The baseball season in Asia is about to start this weekend. At least, in the two biggest leagues of the continent: The NPB in Japan and the KBO in Korea. When you count Friday as part of the weekend, the season in Japan started today, March 27. The 2025 champions, Softbank Hawks beat the Nippon…
The Fukuoka SoftBank Haws clinched the Japanese title by beating the Hanshin Tigers 4-1 in games. In the championship clincher, the Hawks had to go deep as eleven innings were needed in a game in which the home field advantage did not help the Hanshin Tigers. The Hawks had the best record of Japanese baseball…
Great news for Czech baseball fans as Marek Chlup has been added to the NPB roster of the Yomiuri Giants. A first in Japanese baseball. In September, 2024, Marek Chlup signed a so-called developmental contract with Nippon Professional Baseball’s Yomiuri Giants. It was the first for Japanese baseball that a player from the Czech Republic…
On March 6 and 7, a selection of European baseball players will take on team Samurai Japan in Osaka. Today, the roster of the European team was announced. The European team will contain players from Spain (eight players), Germany (three players), Czech Republic (four players), Italy (six), and the Netherlands (seven). The roster will look…
Today, the World Baseball and Softball Confederation unveiled the new World Ranking. The top three did not change much. Japan and Chinese Taipei are still firm in first and second place, but Korea was overtaken by the USA for rank #3. Of the European countries, the Netherlands remains the strongest. As a matter of fact,…
Like previous years, Dutch hoofdklasse club Oosterhout Twins has added a pitcher from Japan. Just like last year, the hurler is coming from partner club Ibaraki Astro Planets. Almost a year ago, Oosterhout Twins and the Ibaraki Astro Planets signed an agreement on exchanging players. Last year, two pitchers of the club from the Baseball…
Turn back the clock jerseys… Something that happens quite a lot in MLB. In Japan, it is not that common. But during the coming season, the Hanshin Tigers and the Yomiuri Giants will wear jerseys based on those from 1936 in six games. Three of those games will be played at the famed Koshien Stadium…
Curaçao-born baseball player Wladimir Balentien has announced his retirement. Last year, you could read here that Balentien already hinted at his retirement. Now the word is out. Always known as a hitter with a powerful bat, Balentien broke into the Majors in 2007 with the Seattle Mariners. In that season, he played only three games…
Another championship for Tokyo. But not the Giants. No, this time the other team from the Japanese capital is the best of Japan. At a cold Hotto Motto Field in Kobe, the Yakult Swallows on game six of the Nippon Series, clinching their first championship since 2001. In another close game, both teams were kept…
In a surprising Nippon Series, in which the two ugly ducklings of Japanese baseball are facing each other, the Yakult Swallows are one win away from clinching their first title since 2001. The Yakult Swallows reached the finals by sweeping the Yomiuri Giants 3-0 in the Climax Series, the semi-finals of the NPB. The opponent…
