Baseball

Tempe, Arizona – The Los Angeles Angels named two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani as their Opening Day starting pitcher on Friday, adding another accolade to the reigning American League MVP’s resume. The 27-year-old became the seventh Japanese pitcher to be appointed Opening Day starter by a major league team, following in […]

While baseball fans may have seen the last of pitchers not named Shohei Ohtani batting in MLB, Central League hurlers are still stepping into the batter’s box in Japan — and they looked pretty good on Saturday. The CL became one of the last pro leagues where pitchers still bat […]

There is nothing like a good first impression. Just ask new Yomiuri Giants Gregory Polanco and Taisei Ota, who both stood on the hero interview podium soaking up the adulation of over 38,000 fans after kicking off the new NPB season in style. Polanco had three hits, including a tiebreaking […]

The pennant races are set to begin anew as NPB prepares to kick off another season. As Japan’s 12 clubs prepare to chase the pennant, here are six players from the Pacific League to keep an eye on. Daiki Tajima (Orix Buffaloes) Tajima did not garner as much attention as […]

The Orix BlueWave finished ahead of the Chiba Lotte Marines in the Pacific League in 1995 before losing to the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in the Japan Series. The BlueWave won the PL again in 1996 and then finished the job against the Yomiuri Giants in the Japan Series. The Orix […]

Tempe, Arizona – Los Angeles Angels manager Joe Maddon welcomed reports Tuesday that Major League Baseball has agreed to let two-way stars like Shohei Ohtani stay in the batting order as the designated hitter after they leave the mound. “I think it’s probably true. It’s wonderful news for us,” Maddon […]

The pennant races are set to begin anew as NPB prepares to kick off another season. As Japan’s 12 clubs prepare to chase the pennant, here are six players from the Central League to keep an eye on. Yasutaka Shiomi (Tokyo Yakult Swallows) Shiomi is one of NPB’s most exciting […]

The Tokyo Yakult Swallows not only made a surprise run to the Central League pennant last season, the team capped off the year by beating the Orix Buffaloes in a wildly entertaining Japan Series to become the first CL team since 2012 to take the crown. Yakult’s long climb from […]

Tempe, Arizona – Two-way star Shohei Ohtani threw a 99-mile-per-hour (159 kilometers-per-hour) pitch in his first mound appearance of 2022 in the Los Angeles Angels’ 8-5 preseason loss to the Kansas City Royals at Tempe Diablo Stadium on Monday. The reigning American League MVP said he was working more on […]

Tempe, Arizona – The Los Angeles Angels are considering a number of spots in the batting lineup for two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani on Opening Day, Angels manager Joe Maddon said Saturday. The 27-year-old Ohtani batted No. 2 for the Angels in Saturday’s 12-5 spring training win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, […]