Baseball

As Yu Darvish threw pitches and toyed with his grips in the bullpen at Sapporo Dome on one summer day in 2005, Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters pitching coach Mike Brown came to a startling realization. He’d never seen anything like this before. Brown was a baseball man who had been […]

As Yu Darvish threw pitches and toyed with his grips in the bullpen at Sapporo Dome on one summer day in 2005, Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters pitching coach Mike Brown came to a startling realization. He’d never seen anything like this before. Brown was a baseball man who had been […]

Osaka – The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks aren’t playing the same game as everyone else. How else to explain their domination of Japanese baseball — of the Climax Series and Japan Series in particular — for almost a decade? If everyone is taking the same test, SoftBank walked into the classroom […]

Chunichi Dragons southpaw Yudai Ono was announced as the recipient of this year’s Sawamura Award on Monday, beating out Yomiuri Giants ace Tomoyuki Sugano for the honor. Ono, who just completed his 10th pro season, is a first-time winner of the prestigious award. The five former star pitchers who made […]

Osaka – When the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks were up to bat, the relative quiet of Kyocera Dome was broken up by a Hawks fan with a snare drum. The fan played during the top half of every inning, striking in slow, deliberate, rhythmic patterns before stopping so the crowd could […]

Osaka – When the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks were up to bat, the relative quiet of Kyocera Dome was broken up by a Hawks fan with a snare drum. The fan played during the top half of every inning, striking in slow, deliberate, rhythmic patterns before stopping so the crowd could […]

Osaka – Tomoyuki Sugano raised his left arm and used the sleeve of his uniform to wipe his forehead as he stood on the mound with a mixture of sweat and frustration streaming down his face. A two-run deficit against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks had just become four — courtesy […]

Osaka – Ryoya Kurihara had to wait until his fourth trip to the Japan Series before getting his first hit. He didn’t have to wait nearly as long for the next two. Kurihara hit a two-run home run and a two-run double in support of starter Kodai Senga and the […]

Osaka – Kyocera Dome is a strange building to look upon. It stands out against its otherwise normal surroundings and its circular shape and silver color give it a definite sci-fi vibe. The curve of the roof rises up from the middle of a wavy tube that snakes around the […]

Los Angeles – Two years after Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, the Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani is entering what could be described as his winter of discontent. Instead of returning as a two-way impact player in 2020, Ohtani suffered a shoulder strain and pitched in just two […]