Yakyuu Shonen - Baseball Chat

Those Giants Are Awesome

noreply@blogger.com (Yakyuu Shonen) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 22:35:00 +0000

Really, the more I watch the Giants, the more I like 'em. I'd incredibly excited about this World Series. The Giants are wackier than ever, and they feature an intense style of play that keeps fans on edge! The Rangers are a solid team of likable players, it's true, but I really want to see a Giants victory in this World Series. I'd like to go more in-depth about how exciting the Giants and their various players are, but I wanted to put my fanship out there in the forefront before the World Series began. I have liked the Giants this season, but being able to watch this so far has been a real treat. I find the team to be quite fun indeed!

Teams I Reckon I'll Root for in the 2010 League Division Series

noreply@blogger.com (Yakyuu Shonen) — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 19:59:00 +0000

This is not a prediction by any means. This is just a collection of thoughts on different matchups and the teams I figure on supporting. See, I have a few teams that are among my favorites, but I generally like pretty much all clubs. After all, they play baseball, right? This season, I spent a considerable amount of time rooting for the Mariners and Nationals. Well, I figured the Mariners had a chance to make it far, right? Er... Suffice to say, this post will concentrate on teams I like that are still in the game at this point.

Tampa Bay Rays - Texas Rangers

Both of these teams are pretty likeable. The Rays may have snagged the division from the Yankees that I had been supporting, but I don't hold it against them. They're fresh and blazingly good but still apparently lacks enough fans, so why not support them now? On the other hand, the Rangers are a great success story. Even though they helped beat my Mariners, at least Cliff Lee is there to represent a bit of the 2010 Mariners ballclub. I've been a fan of Nelson Cruz since his minor league days and wish him well. I'll probably root for the Rays overall, though. However, sometimes I don't know which team I'll turn to in such situations until I begin watching the game itself. We'll see.

Minnesota Twins - New York Yankees

I do really like the Twins, just like I did last year. But also like last year, I'll be rooting for the Yankees.

Philadelphia Phillies - Cincinnati Reds

The Phillies have established themselves as one of the strongest National League dynasties of recent years, rivaled only be the previous Atlanta dynasty of the 1990s-early 2000s. A World Series appearance and/or victory would help cement this legacy. It's also hard not be like the Phillies since they have so many great players and have done such a splendid job of constructing such a formidable team. That being said, I have long had a soft spot for the Reds, having attended more Reds games in person than every other team put together (even if has been many a year since visiting them). So I'll root for the underdog Reds.

San Francisco Giants - Atlanta Braves

The Giants have been growing on me in recent years, especially with historical family ties to the team. Also, how could one really rationalize rooting against the likes of players like Timmy Lincecum and Kung Fu Panda?

A Prediction

noreply@blogger.com (Yakyuu Shonen) — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 19:52:00 +0000

Here's a prediction that, well, doesn't have much of a basis in anything, but I'm going to throw it out there.

Jonny Gomes will hit a two-run home run against a pitcher named Roy. Okay then.

The Mariners' 2010 Season

noreply@blogger.com (Yakyuu Shonen) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 19:53:00 +0000

Well, the Mariners are winding down their 2010 season, and it doesn't quite look like they will make the playoffs as I expected. Of course, being a Mariners fan, I was hopeful as the season began, but then again I had good reason to be excited. Not all the wheeling and dealing seemed perfect, but a lot of pieces were in place for the team to go far. Now, I'm just hoping that the team can keep the losses below 100 for the season. If they work hard, maybe they can even pass the Orioles in the American League standings.

At any rate, allow me to focus on the highlights, even those those can be summarized all too briefly.

Ichiro Suzuki was once again fantastic, getting more than 200 hits for the tenth consecutive year. Of course, this extends his consecutive years streak and ties him for the record of 200+ hit years in total. Pete Rose also has ten years of 200+ hits, but this is were the arbitrary nature of baseball statistics poses an interesting scenario. Two hundred is a nice round number. It's easy to get 100 hits, and nobody has every gotten close to 300. Even if you go by 50, 150 isn't too hard, and 250 is so rare that it barely figures into things. So 200 it is. But... What if that number was pushed a head a bit - just a bit. If one was going to look at seasons in which a batter hit 206 hirs or more, Mr. Suzuki would still have 10 years while Mr. Rose would have but seven. Ty Cobb had eight seasons of 206+ hits, but only nine seasons of 200+ hits, putting him just behind the other two. On the other hand, put the total to 198 instead of those mere two extra hits, and Mr. Rose would have 12 seasons in the record books. Of course, the magic number has to be arbitrary, I suppose, so 200 it is.

Speaking of arbitrary, there's no statistic more ridiculous than pitcher wins. I like picther wins, and root for my favorite pitchers to rack 'em up. For me, it's a fun statistic, though I recognize it has little bearing on a pitcher's actual skill. Certainly, it should not be the deciding factor in a Cy Young race, for instance. This of course, brings us to Felix Hernandez, who has been the best pitcher in the American League this year... perhaps the best pitcher in all of baseball. He leads the majors in ERA with an awesome 2.27. That might not be too hard to achieve if one hasn't picthed many innings, but Mr. Hernandez has the most innings pitched in the American League with only one less inning than the MLB leader. Yup, he's excellent.

Why The League Division Series Is Such a Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Yakyuu Shonen) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:07:00 +0000

[This is a re-vamped version of yesterday's post.]

Any team can win or lose any particular series, especially the League Division Series. It's kind of odd, actually, that the LDS is in theory the "least important" postseason series. Certainly, it doesn't carry the cachet of the League Championship Series or World Seriein While some folks may overlook it as a best-of-five series as opposed to a best-of seven, that is precisely the reason it can be so dangerous. The better team has a better chance of winning in a longer series, where they can prove their worth. For example, the Nationals, losers of 103 games, managed to beat the 102-game winning Yankees two out of three times in 2009. If the worst team can win a three-game series, it wouldn't be a stretch to think that any one playoff team could beat another in a five-game series.

A quick examination of the LDS since its inception in 1995 reveals that there is very, very little room for error. Of the 56 series from 1995-2008, the game one winner has won the LDS 40 times. So basically, for teams that slip up and lose their first game, 71.4% of the time they will lose the whole series. From 2007-2008, every team that won their first LDS game also won the series. It may not be so much that a team won its first game as opposed to the fact that they won a game. One win has a much bigger impact in a best-of-five series than in a best-of-seven series. The odd thing is, this seems to result in each individual LDS game having for of an impact than any given World Series game.

As the LDS is the crucial first step in the playoffs, it seems to me that it would make more sense for it to also be a best-of-seven event.

The League Division Series

noreply@blogger.com (Yakyuu Shonen) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:50:00 +0000

This is set to be a really exciting postseason. There's no way to make any solid predictions. After all, any team can win or lose any particular series, especially the League Division Series. It's kind of odd, actually, that the LDS is in theory the "least important" postseason series. Certainly, it doesn't carry the cachet of the League Championship Series or World Series. However, it is very, very dangerous in that it's a best-of-five series as opposed to a best-of seven. The better team has a better chance of winning in a longer series, where they can prove their worth. For example, the Nationals, losers of 103 games, managed to beat the 102-game winning Yankees two out of three times this season. If the worst team can win a three-game series, it wouldn't be a stretch to think that any one playoff team could beat another in a five-game series. As the LDS is the crucial first step in the playoffs, it seems to me that it would make more sense for it to also be a best-of-seven event.

Yankees 4, Rays 2 – Team Hits Record Broken by Carl Crawford

noreply@blogger.com (Yakyuu Shonen) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:32:00 +0000

The game on September 9th was an epic duel between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays, with the Yankees coming back from behind to win 4-2. But with the Yankees looking like a lock for the playoffs, and the Rays fading ever so quickly from contention, this game might not seem to have had much significance for either team…

But, it was certainly a night for record-breaking! The focus was on Derek Jeter’s pursuit of Lou Gehrig’s 2,721 Yankee hits, which Mr. Jeter successfully tied due to having a three-hit evening. However, while Mr. Jeter tied a team hits record, the Rays’ Carl Crawford stepped in and demolished the old Tampa Bay hits record. He stands in sole position of the most hits in Tampa Bay history, with 1,274.

Tampa Bay has a storied baseball history, from the days of yore when the Devil Rays franchise was born to the more recent times in which the team shed its evil-sounding moniker and ascending in good deeds (and wins) as the sunshine-filled Tampa Bay Rays. The franchise’s hallowed records have been falling quickly over the years, in no small part to due Mr. Crawford, who leads the team in doubles, triples, stolen bases, games played, at bats, and strike outs. The legendary Tampa Bay hits record of 1,273, certainly embedded in the mind of Rays fans everywhere, had been waiting to be Crawford’s next victim. And so, on the evening of September 9, 2009, Carl Crawford, did what he is wont to do… He got a hit. Subsequently, that magical number of 1,273, which has stood the test of time since Crawford went 3 for 4 the day before, finally fell.

Congratulations Mr. Jeter. Hopefully you can follow Mr. Crawford and claim your team’s hits record in sole possession of first place.

Protect the Triple Crown

noreply@blogger.com (Yakyuu Shonen) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 01:58:00 +0000

Well, the Cardinals actually did it. They signed themselves a high-profile hitter in Matt Holliday, giving the team pretty much exactly what they needed. They wasted no time in putting him into the cleanup spot in the lineup, where he can offer vital protection to slugger Albert Pujols. Now instead of the annoying intentional walks given to Pujols by teams too scared to throw something he can hit, these teams will have no choice but to give him some strikes lest Holliday drive in a walked Pujols home.

For those of you on the Pujols Triple Crown watch, this could be good news as well. Pujols leads the league home runs (34) and RBI (90), and he's second in batting average (.328). With Holliday in the lineup, Pujols will have a chance to hit more homers and RBI, so maybe he can stay ahead in those categories. With more chances to hit, though, odds might be against maintaining a high batting average. (Having a high average is a difficult task, but the more at-bats you have, the harder it is to maintain that average, I would guess.) But Pujols has been consistent over his career as far as batting average goes. He's hitting .334 for his career; counting this year, 6 of his 9 seasons have featured an average ranging from .327-.331... That's consistent. Some seasons he hasn't been as consistent, though, such as when he hit .even better - 357 one year and .359 another time. (His "off" year featured a .314 average.)

Bascially, Pujols is a great contender for the Triple Crown. Seems like most players in this situation would just talk about how they're mainly concerned for the team instead of personal glory. Pujols seems like that kind of guy. Nevertheless, with great personal stats and a boost from Holliday, it seems like the Cardinals as a team will benefit indeed.

Favorite Moments of the 2009 All-Star Game

noreply@blogger.com (Yakyuu Shonen) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:32:00 +0000

The 2009 All-Star Game was great fun, as the All-Star game is wont to be. Here are a few of the highlights:

Shining star Albert Pujols taking the limelight as he deserves.

President Obama's trip through the American League dugout was fun, especially for an excited Ichiro Suzuki.

Curtis Granderson's triple was pretty awesome. It was a high point in a game that refreshingly avoided the home run.

Aside from several exceptions early in the game, this was largely a feast of excellent fielding and pitching. National Leaguers Pujols, Chase Utley, and Yadier Molina made some great plays. The American League picthers retired 18 batters in a row at one point.

To top it off, defense beat out pitching and hitting to win Carl Crawford the MVP. Usually, the MVP is the guy who either hits the home run with the most runs batted in or the guy who hits the go-ahead home run. Pitchers seem to have a hard time of it, because even good ones get taken out of the game before too long. But defense rarely gets honored. Good for Mr. Crawford!

Chien-Ming Wang Versus the Nationals

noreply@blogger.com (Yakyuu Shonen) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 21:51:00 +0000

Here's hoping Yankee Chien-Ming Wang can turn his season around in tonight's game against the Washington Nationals. Wang has had a rough year as a starter so far, allowing four or more runs in each of his five starts this year. There is hope, though. In May, he appared in eight relief innings with an ERA of only 2.25. Back as a starter in June, though, he has continued to struggle. Despite a .258 winning percentage, the Nationals have a decent lineup set to face Wang, as the team's batting average is ranked 16 out of 30 in the MLB with hitters like Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn. The Nationals' team batting average? Also .258. The Nationals rank fifth in the National League in home runs, and playing in homer-friendly Yankee Stadium might look appealing for them. While they Yankees do have an upper hand, it might still pose a challenge for Wang to get back to his old form. I'm hoping for his success.

A Comparison of Wins Per Inning Pitched

noreply@blogger.com (Yakyuu Shonen) — Fri, 22 May 2009 12:57:00 +0000

Cy Young has a number of all-time records that would be difficult to beat by today’s pitchers. He has the most games started, complete games, innings pitched, wins and losses. In many of these categories, nobody even comes close. His 511 wins are 94 more than the next guy, and his 7356 innings pitched are 1352.2 more than second place. In the modern day, the most successful pitchers, as far as wins go, is Greg Maddux leads with 355. Maddux is at 13th in innings pitched, but at 5008.1, that’s far less than Young. Of course, the win statistic is widely known as being far from the best measurement of a pitcher’s success and skill. On top of that, pitchers are used in a completely different way, making comparisons between the present and past bordering on the impossible. Regardless of its true worth, the win statistic is nevertheless one that inevitably gets highlighted, and as for comparing players, well, that’s part of the fun of statistics. With this in mind, I indeed attempted a comparison…

I had the notion to check to see which pitcher won the highest percentage of games that they started. For instance, Young won 511 out of 815 starts (62.3%), while Maddux won 355 out of 740 (48.0%). That might not be such a fair comparison, though, since pitchers are generally taken out of games pretty soon these days and don’t have much of a chance at more wins. I thought I might try out wins per innings pitched for a more accurate (and yet still imperfect) comparison.

Here’s the data for some of the pitchers on the top wins list:

1) Cy Young - W: 511 GS: 815 IP: 7356 W per IP: .069
2) Walter Johnson - W: 417 GS 666 IP: 5914.1 W per IP: .071
3) Grover Alexander - W: 373 GS: 600 IP: 5190 W per IP: .072
3) Christy Mathewson - W: 373 GS 551 IP: 4780.2 W per IP: .078
5) Pud Galvin - W: 365 GS: 688 IP: 6003.1 W per IP: .061
6) Warren Spahn - W: 363 GS: 665 IP: 5243.2 W per IP: .069
7) Kid Nichols - W: 361 GS: 561 IP: 5056.1 W per IP: .071
8) Greg Maddux - W: 355 GS: 740 IP: 5008.1 W per IP: .071
9) Roger Clemens - W: 354 GS: 707 IP: 4916.2 W per IP: .072
10) Tim Keefe - W: 342 GS: 594 IP: 5049.2 W per IP: .068

21) Tom Glavine - W: 305 GS: 682 IP: 4413.1 W per IP: .069
24) Randy Johnson - W: 298 GS: 593 IP: 4070 W per IP: .073

The results seem surprisingly consistent, considering that some of these players played as much as a century apart. Aside from Galvin and Mathewson, the remaining ten pitchers all ranged from a W per IP of .068 to .073. At this rate, had Mathewson pitched as many innings as Young, he could have reached around 574 wins. Maddux could have reached 522. Randy Johnson has less innings pitched than anyone else on my list. Had he pitched the same amount as Maddux, for instance, maybe he would have reached 366 wins. Of course, longevity counts for something (quite a lot, actually) in baseball records. Who is to say that Maddux could have kept up the rate of .071 wins per inning pitched had he thrown in 2,000 more innings? Stats like win counts increase with longevity, but percentages (batting average, ERA), tend to get worse as players age. While Cy Young’s 511 wins are impressive, the fact that he kept winning at a rate of .069 per inning pitched throughout 7356 innings is impressive indeed.

He's Back! Ortiz Hits His First Home Run of the Season!

noreply@blogger.com (Yakyuu Shonen) — Fri, 22 May 2009 01:00:00 +0000

Finally breaking a long home-run drought, Russ Ortiz hit a home run for the Astros in their 4-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on May 19. Ortiz had been homer-less since knocking in two four-baggers for Atlanta in 2003. So far, Ortiz has struggled in 2009, going 2-2 with a 5.81 ERA. Earlier this month, he was taken off the starting rotation and now pitches in relief. Perhaps Ortiz's home run will bring back memories of more successful times. With that 2003 Atlanta team, he won 21 games with a 3.81 ERA... The exact same ERA he has as an 18-game winner with the 1999 Giants in only his second year in the majors. Ortiz managed 15 wins in 2004, but has only won nine games in all the years since.

That lone home run did bring him a bit of glory, perhaps. He became the first person named Ortiz to hit a home run this year. Not only that, his batting average of .222 puts him .011 points ahead of Red Sox slugger David Ortiz's .211 average. Perhaps Big Papi could make a move to the ole pitching mound and make a bit for the Ortiz ERA title...

This is all written in good fun though. I'm now rooting to see both guys hits 40 home runs and win 20 games.

It's Best Not to Be Too Hasty in Pronouncing "The Last to 300 Wins"

noreply@blogger.com (Yakyuu Shonen) — Thu, 21 May 2009 23:21:00 +0000

When Greg Maddux was nearing 300 wins, everyone was all abuzz about the chance that he would be the last pitcher to achieve this feat. Even Tom Glavine and Randy Johnson chimed in on the issue. Glavine, who thought it might be “kinda cool” to be the last such pitcher, achieved that mark himself in 2007. But once he nabbed that mark, people began to speculate that he could be the last one. Now that Randy Johnson has just won number 298, he, too, looks like he’s going to join the club. Inevitably, an onslaught of “Johnson will be the last” talk will pop up… While the numbers don’t look incredibly encouraging for others to join the club, I doubt Johnson will be the last. In 2004, Dan Daly (excerpt) warned of the dangers of telling athletes that can’t obtain a record. While I’d say that Cy Young’s 511 wins stands as quite possibly the most secure record in baseball due to the changes in use of pitchers, I think it’s reasonable to assume that someone else is bound to reach 300 wins, even if that person hasn’t even begun their career yet.

New Blog Locale...

noreply@blogger.com (Yakyuu Shonen) — Thu, 21 May 2009 23:19:00 +0000

I've started up a new location for blogging at the Bleacher Report, where I can cover multiple sports. Baseball will still be the main focus, of course. Naturally, I can cross-post the baseball-related stuff here as well, so Yakyuu Shonen isn't going anywhere!

Derek Jeter - Most At-Bats for Any Yankee

noreply@blogger.com (Yakyuu Shonen) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 01:30:00 +0000

Derek Jeter, with 8,103 at-bats with the only team he has ever played for, now has the record for most at-bats with the New York Yankees. This is an interesting point in baseball history for such team-based milestones. In the present day, players have a 162-game schedule,meaning that they are able to achieve higher numbers in things like at-bats than was possible for players of yore. So even though Jeter is fairly young, he was able to reach that total quicker than older Yankees (the fact that he bats high in the order and is rarely injured is a boon as well). One might expect players on other teams to break such milestones due to that longer schedule. However, modern baseball also presents another phenomenon. These days, it is rare for someone to remain on one team for too long. I used to be annoyed by this until I learned how teams forced players to remain on teams without having to bump up their pay (thanks to Curt Flood, things were made more fair). At any rate, players now jump freely from team to team, meaning that despite the 162-game schedule, it would be difficult for modern players to break long-standing team records. However, thanks to their hefty payroll, the Yankees are able to lure their stars to contract after contract in a way that few other teams can. Thus, Jeter has remained a happy Yankee, hanging around long enough to break this record, with other bound to be in his sights.

Japan Wins the 2009 World Baseball Classic

noreply@blogger.com (Yakyuu Shonen) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 01:22:00 +0000

Japan won the World Baseball Classic in an action-packed 10-inning final game against South Korea. I made sure to stay up and watch the whole thing, too, and it was one of those game that people say are 'for the ages," especially if their team wins. I was glad that Japan, the team I was rooting for, did win, but I am also thankful to have watched South Korea's amazing team as well.

Japan and South Korea both have a really exciting style of play. Great defense and a lot of strategic maneuvering about the basepaths as opposed to just having everyone swing for the fences. Of course, the Japanese and South Korean teams can do that as well when necessary. I won't recap the whole game, as anyone interested has probably either watched it or read one of the many news stories floating around the Internet. Suffice to say, I was on the edge of my seat and excited that Japan won its second WBC.

I do have a few thoughts on some of the players from Japan and South Korea.

Daisuke Matsuzaka, Japan - I'm glad he won the WBC MVP for the second time. With three wins in the tournament, he was a great choice for the award. I was a bit worried for a second that he might not win, having not pitched in the final game, but at least those choosing the award knew that without his pitching, the team might not have even gotten to the finals. It is interesting that Matsuzaka has won the MVP in both WBC events. Of course, he's obviously a skilled pitcher, but his style of pitching is pretty much the antethesis of what WBC pitching is all about. The WBC employs strict pitch counts, and this limits the amount of time a pitcher can appear in a game. Matsuzaka is known for his high pitch count, as he methodically works the batters no matter how many pitches it takes. Faced with the WBC pitch count limitations, he has nevertheless triumphed in both World Baseball Classics.

Ichiro Suzuki, Japan - His average was a bit low this year, but he stepped it up a notch in that final game. When he came up to bat with two outs in the tenth inning, I knew he was the one person in the world best suited for that at-bat. All he needed to do was hit safely, which would lead to at least one run being driven in. He is one of the best batters for average around, and is fast enough to make it safely to first even if he didn't quite get the hit he wanted. Of course, he ended up driving in the two winning runs.

Kenji Johjima, Japan - He had an off-season in 2007, but I was happy to see him in excellent form in this WBC. Hopefully, it'll carry on to the upcoming MLB season.

Jungkeun Bong, Korea- I had not previously watched this star Korean pitcher before this year's WBC, but he's a pretty amazing guy. Japan may have won, but Bong fought mightly hard. Had South Korea pulled out a win, I would have given him the MVP right away, despite the fact that the team had many other high achievers. The thing that first struck me with Bong, in one of the first-round Pool A games was his incredible speed in picking off runners at first base. Japan has a lot of speedy guys, but I was extreemly worried that they'd get nabbed at first. It seems like pick-offs are generally a rare thing, and sometimes I get tired of seeing pitchers throw to first with no real hopes of catching a runner. Bong, though, he's amazingly fast.

Yong-Kyu Lee, Korea - This guy is amazing. He got hit in the head in a horrible moment a few days ago, but managed to stay with the team. In the final, his helment shattered when he slid into second, and yet he stayed with it. He hit .300 for the WBC to boot. There has to be some recognition for his efforts; a true competitor.

2009 World Baseball Classic Final Preview - South Korea Versus Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Yakyuu Shonen) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 11:44:00 +0000

Tonight, South Korea and Japan will face off in the final game of the 2009 World Baseball Classic. This is bound to be a climactic match-up between the two rivals. Both teams began in Pool A where they played twice, each winning one game. However, South Korea won the game that determined the Pool A champion. Both teams moved on to Pool 1 of the second round, though, where they again won one and lost one when facing each other. This time, Japan won the game that determined the pool champion. Now, both teams have 2-2 records against each other in 2009, and their upcoming tie-breaker determines both the winner of this year's rivalry and the winner of the WBC championship!

Interestingly, while both South Korea and Japan have lost to each other twice this year, no other team has beaten either of them in the 2009 WBC. Not only that, but if you include the results from the 2006 WBC, South Korea has never lost to ANY other team... except for Japan. Japan itself has only been defeated by two teams in total WBC play. Aside from losses to South Korea, the United States managed a victory in their 2006 meeting; of course, Japan got revenge in their win over the United States in last night's 2009 semi-final.

In 2006, South Korea won its first two games against Japan. In fact, the team won its first six games overall and was the only undefeated team going into the semi-final game. One loss to Japan sent them home despite their previous domination, though. Tonight presents South Korea will a chance to avange this loss, as this game represents the only other time Japan and South Korea will face off in a single-elimination game.

If South Korea wins, they will avenge their 2006 loss and unseat reigning WBC champions Japan, and they will continue an international winning streak begun with a gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games.

If Japan wins, they will eliminate South Korea from competition in consecutive WBC seasons and continue their reign of the WBC after taking the 2006 championship.

It looks to be an exciting game, so tune in to ESPN at 9:00 EST (The game starts at 6:00 PST.)

World Baseball Classic

noreply@blogger.com (Yakyuu Shonen) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:08:00 +0000

The World Baseball Classic has begun! I couldn't manage to wake up for the very beginning of game 1 (China and Japan) right at 4:30 a.m., but I did make it to the TV before the top half of the first inning was over. I had waited for years for a true worldwide baseball tournament that featured top players unable to make it to events like the Olympics; the World Baseball Classic, when it debuted in 2006, was that very event, so I intend to support it! After this year, it will become a four-year event, so watch it while you have a chance!

We've only just now gotten into the second inning, but it is already an exciting event!

Tigers Lead the Pack in the NPB

noreply@blogger.com (Yakyuu Shonen) — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 21:22:00 +0000

As the season gets going, it seems as if the Hanshin Tigers have jumped into a nice little lead in the NPB's Central League. Actually, with a won-loss record of 14-4 and a .778 winning percentage, they're leading all of Japanese Pro Ball. Of course, the Chunichi Dragons are but 2.5 games back in the Central League, and the reigning NPB champions probably won't be planning on slacking off any time soon. Their 6.47 winning percentage (11-6-1) puts them ahead of all Pacific League teams as well for what it's worth.

Ace

noreply@blogger.com (Yakyuu Shonen) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 12:13:00 +0000

I'm pretty tired of hearing about the Yankees' pitching woes and how they have a terrible staff. The Yankees might not have the sheer volume of pitching legends as the Red Sox, but compare them to most teams and they end up looking very good. If anything, Andy Pettitte is mentioned as a good pitcher, but everyone continues to ignore Chien-Ming Wang. I'll admit that Mr. Wang's 2007 postseason performance was less than his best effort, but a tiny few games (albeit important ones) in a whole career isn't too significant. At any rate, he's started 2008 off wonderfully...

As of now, he's 3-0 with an ERA of 1.23. See, that's what an ace does.

Well, It Has Begun

noreply@blogger.com (Yakyuu Shonen) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 01:00:00 +0000

The 2008 MLB season has started... Several days ago, but I'm just gearing up for it now. It'd hard to just dip into the realm of baseball.. once I begin, it envelops me... So as the season gears up, I probably will, too...

But come on, why can't there be more games on network TV? Or any, for that matter... Netflix is great and I love DVDs, but they just don't much cut for for live sports.

A Quick Note!

noreply@blogger.com (Yakyuu Shonen) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 23:27:00 +0000

I seem to have run out of things to say now that the baseball season ended, though of course there is a lot going on in the sport. While I hope to resume more baseball chat soon, for the time being, I've put a bit of effort into a new blog, Cornucopia of Entertaining Diversions, in which I plan to talk about film, TV, games, music, and so forth. I can't leave behind baseball for too long, though!

Watching Baseball on Japanese TV

noreply@blogger.com (Yakyuu Shonen) — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 23:54:00 +0000

Just when the playoffs started reaching their height, I stopped posting for awhile... I was in Japan for about a week, but now I'm back home and I figure I should start a-writing again. So much has happened, that I guess I'm too late to sum it all up. So instead, I'll write about my experiences watching the playoffs on Japanese television. First of all, it was a great baseball-watching time, better than had I remained in the USA during that timespan. Not only did I get to see most of the World Series, but I got to see a lot of the Japan Series as well.

I was hoping to see a much longer World Series, but the amazing Rockies run that I had been cheering on was stopped completely by those Red Sox. After cheering both teams on in their previous postseason games, it was kind of strange to have to pick one to root for in the World Series. I chose the Rockies, but I'm happy for the Red Sox and their Nation. I also rooted on the Nippon Ham Fighters in the Japan Series, though they eventually lost to the Dragons (with a perfect game to win the series, no less - though I wasn't in Japan to watch that game).

Anyway, on to the TV-watching itself. The MLB games started around 9:00 in the am, so after breakfast I could hang out warming my feet under the kotatsu and watching the game. I don't remember what channel it was on, but it was a satellite channel and had no commercials. That was quite awesome. During breaks between innings and pitching changes, one got to see replays of highlights, see the pitcher warm-up, and enjoy uninterrupted baseball. The Japan Series game on around 6:00 p.m. if I remember correctly, and was fun to watch as well. Yu Darvish was back on the mound for game one - I remember seeing him pitch in the brief time I got to watch the Japan Series last year, too. The way it was scheduled, during my trip, there was generally at least one game going on per day... Sometimes a morning (MLB) and a night (NPB) game on the same day. Of course, as I was on holiday, baseball was not the top priority, and I was sometimes busy, but it was a good time for baseball as well.

The Stage Is Set for the Japan Series

noreply@blogger.com (Yakyuu Shonen) — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 16:32:00 +0000

Both the Central and Pacific Leagues have finished their Climax Series, and the Chunichi Dragons and Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters will face off in the upcoming Japan Series. Here's an overview of both of the final rounds of the Climax Series.

The Fighters clinched the Pacific League pennant in the fifth game against the Chiba Lotte Marines. The great thing about this clincher was not only that it came down to the deciding final fifth game of the best-of-five series, but that it featured Sawamura Award candidates Yu Davish (ダルビシュ有) and Yoshihisa Naruse (成瀬善久), who tied for the ERA lead in the regular season (with an amazing 1.82). The top pitchers faced off in game one, with Mr. Darvish emerging victorious. It was only fitting that they had another jchance to square off. As it turns out, Mr. Darvish won again, giving up a single run in 6 2/3 innings. Mr. Naruse, for all his regular-season success, gave up four runs in 3 2/3 innings. The final score was 6-2. Now the Fighters are going to the Japan Series for the second year in a row.

The weird thing, though, is the timing surrounding manager Trey Hillman's plans to return to the United States and manage the Kansas City Royals. He had planned to retire from the Fighters after this season, so that's all fine, but why worry about joining another team before the season is finished. The linked MLB.com article mentions that he will fly to Kansas City for a news conference on Monday... Couldn't all the plans have waited until after the Japan Series? The news conference is on the 22nd of October, but he needs to be back in Japan for game one of the series on October 27th. This is good news for Royals fans, as Mr. Hillman is a proven champion, but the timing seems a tad odd.

Ok, on to the Central League, in which the Chuncichi Dragons won 4-2 today to sweep the first-place Yomiuri Giants in three games to clinch their own Japan Series berth. This is the second straight postseason sweep for the Dragons, who who knows if they plan on slowing down. Now they get to go to the Japan Series for the second year in a row in, yes, a face-up with two teams from the previous year.

Last year, the Fighters beat the Dragons four games to one in the best-of-seven Japan Series. Just for the record, this will be the first time in awhile the same two teams have appeared in the Japan Series in consecutive years. In 1992 and 1993, the Seibu Lions and the Yakult Swallows faced each other twice, with both teams winning one series apiece.

The Hanshin Tigers' Season Has Ended ...

noreply@blogger.com (Yakyuu Shonen) — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 13:21:00 +0000

With a 5-3 loss in the second game of the first stage of the Climax Series, the Hanshin Tigers' playoff run has ended for the year. On the other hand, the victorious Chunichi Dragons will go on to stage two, where they'll face the Yomiuri Giants.

For the Dragons, Norihiro Nakamura (中村紀洋), who batted .625 for the two-game series, drove in two RBI himself in the first inning and went 2 for 4 for the day. After he finished driving in his two runs, Byung-Kyu Lee (이병규) cleaned up the bases with a three-run home run.

For the Tigers, Tonoaki Kanemoto (金本知憲), Shinjiro Hiyama (桧山進次郎), and Toshihiro Noguchi (野口寿浩) drove in one run each.

Well, Tigers fans, let's hope for next year! In the meantime, hopefully there will be some exciting baseball to keep on eye on as the Japan Series nears.