Baseball

The Chunichi Dragons beat the Yomiuri Giants here, they beat them there and, for this series at least, they beat them everywhere. Nobumasa Fukuda capped a seventh-inning rally with a two-run double and the Dragons held on for a 3-2 victory over the Giants in front of 45,125 on Thursday […]

CINCINNATI – With a homer, a win and an appearance in the outfield, Michael Lorenzen pulled off a feat last accomplished by The Babe. Cincinnati’s versatile reliever also blocked the Phillies from gaining ground in the playoff chase. That last part stung the most for Philadelphia. Lorenzen hit a two-run […]

NEW YORK – Major League Baseball and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. announced a three-year partnership on Wednesday, making NTT the first Japanese information technology company to become an official MLB partner in the United States. The collaboration will create a new experience for baseball fans with NTT’s Ultra Reality […]

FUKUOKA – Akira Nakamura opened the scoring with a two-run home run, and Alfredo Despaigne homered twice as the Pacific League-leading Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks rocked the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles 5-1 on Wednesday night. Hawks starting pitcher Ariel Miranda (7-4) allowed the first two Eagles to reach but stranded three […]

WASHINGTON – A few cheering fans caught the attention of Nationals manager Dave Martinez as he finally began his nightly debrief with reporters. “Thank you for staying,” Martinez said. They couldn’t have been blamed for leaving early. No doubt, they’re glad they didn’t. Kurt Suzuki capped the largest ninth-inning comeback […]

KOBE – A first-inning blast from Takeya Nakamura proved the difference Tuesday as the Seibu Lions overpowered the Orix Buffaloes 5-1 in the Pacific League. Seibu starter Zach Neal (9-1) moved closer to a 10-win season in his first year in Japan, getting the victory after striking out three, while […]

LOS ANGELES – Joc Pederson homered leading off the game and added a three-run shot later. It took a gut-busting crash into the wall after a spectacular catch in the fifth inning to finally get him out of the game. By then, the Dodgers had done most of their damage. […]

CHIBA – Hayato Nishiura drove in the game-tying run as the Orix Buffaloes came from behind against the Chiba Lotte Marines in a game declared a 2-2 tie after 12 innings on Monday night. The Buffaloes drove in two runs in the top of the second to tie the game […]

Wladimir Balentien still remembers all the running. Balentien spent his first day in a Tokyo Yakult Swallows uniform in a constant state of motion. There was so much running, even on Day 1, he almost couldn’t believe it. Balentien had arrived in Japan to play baseball, but maybe he’d stumbled […]

TORONTO – Justin Verlander took the mound for the ninth inning, fully aware of the no-hitters he finished — and his near misses, too. Zeroed in, he wouldn’t be denied this time. Verlander pitched his third career no-hitter, punctuating a dominant season by striking out 14 to lead the Houston […]