Baseball / Japanese Baseball Nov 26, 2020
Hawks sweep Giants again to clinch fourth straight Japan Series title
by Jason Coskrey
SoftBank claimed its seventh title since 2011 and did it with a sweep that was even more dominant than the last one.
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 Aug 21, 2020
Airing games in U.S. only first step in Pacific League's plan to take Japanese baseball abroad
by Jason Coskrey
For a nation so famous for its baseball exports — from Hideo Nomo to Shohei Ohtani — Japan hasn’t done a very good job at promoting Nippon Professional Baseball outside its own borders. The Pacific League, the more forward-thinking of NPB’s two leagues, could spark ...
Baseball / Japanese Baseball | The week in NPB Aug 17, 2020
Yasuhiro Ogawa's no-hitter provides major lift for Swallows pitching staff
by Jason Coskrey
The Swallows are in desperate need of good results on the mound.
Baseball / Japanese Baseball | The week in NPB Jul 13, 2020
Yuki Yanagita powers Hawks past Eagles in six-game series
by Jason Coskrey
With no All-Star Game, Yuki Yanagita held his own personal home run derby last week in Fukuoka. The Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles may have arrived from Sendai in first place and with NPB's hottest hitter, Hideto Asamura, but it was Yanagita whose star shone brightest ...
Baseball / Japanese Baseball | NPB Preview Jun 15, 2020
Six players to watch in the Pacific League in 2020
by Jason Coskrey
From Hawks outfielder Yuki Yanagita to aspiring Rakuten starter Yuki Matsui, there's plenty of stellar talent to look forward to from the Pa League.
Baseball / Japanese Baseball | Sac Bunts Oct 24, 2019
Hawks display tremendous depth, talent en route to Japan Series three-peat
by Jason Coskrey
The only thing left to do is marvel at the absolute playoff strength of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. Simply calling them strong somehow feels inadequate. But the Hawks have rendered the extraordinary so mind-numbingly routine during the last several postseasons, purposeful simplicity is probably the ...
Baseball / Japanese Baseball Oct 18, 2019
2019 Japan Series managers take trip down memory lane on eve of Game 1
by Jason Coskrey
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks manager Kimiyasu Kudo admitted to feeling a little bit nostalgic on the eve of this year's Japan Series matchup against the Yomiuri Giants. Kudo was a pitcher for Yomiuri the last time these two clubs vied for the crown. That was in ...
Baseball / Japanese Baseball Sep 22, 2019
Yuki Yanagita and Yurisbel Gracial each drove in a pair of runs as the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks closed to within one game of the Pacific League-leading Saitama Seibu Lions on Sunday with a 6-5 win over the Orix Buffaloes. Yanagita singled in the Hawks' second ...
Baseball / Japanese Baseball Aug 22, 2019
Solid pitching from Tsuyoshi Wada, big hits from veterans carry Hawks past Buffaloes
Pitcher Tsuyoshi Wada worked six innings, Seiichi Uchikawa doubled in two runs, and Yuki Yanagita homered in his second game back from rehab to lead the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks to a 5-1 come-from-behind win over the Orix Buffaloes on Thursday in the Pacific League. Wada ...
Baseball / Japanese Baseball Aug 21, 2019
Ryoichi Adachi went 3-for-4 with four RBIs on Wednesday as the Orix Buffaloes came from behind to beat Pacific League-leading Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 14-4. In front of a sellout crowd at Yafuoku Dome, Adachi tied the game at 4-4 with a two-run, sixth-inning double against ...
Baseball / Japanese Baseball Mar 31, 2019
Yuki Yanagita homers Hawks past Lions for second straight game
Yuki Yanagita's clutch batting helped drive the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks past the Seibu Lions for the second straight day as his undefeated club beat the defending Pacific League champions 3-1 on Saturday to sweep the three-game opening series. Batting third for the Hawks, Yanagita went ...