins Sawamura Award
by Kaz Nagatsuka
Ono is the ninth Dragons pitcher to win the award and first since Kenshin Kawakami in 2004.
Japanese Baseball Nov 22, 2020
Tomoyuki Sugano's future bright despite loss in Japan Series opener
by Jason Coskrey
The Giants ace is expected to be one of the hottest targets of the MLB offseason if rumors of a posting come to fruition.
Baseball / Japanese Baseball Nov 21, 2020
Hawks cut Giants down to size in Game 1 of Japan Series
by Jason Coskrey
Dating back to 2018 against the Hiroshima Carp, the Hawks have now won nine straight Japan Series games as they attempt to win their fourth straight title.
Baseball / Japanese Baseball Oct 31, 2020
Giants wrap up pennant race by winning franchise's 38th Central League crown
Because the CL eliminated its playoffs due to disruptions caused by the coronavirus, the Giants automatically advance to the Japan Series.
Baseball / Japanese Baseball | Sac Bunts Oct 15, 2020
Yudai Ono should be on track for Sawamura Award if committee keeps its word
by Jason Coskrey
The prize ostensibly honors the pitcher who most embodies the legacy of Eiji Sawamura in a given year. It's hard to argue Ono doesn't fit that bill.
Baseball / Japanese Baseball | The week in NPB Oct 12, 2020
Marines soldier on after virus outbreak
by Jason Coskrey
What a week it was for the Chiba Lotte Marines. Technically, things got started Oct. 4, when pitcher Daiki Iwashita and a staff member tested positive for COVID-19. Subsequent testing early last week revealed 11 more infections (a total that included seven top-team players), the club ...
Baseball / Japanese Baseball | The week in NPB Aug 31, 2020
Giants and Hawks in driver's seat at halfway mark in NPB
by Jason Coskrey
Despite the shortened schedule, there's still plenty to look forward to in the 2020 campaign.
Baseball / Japanese Baseball | Sac Bunts Mar 17, 2020
Giants manager Tatsunori Hara not panicking about team's poor performance in spring training
by Jason Coskrey
There are a few trains of thought about spring training. One of the most prevalent, is that it doesn't matter. Or to be more precise, the results don't matter. The win-loss records don't count for anything and are largely forgotten the second the first pitch ...
Baseball / Japanese Baseball | Sac Bunts Nov 19, 2019
Will Yamaguchi's departure from Yomiuri Giants to MLB clear a path for Sugano?
by Jason Coskrey
The biggest question stemming from the Yomiuri Giants' decision to post pitcher Shun Yamaguchi to MLB is not how Yamaguchi might fare in the majors. It's when will Tomoyuki Sugano get there? After years ago solidifying their resistance to the posting system on the back of ...
Baseball / Japanese Baseball Aug 2, 2019
BayStars' Jose Lopez delivers game-winning hit against rival Giants
Jose Lopez hit a tie-breaking, two-run double off his former team, lifting the second-place Yokohama BayStars to a 4-2 win over the Central League-leading Yomiuri Giants on Friday night. Trailing by a run in the sixth, Neftali Soto doubled in Takehiro Ishikawa to tie it ...
Baseball / Japanese Baseball Jul 13, 2019
Tigers rookie Koji Chikamoto hits for cycle in CL's rout of PL in All-Star Series finale
Hanshin Tigers rookie Koji Chikamoto became the second player to hit for the cycle in in the NPB All-Star Series, leading the Central League to an 11-3 win over the Pacific League in Saturday's series finale. Chikamoto, who became the first rookie to lead off ...
Baseball / Japanese Baseball Jul 2, 2019
Giants ace Tomoyuki Sugano tosses six-hit shutout against Dragons
Tomoyuki Sugano threw a complete game shutout Tuesday as he steered the Central League-leading Yomiuri Giants to a 6-0 win over the Chunichi Dragons. The performance was a welcome turnaround for the Giants ace, who lasted just one inning in a 5-1 loss to the ...