Giants manager Tatsunori Hara not panicking about team's poor performance in spring training
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 ...
NPB clubs keep things normal amid virus fears
The oddest thing about the preseason game the Yomiuri Giants and Tokyo Yakult Swallows played at Tokyo Dome on Saturday night — and really the same could be said about all the other games over the weekend too — was the lack of fans. The ...
Swallows' Alcides Escobar gets unexpected silent treatment in return to Japan
The lively atmosphere Alcides Escobar expected for his Tokyo Dome return was silenced by Japan's efforts to counter the spread of the new coronavirus known as COVID-19. In November 2014, the longtime defensive wiz with the Milwaukee Brewers and Kansas City Royals got a taste ...
Giants and Swallows compete without familiar sights and sounds at ballpark
The return of pro baseball to Tokyo Dome on Saturday night was greeted by a jarring silence. There were no songs or chants to welcome the players to the plate nor the blaring of trumpets to provide the familiar soundtrack to the NPB experience. Instead, it ...
Blue Jays newcomer Shun Yamaguchi excited about change of scenery, opportunity to pitch in majors
Right-hander Shun Yamaguchi, the newest addition to the Toronto Blue Jays' pitching staff, said Wednesday that overcoming eastern Canada's cold weather will be his top priority as he competes for a rotation spot. After being introduced by Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins in a ...
Pitcher Shun Yamaguchi has signed a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, the team said on its official website on Friday. The 32-year-old right-hander was the first-ever player posted to the majors by the Yomiuri Giants when the NPB team made him available for negotiation ...
Koji Uehara faces future after long career in baseball
Life after baseball has already begun for Koji Uehara, and the former major league pitcher is relishing the calm after his abrupt midseason retirement earlier this year and subsequent media tour. For the first time in 21 years, he is not training in the offseason, ...
Giants complete posting application for pitcher Shun Yamaguchi
The Yomiuri Giants officially broke with tradition on Tuesday when they made pitcher Shun Yamaguchi available to major league teams by completing his posting system application. The 32-year-old is the first player the Giants have posted since the system was introduced after the 1998 season. Major ...
Seemingly content without MLB, MVP Hayato Sakamoto on track for big things in Japan
Hayato Sakamoto is the one who stayed. In the midst of an era of increased player movement and Japanese stars departing for the major leagues, Sakamoto is one of biggest names, among the age group making the jump, to seemingly decide the grass is actually ...
Hayato Sakamoto, Tomoya Mori named league MVPs
It was pretty apparent early in the NPB season that it might be a special year for the Yomiuri Giants' Hayato Sakamoto and the Seibu Lions' Tomoya Mori. Eight months later, that was proven true as they stood side-by-side as the top players in their ...
MLB-bound Giants ace Shun Yamaguchi earns maiden Best Nine Award
Yomiuri Giants ace Shun Yamaguchi earned his first-ever Best Nine Award on Monday in what could be his last season before departing Japan. The right-hander, who led the Central League in wins, strikeouts and winning percentage this season, intends to move to the major leagues ...
Will Yamaguchi's departure from Yomiuri Giants to MLB clear a path for Sugano?
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 ...
