Yomiuri 4
Hokkaido 3
Series: Hokkaido 0-1 Yomiuri
(Sapporo Dome)
The 2009 Japan Series kicked off tonight in Sapporo with the Pacific League Champions, Hokkaido, hosting their Central League counterparts, the Yomiuri Giants.

June 8th, 2009

Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters 3
Tokyo Yakult Swallows 4
Streak: Won 1   Last 5: LWWLW
(Jingu Stadium)
A 9th inning timely Takeuchi RBI single broke a 3-3 tie as Tokyo had themselves their first sayonara victory of 2009. It was a great end to a truly absorbing game between two closely matched teams.

June 7th, 2009

Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters 3
Tokyo Yakult Swallows 0
Streak: Lost 1   Last 5: LLWWL
(Jingu Stadium)
This was a game where pitching dominated and chances were at a premium, with the Fighters taking their’s to edge it and take the victory.
Ryo Kawashima started for the birds, and did well but just didn’t get any run support. Whatsoever. Ryo [...]

May 23rd, 2009

 
Tokyo Yakult Swallows  0

Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters 3 

Streak: Lost 1   Last 5: WWLWL
(Sapporo Dome)
Two days after being shutout on two hits by Rakuten ace Tanaka, Yakult got to try their hand against another of Japan’s top-tier starters, Yu Darvish.
But unlike against Tanaka, Tokyo managed to rack up eight hits off Darvish and put men on base [...]

May 22nd, 2009

 
Tokyo Yakult Swallows  3

Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters  2

Streak: Won 1   Last 5: WWWLW
(Sapporo Dome)
In what was initially thought to be a Darvish-Tateyama faceoff, Swallows fans were a bit relieved to hear that former Tokyo southpaw, Shugo Fujii, would be taking the mound instead.
Not that Fujii (3-2; 4.50) isn’t a decent pitcher. Not at [...]

Trans-Pacific Radio has just posted a short podcast previewing a few of the ins and outs, at least where personnel changes are concerned, of the off-season for the six teams in the Pacific League.
You can listen to the podcast on your computer by going here.

March 20th, 2009

Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters  1
Tokyo Yakult Swallows  0

Streak: Lost 1   Last 5: DWWWL
(Jingu Stadium)
This contest turned out to be a pitching duel from start to finish. Former Tokyo pitcher, Shugo Fujii, started this game for the visiting Fighters, and Tateyama took the mound for the Swallows.

March 5th, 2009
Tokyo Yakult Swallows  5 
Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters  2
Streak: Won 1   Last 4: WWLW
(Sapporo Dome)
Three Tokyo players had two-hit games, and the pitching staff only gave up a pair of runs in Tokyo’s second half of a two-day stay up in Hokkaido. Impressively, more than 10,000 people turned out for the game despite being [...]

March 4th, 2009
Tokyo Yakult Swallows  4 
Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters  5
Streak: Lost 1   Last 3: WWL
(Sapporo Dome)
The highlight of this game, from our perspective anyway, was Ishikawa. He started, threw only 41 pitches and retired all 12 batters he faced. Guiel provided the only offense of the game to that point with a solo home run [...]

Trans-Pacific Radio just published a
podcast which reviews the 2008 baseball
season all the way through the Japan Series which was eventually won by the Saitama Seibu Lions.
Click here to listen to the podcast.