Semi-official injury count for the month of February at the Tokyo Swallows spring camp: 11 players missed all or part of at least one day of practice. In detail, that works out to six pitchers, four catchers, and one infielder. Go, go Swallows!
While the six injured pitchers may set off the loudest alarm for some [...]

It’s that time of year again. Spring camp has begun, and the players are all gearing up for another season of sweeping all before them (well, the Giants players are anyway.) The salary negotiations are done and our heroes in the Tokyo uniforms now know how much they will be earning to follow the instructions [...]

October 17th, 2009

Tokyo Swallows 3
Chunichi Dragons 2

Series: Chunichi 0-1 Tokyo
(Nagoya Dome)
Game one of the 2009 Central League Climax Series kicked off in Nagoya with Chen on the mound for the home team, and Ishikawa taking the reigns for the visiting Tokyo Swallows.
And Tokyo came up with the goods versus a very sharp Chen.

October 9th, 2009

Hanshin Tigers 1

Tokyo Yakult Swallows 3

Streak: Won 4      Last 5:  LWWWW
(Jingu Stadium)
Whisper it, we are A-Class. No f*uck that. Shout it from the rooftops, WE ARE A-CLASS!!
In the biggest game the Swallows have faced in years, they did what was necessary and beat the Hanshin Tigers to secure 3rd place in [...]

October 3rd, 2009

Tokyo Yakult Swallows 6

Hanshin Tigers 4
Streak: Won 1      Last 5:  WLLLW
(Koshien)
With the race for 3rd getting tighter with every day, this was a game that the Swallows simply had to win. A loss tonight and they’d be two games back of Hanshin, a win and they’d be level. For these big [...]

The current key series with the ever-lovable (cough) Hanshin Tigers is proving to be a costly one, even if Tokyo do manage to take tonight’s game to win the series.

September 27th, 2009

Yokohama BayStars 1

Tokyo Yakult Swallows 3

Streak: Won 5  Last 5: WWWWW
The Tokyo Swallows maintained their slim half-game lead over the Hanshin Tigers with another complete game victory by the team’s starter, Masanori Ishikawa.
The Tigers absolutely embarrassed Chunichi’s Yamamoto on their way to winning that series two to one.
The Swallows, believe it or not, [...]

September 21st, 2009

Tokyo Yakult Swallows 5
Hiroshima Toyo Carp 6
Streak: Lost 4      Last : WLLLL
(Mazda Stadium)
There are nights when I seriously have to question whether or not watching and writing about baseball is actually fun, or in fact a colossal waste of time, emotion and energy. Tonight (as well as far too many of late) was [...]

September 15th, 2009

Tokyo Yakult Swallows 5

Yokohama BayStars 6

Streak: Lost 9  Last 5: LLLLL
(Yokohama Stadium)
The last time the Swallows played the Baystars, the Stars whupped them 13-2. Carrying an eight game losing streak, the beleaguered fourth-place Swallows headed to Yokohama to play a team that has had their number all season long.

September 9th, 2009

Hiroshima Toyo Carp 9
Tokyo Yakult Swallows 0
Streak: Lost 4     Last : DLLLL
(Jingu Stadium)
Two-word game report: shit sandwich.