The Hanshin Tigers Page

Kubo in action against Yakult

Tigers 4, Swallows 1 (Koshien 4/29)

At Koshien Stadium, Lin Wei-zhu hit a go-ahead two-run double in the fourth inning and Takahiro Arai added a two-run single for insurance an inning later as Hanshin rallied past Yakult, ending the Swallows’ 11-game undefeated streak, including two ties.

Ryohei Kawamoto’s one-out homer gave Yakult a 1-0 lead in the third before the rally off Hitoshi Yamamoto (1-1). Yasutomo Kubo (2-0) limited the damage to one run over eight innings and Hanshin closer Kyuji Fujikawa had a 1-2-3 ninth for his fourth save. (Kyodo)

Boxscore

BayStars 3, Tigers 1 (Koshien, 4/24)

Yokohama leftie Shogo Yamamoto pitched one-run ball over seven-plus innings, Naoto Watanabe homered and the Yokohama BayStars snapped a five-game skid with s 3-1 win over the Hanshin Tigers. Yamamoto (1-1) painted the corners and yielded just four singles while striking out three and walking two, earning his first win since moving from the Orix Buffaloes. Hanshin loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth, but pinch-hitter Lin Wei-zhu struck out swinging to end the game at Koshien Stadium. (Kyodo)

Boxscore

Tigers 5, Dragons 4 (Nagoya Dome, 4/15)

Wins at Nagoya are often hard to come by, so it was pleasing to see the Tigers outlast the Dragons 5-4 in the first game for the year at the “tiger graveyard”. Both Wei-Chu Lin and Shunsuke Fujimoto homered off Chunichi starter Asakura, and Takashi Toritani went 2 for 5 with two RBIs to give Yasutomo Kubo the win. There were a few scary moments, such as when Fujikawa couldn’t handle a two-out fly ball in the 5th, leading to an error and two extra runs for the Dragons, and when the other Fujikawa – Kyuji, the better-known one – gave up a solo homer in the 9th, making it a one-run game. But they held it together for a valuable win.

Boxscore