Nishinomiya, Hyogo Pref. – Hanshin Tigers fans had not seen star reliever Atsuki Yuasa in over four months before his return created a stirring scene during Game 4 of the Japan Series. Yuasa received an immense hero’s welcome from the Tigers fans who made up most of the sellout crowd of 41,050 in attendance at … Read more
Osaka – There was a simple reason Orix Buffaloes manager Satoshi Nakajima put his complete faith in Yoshinobu Yamamoto with the season on the line and the ace pitcher coming off the worst start of his career. “He lost the last time out, but I thought there was no way Yoshinobu Yamamoto was going to … Read more
Osaka – The Hanshin Tigers finally did it. After suffering through a 38-year drought that felt much, much longer thanks to losing seasons, near misses and even a curse linked to Kentucky Fried Chicken, the Tigers and their fans can finally rejoice. The wait is over. The Tigers are Japan Series champions. Sheldon Neuse hit … Read more
The Orix Buffaloes will make ace pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto available to MLB teams via the posting system, the club announced shortly after its loss to the Hanshin Tigers in Game 7 of the Japan Series at Kyocera Dome Osaka on Sunday night. The move was widely expected before the Buffaloes made it official. Yamamoto is … Read more
Osaka – Contrary to what many believe, the Curse of the Colonel, Japanese baseball’s most famous and enduring urban legend, was sparked when the Hanshin Tigers won the Central League pennant in 1985 — not the Japan Series. As the story goes, after Hanshin clinched that season’s pennant on Oct. 16, a group of Tigers … Read more