Baseball community, friends reflect on Graczyk's life
Whenever the Yomiuri Giants were scheduled to play at home, I knew my phone would ring. "Are you going to Tokyo Dome?" Wayne Graczyk would ask. He wanted to know how many seats to keep free in the press box and how many doughnuts he ...
Several questions loom as spring camp approaches
We are three weeks from the Feb. 1 opening of the Central and Pacific League ballclubs spring training camps in Shikoku, Okinawa and southern Kyushu—and for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in Arizona with the San Diego Padres. Following are some questions to be ...
Fortuitous move to bullpen led Barnette to majors
The last game pitcher Tony Barnette ever started for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows came against the Chunichi Dragons on March 8, 2011, during spring training. Barnette had already had one life-altering moment that spring — he'd proposed to now-wife Hillary before leaving Arizona for ...
Right-handed closer Tony Barnette has agreed to a $3.5 million, two-year contract with the Texas Rangers after six seasons in Japan. Barnette gets $1.5 million next year and $1.75 million in 2017 under Tuesday's agreement. Texas has a 2018 option with a $250,000 buyout. A 32-year-old ...
The Central League champion Tokyo Yakult Swallows revealed Monday that they will make closer Tony Barnette available to major league teams through the posting system. The Swallows are seeking a posting fee of $500,000. Any major league team that agrees to pay that fee to ...
Swallows made great strides during 2015 season
The Tokyo Yakult Swallows were disappointed to fall short in the Japan Series against the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks, but weren't crushed by the defeat. While it's possible the disappointment over the way the series ended, with the Hawks winning in five games, may never fade, ...
Swallows closer Barnette savoring Japan Series experience
There was a little more spring in Tony Barnette's step when he made his Japan Series debut in the ninth inning of Game 3. "I thought about that myself too," he said after the Tokyo Yakult Swallows' 5-4 win on Tuesday night. "I was like, ...
Veteran catcher Takaya plays pivotal role for Hawks
When asked about Jingu Stadium a few weeks ago, Tokyo Yakult Swallows closer Tony Barnette gave a wry smile and said, "Jingu can play games with you as a pitcher." The middle three games of the Japan Series, hosted by Yakult, will give the Fukuoka ...
Strong bullpen helped transform Swallows into title contenders
If you don't get to the Tokyo Yakult Swallows early, you might not get to the Birds at all. A number of things have helped fuel the team's rise from CL cellar-dweller to CL champion this season. Among them has been Yakult's late-inning quartet of ...
Swallows can see finish line as race for pennant nears end
Before the 2015 NPB season, Nippon Television commentator Suguru Egawa, a former Yomiuri Giants pitcher, named the Tokyo Yakult Swallows as his pick to win the Central League pennant. Egawa has always been somewhat of an iconoclast, but picking a team breaking in a new ...
Swallows closer Barnette among three first-time monthly MVP award winners
Tokyo Yakult Swallows closer Tony Barnette was one of three first-time winners on Friday, when Nippon Professional Baseball announced its players and pitchers of the month for July. Barnette, who saved all eight games he appeared in, was named to the Central League honor roll ...
