The Hanshin Tigers of Japanese professional baseball are similar to the Lotte Giants and LG Twins of the KBO. They are a popular team with a large fan base, but their championships are a distant memory.
Hanshin’s only championship was in the 1985 Japan Series. They have won nine league titles, but only one Japan Series trophy. The team has been searching for a title for 37 years, having reached the Japan Series in 2003, 2005 and 2014 but lost.온라인바카라
This is similar to the KBO’s Lotte, which hasn’t won a trophy in 30 years since 1992, and LG, which hasn’t won a trophy in 28 years since 1994.
Hanshin’s title hopes have been boosted by their run to the top of the Central League this season. They have recently won 10 straight games.
Hanshin won 5-3 against the Jakarta Swallows at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka, Japan on the 13th. This is their 10th consecutive win and they are at the top of the league. It is the first 10-game winning streak in 16 years. They are eight games clear of second-placed Hiroshima Toyo Capps.
Dan Onodera (left) and Takuma Kirishiki / Hanshin Club Social Media
Hanshin rallied from a 0-1 deficit in the third inning with Dan Onodera’s double to right field, and Ryutaro Umeno made it 3-1 with a sacrifice fly to right field. In the fourth, three consecutive singles scored a run to make it 4-1.
Hanshin cut the deficit to 4-3 in the fifth when Tetsuto Yamada hit a two-run home run with two outs. Holding on to the lead, Hanshin made it 5-3 in the seventh when Seishiro Sakamoto singled up the middle with runners on first and third.
From there, the bullpen preserved the win without allowing a run. Starting pitcher Masashi Ito earned his seventh win of the season with five innings of three-run ball.
Manager Hanshin Okada (left) and pitcher Masashi Ito / Hanshin Club Social Media
Hanshin will play an away game against Hiroshima on the 15th. “If Hanshin wins against second-placed Hiroshima on the 15th, the championship magic number ’29’ will be lit up for the first time,” said a Japanese media outlet.
Meanwhile, Hanshin celebrated their 10th consecutive victory on the day, but suffered a major setback when their starting catcher was lost to injury. Umeno was hit in the left wrist by a pitch in the fifth inning and was subsequently removed. “Umeno was examined at a hospital in Osaka and was diagnosed with a fractured left ulna,” Hanshin announced after the game.
Umeno said, “It’s very frustrating to go out with an injury when the team is fighting for the title. I want to believe in the team and do what I can,” Umeno said. However, head coach Hanshin Okada said, “I don’t think it’s possible for him to return this year.”