Pitchers Yuya Kamada (no. 20) and Tatsuyoshi Masubuchi (no. 22) were called up to the top team before yesterday’s game. This is the second time in recent weeks that Kamada has been called up, the first time was detailed in this Roster Update. Kamada has a 4.50 in eight innings of work for the top [...]

Middle reliever Jun Hagiwara (no. 48), an 18 year veteran who played for Orix and Hokkaido before coming to Tokyo last year, was recalled to the first team after being sent down just a week and a half ago. During his time on the farm, the right-handed Tokyo native appeared in four games and picked [...]

September 1st, 2009 Tokyo Yakult Swallows 1 Hanshin Tigers 6 Streak: Lost 5    Last 5:  LLLLL (Koshien) The Tokyo Swallows kicked off an absolutely enormous week in defense of their ever-weakening hold on third place (and a playoff spot) by traveling down to Hanshin territory for a series versus the resurgent Tigers. Refreshingly, the [...]

Pitcher Masao Kida (no. 42) and outfielder Munehiro Shida (no. 0) were brought up to the first team before yesterday’s game. Kida, a veteran right-handed pitcher who has played in the majors for the Dodgers and Mariners, spent most of the season on the top team before being demoted a little over a week ago. [...]

August 20th, 2009 Hanshin Tigers 10 Tokyo Yakult Swallows 2 Streak: Lost 1     Last 5:  LWLWL (Jingu Stadium) Well, I was wrong about who would be pitching today. I thought, and kind of hoped, that it would be Yuuki. Unfortunately, it was Ichiba. So it is probably necessary for me to think of [...]

August 18th, 2009 Hanshin Tigers 4 Tokyo Yakult Swallows 1 Streak: Lost 1     Last 5:  LLLWL (Jingu Stadium) Let it never be said that chances weren’t created in this game. Tokyo put plenty of runners on base, but they were phenomenally unsuccessful at getting them to cross home plate. Such is the overriding [...]

August 13th, 2009 Yokohama BayStars 13 Tokyo Yakult Swallows 2 Streak: Lost 2  Last 5: LLWLL (Jingu Stadium) Wow. That was embarrassing.

August 12th, 2009 Yokohama BayStars 4 Tokyo Yakult Swallows 3 Streak: Lost 1  Last 5: LLLWL (Jingu Stadium) Much like last week’s series, the birds opened this one with a win last night. Would they be able to make it two in a row? Just to make things interesting, Ichiba was in for his second [...]

August 7th, 2009 Tokyo Yakult Swallows 7 Yomiuri Giants 10   Streak: Lost 3   Last 5: LWLLL (Tokyo Dome) The birds fought back pretty hard, but boy oh boy this was a rough one.

August 2nd, 2009 Chunichi Dragons 6 Tokyo Yakult Swallows 5 Streak: Lost 1    Last 5: LLWWL (Jingu Stadium) A win was definitely within reach tonight, but a combination of too much bunting and a couple more unfortunate calls by the umpiring staff put the kaibosh on this extra-innings game.