Tag - wladimir-balentien

 
 

WLADIMIR BALENTIEN

BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jan 23, 2022
NPB home run king Wladimir Balentien announces retirement
The Curacao native rewrote the NPB record book in 2013 with 60 home runs to surpass the previous single-season mark of 55, originally set by Yomiuri Giants legend Sadaharu Oh in 1964.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / Sac Bunts
Sep 2, 2019
Swallows slugger Wladimir Balentien looks back on long career in Japan
Wladimir Balentien still remembers all the running.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / Sac Bunts
Apr 15, 2019
Swallows' hot-hitting lineup firing on all cylinders
Anyone who watched the Tokyo Yakult Swallows play this past week probably still has the Tokyo Ondo stuck in their head. When they close their eyes, they might still see a sea of small, mostly green umbrellas bobbing up and down in rhythm to the tune.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Apr 14, 2019
Swallows beat Giants in slugfest
The Yomiuri Giants provided the fireworks in the opener and the Tokyo Yakult Swallows lit up the scoreboard in second game.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Sep 11, 2018
Clutch performances by Wladimir Balentien and Yasuhiro Ogawa give Tokyo Yakult Swallows a big win
Wladimir Balentien was more than ready to turn the page on one of his worst weeks of the season. Being able to do it in an important game against the rival Yomiuri Giants was just icing on the cake.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / Sac Bunts
Aug 19, 2018
Tokyo Yakult Swallows slugger Wladimir Balentien stays ahead of curve at plate
Every time Wladimir Balentien hits a home run, and he's hit quite a few since joining the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in 2011, he has to go back to the drawing board and recalibrate his approach.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 27, 2018
Slugger Wladimir Balentien alters focus going into new season
Wladimir Balentien switched things up a little this spring.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 26, 2018
Seibu ace Yusei Kikuchi refuses to rest on laurels
Yusei Kikuchi has put last year behind him. All the wins, the career numbers and accolades, firmly in the rearview mirror. His brush with the Sawamura Award, now just a fond memory.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Sep 11, 2017
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 his due after he shattered the NPB record with 60 home runs in 2013, or...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Apr 21, 2017
Baseball community, friends reflect on Graczyk's life
Whenever the Yomiuri Giants were scheduled to play at home, I knew my phone would ring.
Japan Times
BASEBALL
Mar 21, 2017
Puerto Rico tops Netherlands in 11th, reaches WBC final
The Puerto Rican players swarmed Eddie Rosario, pushing and pulling, grabbing at his jersey and patting the top his head and the hair he'd dyed blond, like the rest of the team. Behind home plate, Francisco Lindor was off on his own, stripping off his jersey and holding it high, so everyone could see...
Japan Times
BASEBALL
Mar 17, 2017
Seasoned, confident Dutch team focused on winning
These Dutch are hot and dangerous right now.
Japan Times
BASEBALL
Mar 13, 2017
Dutch pound Israel to keep WBC semifinal hopes alive
The Dutch have had a habit of coming out of the dugout to greet players who score runs during the World Baseball Classic.
BASEBALL
Mar 11, 2017
Teams makes preparations for second round
Tokyo Dome was mostly silent, with only the sounds of practice ricocheting off thousands of empty seats at the Big Egg, as the 2017 World Baseball Classic took a day off to prepare for the final push to the championship round.
Japan Times
BASEBALL
Mar 11, 2017
Talented, youthful Dutch squad no longer a secret
Wladimir Balentien, the affable slugging outfielder for the Netherlands and the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, said he knew the young group of players darting around the infield for the Dutch during the World Baseball Classic four years ago were going to be special.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jan 7, 2017
Can Naoki 'The Flea' Nakahigashi extend his career?
Happy New Year to all Baseball Bullet-In readers, and let the countdown begin. Just 24 days until the Japanese pro ball clubs begin spring training camps on the way to opening day of the regular season on March 31.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Aug 4, 2016
Swallows slugger Balentien maintains desire to play in 2020 Tokyo Olympics
Wladimir Balentien suited up for the Netherlands at the Olympics in Athens in 2004, a point in his career before he'd made his MLB debut or even given the first thought to playing in Japan. Balentien might be in the process of winding things down four years from now, but the Tokyo Yakult Swallows slugger...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Feb 29, 2016
Healthy Balentien ready to make up for lost time
Wladimir Balentien laughed his familiar laugh as he held court in the visitor's dugout at Tokyo Dome, making rapid-fire transitions between a number of topics, from the yakiniku he ate in Okinawa, to teammate Tetsuto Yamada or whatever else popped into his head at the time.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 31, 2015
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.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 25, 2015
Yafuoku Dome's shortened fences help Hawks, foes
Shota Takeda might've opened the Japan Series with a three-hit shutout had the game been played in 2014. It wasn't, so instead of a shutout, the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks pitcher gave up a two-out two-run home run to Tokyo Yakult Swallows slugger Kazuhiro Hatakeyama in the ninth inning of a 4-2 victory...

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji