On Tuesday we learned that Nippon Ham Fighters manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo has asked the club to reward players in their salary evaluations for playing like he did. And let’s just say, Shinjo has a high opinion of how much he contributed to his team’s victories as a player, but his “Don’t worry be happy” facade slipped a little after Tuesday’s game.

We also had Masahiro Tanaka on the mound as the Pacific League-leading Rakuten Eagles tried to extend their franchise-record winning streak to 11 straight decisions and some bad COVID news for the Chunichi Dragons.

Shall we get started?