A Guide to the Road Trip of Death

Every year, the Hanshin Tigers are put out of their main stadium, iconic Hanshin Koshien Stadium outside Osaka, so that high school teams from across the country can put the ballpark to the use for which it was originally intended.

The story goes that when the Tigers hit the road, their pennant hopes die, hence the name, “the Road Trip of Death.”

This raises three questions:

  1. What is it?
  2. How bad is it?
  3. Why is it?

What is it?

Currently, the road trip of death typically starts on the first weekend of August, but the time between the Tigers’ final home game at Koshien and their return has varied over the years. In 1954 and 1955, it started in early July. In 1955, the Tigers were away from Koshien from July 11 to Oct. 9. Usually it’s about three weeks.

During that time, the Tigers will typically play one series of home games at another ballpark, and four series on the road.

Continue reading A Guide to the Road Trip of Death

NPB news: Aug. 6, 2023

Sunday was a special day in NPB, when Hiroshima hosted a game 78 years after the city was flattened by the world’s first atomic bombing. To mark the occasion the team from the City of Peace held its annual “Peace Nighter”with fans being given green towels except those at the uppermost infield seats who received red ones, to create a “peace line” at the same height as the Atomic Bomb Dome – that stands just a hundred meters or so from the location of the Carp’s former ballpark. After the fifth inning, John Lennon’s “Imagine” was played.

There were also baseball games. Kazuma Okamoto hit three home runs in a game for the first time, Keita Nakagawa drew a pair of jacks, Carter Stewart Jr. was luckier than good, and Toshiki Abe finally got to be a local hero.

DeNA lost its eighth straight game at Yokohama Stadium, and with the loss, they can no longer win the pennant just by winning every game on their schedule, which nobody but the editors care about. In Korea, former Tiger Aaron Wilkerson threw six innings in a three-pitcher combined no-hitter for KBO’s Lotte Giants.

Sunday’s games

Giants 13, Carp 0: At New Hiroshima Citizens Stadium, Hiroshima declined to be offensive, getting just six runners on base, while Okamoto reached 30 homers for the sixth straight season, former Carp Hisayoshi Chono hit one out, and Sho Nakata hit the 300th of his career. Yohander Méndez (3-3) worked six innings. Tyler Beede worked a scoreless inning for Yomiuri.

Continue reading NPB news: Aug. 6, 2023

writing & research on Japanese baseball

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