Masahiro Tanaka gets a taste of Japan's most famous rivalry with the Hanshin Tigers, where the local media is constantly badgering managers to supply them with meat for the feeding frenzy their editors and fans crave. jballallen.com/games-of-apr...

In just four Wedneday NPB games there were extreme defensive lowlights and highlights, a wet slugfest, a nail-biter, and–for you Dragons fans–a blowup and a bad break. jballallen.com/npb-games-of...

With SoftBank's closer having broken a hand in a losing fight with a bench, the Hawks went groveling back to the infamous Roberto Osuna, who had declined the role the team offered him at the start of the season. That and Tuesday's games: jballallen.com/npb-games-of...

With SoftBank's closer having broken a hand in a losing fight with a bench, the Hawks went groveling back to the infamous Roberto Osuna, who had declined the role the team offered him at the start of the season. That and Tuesday's games: jballallen.com/npb-games-of...

My first day off in a month, and I’m at the bank setting up my commercial account for the past 3-1/2 hours as the staff has me rewrite one form after another to comply with disclosures they’ve never needed to file since I’m a permanent resident and US citizen

Orix and Miyagi get a tough break, Akinobu Okada begins the non-bunt blowback. Trey Cabbage had a big night on a night of ninth-inning comebacks. jballallen.com/blowback-bad...

A Tigers rookie is sharp in his Koshien starting debut, the Fighters hit a big home run, of course, and the Buffaloes walk it off. jballallen.com/games-of-apr...

Akira Neo is in the spotlight. The Fighters get back on the home train, and there are no more teams in NPB without a sacrifice bunt this season. jballallen.com/npb-games-of...

A pitcher is yanked with a chance to set a league strike record, and the world does not end. Has NPB forgotten to be obsessed about pursuing records at all costs? jballallen.com/records-game...

Derby County, where for decades–thanks to a chairman fascinated with popularizing overseas sports–the football stadium was known as "the Baseball Ground."

Japan is about rules, but rules that are confusing to the uninitiated. Since tonight's games included managing choices that once would have set Japan's old farts' hair on fire, I write how many people misunderstand the way Japan's rules actually work. jballallen.com/japan-rules-...

There is one unbeaten team left in NPB, the Nippon Ham Fighters continue to bash home runs, and Miguel Sano and Yudai Ono combine for a Dragons win. jballallen.com/npb-games-of...

A rookie catcher sets a record, Masahiro Tanaka made his season debut, and Anderson Espinoza tossed his first Japan shutout. jballallen.com/games-of-apr...

Four games into the season, Nippon Professional Baseball has its first no-hitter, Kenta Maeda is back as is a Swallows fan favorite. jballallen.com/npb-news-for...

Has anyone considered that we might be living in Star Trek’s mirror universe?

And 60 years and seven days later, Japan’s first pro league opened for business—16 years after the nation’s first pro baseball team was founded.

Rob Fitts' great new book, IN THE JAPANESE BALLPARK, is on sale on Amazon today for under $17. That's less than the cost for authors to purchase direct from publisher, so you may want to jump on this if you haven't read it yet: www.amazon.com/dp/149624407...

We had a really entertaining first Sunday in Nippon Professional Baseball with a confluence of rookies of the year, closers and shutouts, and big game from Bobby Dalbec. jballallen.com/sundays-game...

Dude, we are the living definitions of crackpot. In 1988, I told my teaching colleague the same thing: “I am a normal American (due to my dysfunctional family upbringing).” Her response: “You geek out over its history and baseball and never leave Japan. There is nothing normal about you.”

Japanese pro baseball had two complete game shutouts on the second day of the regular season, and new manager Takahiro Ikeyama is offering hope he might be different. jballallen.com/weve-only-ju...

It's Opening Day. We had a bunch of home runs and a reminder that Japan's rules are not always what they pretend to be. jballallen.com/opening-day-...

Uasawa has given up two homers and three runs to his former team. Karma

Perhaps the Hawks, who steadfastly refuse to post their players, should be prohibited from signing players bouncing back from MLB after other teams post them

We are under way in Fukuoka Leading off, Shun Mizutani, whom the Fighters scooped up after the Hawks gave up on him Vs Naoyuki Uwasawa, whom the Hawks scooped up after the Fighters gave him a chance to play in MLB.

He was a pitcher, and is still one of pro baseball’s class acts.

“Hold my beer” — Wilin Rosario, who is ostensibly still waiting for Jamie Moyer’s last pitch to arrive.

Fooled the hell out of me. Haven’t been there in 7 years. “Is that a gate? an image? a construction site? All three it seems

Me neither

NEW: This new report, from BBC, is the best takedown of the insanity of Trump you will see anywhere. Calm, coherent and repeating only Trump’s own words. Devastating. Brilliant work once again from Roz Atkins. (🎥 BBC News)

Team USA modeled sulky, arrogant and rude behaviour and poor sportsmanship. Every other team modeled joy, support and the camaraderie and friendship that can come from competition & participating in team sports. The world knows which matters more.

Same here as a high schooler in 1977.

Two thoughts about Iran an Ukraine: Wars only end when the losers declare they are beaten and stop resisting. and Threatening to destroy a country puts it on “death ground” where losing equals annihilation, making it virtually impossible for it to stop resisting.

Japan's WBC quest has ended early, thanks to a quality Venezuela effort and the mediocrity of NPB's owners. jballallen.com/the-roots-of...

It's WBC time. Here's my newsletter and my Japan-centric view of things. mailchi.mp/3d60332120d3...

Having already scheduled a White House visit for Team USA after their World Baseball Classic championship next week, unknown sources revealed that the United States is now planning to bomb Italy until its baseball federation agrees to a replay of its Pool B game with the U.S.

One day I will be able to see an interview with the CEO of my previous employer and not be furious about the damage he did to my life despite the fact that he never bothered to learn what I did for the company, but today is not that day

What this story leaves out, sadly, is that prison doctors replaced the man’s peg leg with a modern prosthetic, but his parrot died while in incarceration.

Manager Hirokazu Ibata's determination to play to his team's strengths rather than conform to dogma is a huge leap for Japan. jballallen.com/a-quiet-revo...

LOL

Samurai Japan players are rightly wearing T-shirts saying "March is our time." And no thanks to NPB, March is my time at Japanese ballparks, too. jballallen.com/march-is-my-...

Tokyo Dome tradition: The futile effort by stadium staff to lift the park off the ground by flapping their arms.

The intensity and passion in the WBC still challenges some peoples' baseball belief system. They'll get over it, or they won't, but for the rest of us, this is something spectacular. jballallen.com/the-wbc-chal...

Masataka Yoshida is back in his element, driving in runs with a flourish as Japan clinches the top spot in WBC Pool C. jballallen.com/yoshida-home...

With Taiwan's win over South Korea, Japan has clinched a WBC quarterfinal spot in Miami. Should Samurai Japan lose to both Australia and Czechia and finish in a tie with South Korea and Taiwan, Japan advances by virtue of having beaten both those teams.

Taiwan and South Korea put on another show as World Baseball Classic Pool C reaches the boiling point. jballallen.com/win-over-s-k...

Ouch

If Lee Jeong Beom was "the son of the wind," and his son, Lee Jung Hoo is "the grandson of the wind," is grandpa Lynyrd Skynyrd?

Japan and Korea resume their storied rivalry in thunder-struck clash jballallen.com/japan-brings...

According to Sadaharu Oh, the WBC offers players something bigger than themselves. jballallen.com/oh-wbc-comes...