Giants quash late rally, beat reeling BayStars
The Yokohama BayStars got the performances they needed at the plate and on the mound to beat the Yomiuri Giants. They just didn't get them early enough. Yomiuri's C.C. Mercedes pitched into the seventh, Yasuhiro Yamamoto drove in a pair of runs and Yomiuri stamped out ...
BayStars slugger Yoshitomo Tsutsugo becomes advocate of pitch-count limits for youth
Yoshitomo Tsutsugo was struck by a strange thought while playing for Samurai Japan during the 2017 World Baseball Classic. There were pitch limits in effect during that tournament, which features professional players, adults from MLB, NPB and other leagues. Meanwhile at the high school level ...
Yokohama BayStars left fielder Yoshitomo Tsutsugo informed his team Friday that he intends to pursue a career in the major leagues. Tsutsugo, 27, will be eligible for international free agency in 2021 after 11 seasons with the club. He would need the BayStars' approval ...
BayStars rookie pitcher Katsuki Azuma delivers banner performance against Giants
Rookie Katsuki Azuma allowed four hits over seven innings and two relievers completed the five-hitter as the Yokohama BayStars downed the Yomiuri Giants 6-0 on Thursday, shutting them out for the second straight night. Azuma (8-5) earned his first win since July 20 and improved ...
Tomoyuki Sugano clubs solo homer to help his cause, lift Giants over BayStars
Tomoyuki Sugano surrendered the lead on a slider. So it was only fitting the Yomiuri Giants ace used one to get it back. Sugano allowed a game-tying home run in the top of the fifth inning, then took matters into his own hands with a ...
Japan opened its two-game series against Australia with a 2-0 victory Saturday night at Nagoya Dome, giving six pitchers a workout in the exhibition game. After five scoreless innings, Samurai Japan broke open the game in the bottom of the sixth, driving home a pair ...
Samurai Japan skipper Atsunori Inaba begins preparations for March series against Australia
Atsunori Inaba managed a team of young players in his first tournament in charge of Samurai Japan. In March, he'll get his first chance to step into the dugout with the top team. Inaba will lead Samurai Japan against Australia in the two-game Enos Samurai ...
BayStars re-sign slugger Yoshitomo Tsutsugo for ¥350 million
The Yokohama Baystars re-signed outfielder Yoshitomo Tsutsugo on Wednesday for an annual salary of ¥350 million ($3.12 million) for next season, up ¥50 million from his previous contract with the Central League ballclub. "(The team) evaluated me based on many factors, including my performance as ...
BayStars skipper Alex Ramirez motivated players by keeping quiet
With the clock threatening to strike midnight on the Yokohama BayStars' inspired run to the Japan Series, Alex Ramirez backed off. Ramirez didn't have any special meetings, give any particularly impassioned speeches or use different motivational tactics. With his team down 3-0 in the Japan ...
BayStars rally in sixth, stave off elimination with Game 5 victory over Hawks
Anyone who thought the Yokohama BayStars were just going to roll over after going down 3-0 in the Japan Series can think again. These BayStars are still in it, and the mighty Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks suddenly have a fight on their hands. The BayStars rallied from ...
Hawks believe quick-strike offense a big key to Japan Series success
The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks will try to strike first, scoring runs early, so they can play their own brand of ball in the 2017 Japan Series. Before Saturday's Game 1 of the NPB championship series, Hawks hitting coach Hiroshi Fujimoto said that the Hawks would ...
Hawks' Seiichi Uchikawa, BayStars' Yoshitomo Tsutsugo determined to deliver quality Japan Series
While one team is no stranger to the biggest stage, the other squad returned there for the first time in nearly two decades. For both teams, the mental approach for the 2017 Japan Series is essentially the same: Try to keep playing the way they ...
