An in-depth look at the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, Jingu Stadium, the Central League, and Japanese Pro Baseball
Welcome to the Monday Review, in which we’ll look back at the week that was and look ahead to the week that will be. We hope a recurring weekly review column will help readers identify some trends that can’t be covered in a single game report. We’re still trying to work out the format, so [...]
The Birds kicked off Interleague play with a disastrous 0-4 homestand. Starting tomorrow, the team takes their show on the road with two games each against the Seibu Lions and the Lotte Marines. That means for the first time this season, the Swallows will be able to feature a lineup with a designated hitter. The [...]
April 11th, 2010 Tokyo Yakult Swallows 3 Hanshin Tigers 7 Streak: Lost 2 Last 5: WLWLL (Koshien) Tokyo looked to Muranaka for another strong performance on the mound to help the team avoid losing its second series in a row. 1. Iihara LF 2. Tanaka 2B 3. Aoki CF 4. D’Antona 1B 5. Guiel [...]
April 9th, 2010 Tokyo Yakult Swallows 8 Hanshin Tigers 3 Streak: Won 1 Last 5: LLWLW (Koshien) After this week’s disappointing series loss to the Hiroshima Carp, the Swallows kicked off a 14-game marathon away from Jingu. First stop, the not-so-friendly confines of Koshien stadium. Here’s the starting batting lineup: 1. Miwa LF 2. [...]
Pitchers Kyouhei Muranaka (no. 15) and Mikinori Katoh (no. 16), the alleged future of the pitching staff, were brought up to the top team on the 18th of September. Muranaka, a fourth year lefty from Kanagawa, has been one of 2009′s bigger letdowns as far as the rotation is concerned. He resurfaces on the parent [...]
Catcher Atsushi Kinugawa (no. 38) was called up before yesterday’s game to join the Swallows top team. This is the first call-up of the season for the 28-year-old. With Yoneno recently sent down to the farm, the team was briefly playing with only two catchers on the 28-man roster (which is acceptable in my view), [...]
