"The Old Reflector"
"Hit & Pitch."
Ichiro reached 1,500 Major League hits in the 3rd fastest
amount of time. Only Al Simmons (1,040 games) and
George Sisler (1,048) reached the benchmark faster than
Ichiro, whose accomplishment surpassed Ty Cobb's mark of
1,070 games. Ichiro recorded the feat in his 1,060th game.
Chien-Ming Wang worked with newly
acquired catcher
Jose Molina for the first time. Wang was inconsistent in the
6 innings he pitched and looked like he was struggling
at times. However, Wang was able to get the win in
New York Yankees'
10 - 6 win over the Baltimore Orioles.
Hideki Matsui went 0-for-3 but contributed with 3 RBIs.
(7/29) |
Ichiro collects 1,500th big league hit
Wang strong enough to earn 12th win
"Rent A 2nd Basemen."
With All-Star 2nd basemen Chase
Utley out for 3 to 6 weeks
after surgery to insert a pin into his broken right hand,
the Philadelphia Phillies acquired Tadahito Iguchi from
Chicago White Sox in exchange for Minor League pitcher
Michael Dubee, son of Phillies' pitching coach Rich Dubee.
(7/27) |
With Utley out, Phillies acquire Iguchi
Iguchi trade makes room for Richar
"IgawAAA."
Kei Igawa once again shown
inability of getting Major League
hitters out. Igawa pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowed 7 hits, in
which 6 of them went for extra bases in New York Yankees'
7 - 0 shutout loss to Kansas City Royals. After the game,
Igawa was optioned down to AAA-Scranton Wilkes-Barre.
(7/27) |
Igawa's struggles continue in loss
Igawa shipped to Triple-A
"Sox Success."
A huge reason of Boston Red
Sox's success so far this
season has been the investment they put in Japan by
signing both Daisuke Matsuzaka, and Hideki Okajima.
(7/27) |
Pitching does the talking for Red Sox
"Dozen Wins."
After not getting his 12th win
in his first try. Daisuke Matsuzaka
pitched a gem to make sure he would not be denied again.
Matsuzaka pitched 7 innings, giving up only 4 hits to go with
3 walks and 5 strikeouts. Hideki Okajima recorded his 17th hold of
the year with a perfect 8th inning. It was a pitching duel between
Matsuzaka and C.C. Sabathia at Jacob's Field. Boston Red Sox
prevailed against Cleveland Indians with a
1 - 0 shutout victory.
(7/25)
|
Sox roll to fifth straight behind Dice-K
Fans witness classic in Cleveland
"Saito's Shoulder."
Takashi Saito has missed the
last few games due to
shoulder blade irritation. Saito should be back soon after
reporting no recurrence of the shoulder blade irritation.
"Matsui Myth."
Kaz Matsui got off to a good
start this season, however
he is only hitting 3-for-31 since the All-Star break.
(7/24) |
Matsui embroiled in recent slump
"2008 MLBer?"
The two best players that is
going to be a free agent in
Japan after this season, which equal no posting fee required
to be paid by MLB teams are Chunichi Dragons' outfielder
Kosuke Fukudome and Yomiuri Giants' pitcher Koji Uehara.
NPB is currently on their All-Star break, both Fukudome
and Uehara made the All-Star squad for the Central League.
In 81 games, Fukudome is batting .294
with 13 HRs and
48 RBIs. His two biggest asset are his strong accurate
arm from the outfield and plate discipline. Fukudome
has 69 walks against 66 strikeouts, while he leads the
Central League On Base Percentage with the mark of .443.
Uehara is pitching as the Giants'
closer this season
after being the team's ace since his rookie campaign
back in 1999. Uehara made the transition to bullpen
look easy and racked up 14 saves so far this season.
(7/23)
|
"Catching Up."
As the regular season marathon
moves towards the
dog days of summer and a potential pennant race,
Seattle Mariners' manager John McLaren, a former
catcher understands that Kenji Johjima might need
more breather time than anyone else on the team.
(7/21)
|
McLaren to keep Johjima fresh
"Dozen Denied."
Daisuke Matsuzaka stuck at 11
wins after issuing 6 walks
in his 5 innings of work. Matsuzaka allowed 3 runs and 2 hits
to go with 6 strikeouts in Boston Red Sox's
4 - 2 loss to
Chicago White Sox. Tadahito Iguchi went 0-for-4 with a walk,
3 strikeouts and a run scored. Hideki Okajima pitched the
8th inning, gave up 2 hits including a homer to Paul Konerko.
(7/20)
|
Dice-K, waterlogged offense struggle
"A Week to Remember, Pt. 9."
Akinori Iwamura's wife Misaki
gave birth to their first child on
July 10th. Iwamura named his little boy Taiki, and looking forward
to see him to starts crawling or walking or picking up baseballs.
(7/18)
|
Aki's Diary: New bundle of joy
"Sweet Deal."
More details about the contract
extension Ichiro signed
last week has been out. The deal will give Ichiro a new
jeep or SUV, $32,000 annual housing allowances, four
first-class round-trip tickets for his family between Japan and
Seattle each year, a personal trainer, and an interpreter.
(7/18)
|
Ichiro deal details come to light
"Optimistic Otsuka."
Akinori Otsuka has not pitched
since beginning of the month.
The Texas Rangers are optimistic that Otsuka will not have to
go on the disabled list because of the inflammation in his
right elbow/forearm area that has sidelined him for two weeks.
(7/16)
|
Team optimistic about Otsuka
"Bronx Bomber."
Hideki Matsui is hitting the
ball exceptionally well
this month. Matsui has 5 homers in his last 8 games.
(7/16)
|
Matsui can't explain change
"Sunday Stories."
There are still no contract
negotiation between
Tadahito Iguchi and the Chicago White Sox. Iguchi is
set to become a free agent at the end of the season.
Chin-Hui Tsao returned to the
15-day DL after feeling
sore on his shoulder. Tsao previously had a stint on the
15-day DL earlier this year from May 23rd to June 29th.
"Saturday Night Slam."
Kenji Johjima who had been
without an RBI in his last
10 games, hit a Grand Slam off Kenny Rogers to lead the
Seattle Mariners to a
6 - 4 win over the Detroit Tigers.
Ichiro was held hitless going 0-for-4 for the night.
Daisuke Matsuzaka allowed 9 hits and
struck out a
season low of 2 batters, but had plenty of run support
as the Boston Red Sox scored 9 runs on 12 hits to
beat the Toronto Blue Jays
9 - 4. Hideki Okajima
pitched a scoreless 9th inning, lowering his ERA to 0.79
"2007 ASG."
Before the game, there were
several media report
about Ichiro and the Seattle Mariners are close to be
signing a five-year extension worth near 100 million.
"Beijing/Tokyo or Bust."
Major League Baseball is
getting closer to playing games
in Asia next year, including Spring Training games in
Beijing and season opener in Japan's Tokyo Dome.
(7/10) |
MLB considers games in China, Japan
"Stats 101."
With the season is halfway
through, here are the stats for all
the Asian players that have see time in the Majors this year.
Biggest surprise: Kaz Matsui, once
again playing like the player that he was in Japan.
Biggest bust: Tadahito Iguchi, for having the wrong year to struggle
heading into FA.
Biggest surprise: Hideki Okajima, who
called himself hero in the dark is going to the ASG.
Biggest bust: Kei Igawa, the 20 million 5th starter turning into
Brian Cashman's project.
(7/9) |
"Deal or No Deal?"
Not the TV version hosted by
Howie Mandel where you
pick the cases, but with Mark Buehrle's 4 years extension
signed today with the Chicago White Sox, will they bring
back 2nd basemen Tadahito Iguchi for the 2008 season?
(7/8) |
Buehrle deal affects Dye, Iguchi
"Sayonara Saito."
Team Japan and Team USA
finished up their 5 games
friendly series with Japan take home the bragging right by
winning 3 out of 5. Yuki "The Handkerchief Prince" Saito
pitched in relief was tagged for the L in Japan's
7 - 3 loss in
Game 5 where he allowed 5 runs, although none earned.
Overall Yuki Saito was held his own against the best talents
in NCAA baseball, where most if not all of the players on
the team will likely selected in the first two rounds of the
next two years' MLB amateur draft. Other than Yuki Saito,
these are some of the player on Japan who impressed me.
Hitters
Sho Aranami - Steady clutch
hitter from the bottom of the order.
Keijiro Matsumoto - The best hitter/slugger on the team, MLB
potential?
Hiroki Uemoto - Leadoff hitter who got on base consistently.
Pitchers
Tomoyuki Kaida - Long reliever
gave up only 3 hits in 6 1/3 innings.
Shinya Muramatsu - Closer with good arsenal pitched 4 2/3 innings
with 6 strikeouts.
Shota Oba - Started twice, 13 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings, MLB
potential?
Muramatsu was named Japan's MVP during
the series,
Pedro Alvarez took the same honor for Team USA.
(7/8) |
"Future MVP."
Playing his 2nd consecutive
Futures Game, Chin-Lung Hu
had 2 hits, a stolen base, 2 RBIs and a run scored to lead the
World to a 7-2 win over the United States. The only Asian
player on the World squad, Hu was named the game MVP and
got promoted from AA-Jacksonville to AAA-Las Vegas by the
Los Angeles Dodgers for the 2nd half of the Minor League season.
"Star Struck."
Takashi Saito gave up a game
ending RBI double to
fellow All-Star Miguel Cabrera in the 9th inning for only
his 2nd blown save of the season. Los Angeles Dodgers
stumbled to the Florida Marlins by the score of
6 - 5.
(7/7) |
Saito blows rare save as Marlins escape
"Career Night."
Chin-Lung Hu, one of the top
Los Angeles Dodgers'
prospect went 3 for 6 with a career high 6 RBIs to help
John Shoemaker of the Jacksonville Suns to become
the team's all-time winningest manager with 303 wins.
Jacksonville Suns crushed Carolina Mudcats,
16 - 6.
(7/6) |
Hu helps Shoemaker set Suns' record
"Oki Dokey."
With 4.3 million votes, Hideki
Okajima has won the
AL's 2007 All-Star final vote ballot, Okajima beat out
Jeremy Bonderman, Pat Neshek, Kelvin Escobar, and
Roy Halladay to represent the AL in the All-Star game.
(7/6) | Okajima heading to All-Star Game
"Pitching Perspectives."
Akinori Otsuka's stiffness in
his right arm is not a
serious injury, so he will not go on the DL, but likely
not to pitch again until after the All-Star break.
(7/5) |
Otsuka to miss more games
"Fish Beat Friars."
Byung-Hyun Kim pitched a decent
game to help the
Florida Marlins defeat San Diego Padres
3 - 2. Kim gave
his team 6 1/3 of solid innings where he gave up only
2 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks to go with 7 strikeouts.
(7/5) |
Kim dominant as Fish earn series split
"Good & Bad."
Hideki Matsui's 8th inning
homer put the New York Yankees
ahead and beat the Minnesota Twins
7 - 6. Matsui bailed out
Kei Igawa, who made another shaky start in the Bronx Zoo.
Igawa's next start should come after the Mid-Summer Classic,
and his status as the 5th starter is currently up in the air.
(7/5) |
Matsui's late homer lifts Yankees
Igawa's start a 'question mark'
"East Meets West."
Yuki Saito started Game 3 of
the Japan/USA friendly series,
Saito lived up the hype with around 100 Japanese press
following his every pitch. Saito struck out Pedro Alvarez
with a nasty splitter in their first encounter, and Saito went
on to pitch 6 strong innings of baseball. Japan won
2 - 1.
(7/6)
Surprisingly that Yuki Saito
did not get the starting nod
in the opening game of the Team Japan vs. Team USA
friendly series. Pedro Alvarez start the fireworks with a
solo homer and USA knock Japan's starter Shota Oba out
before he could get out of the 3rd inning. USA won on
Independence Day in front of sellout crowd,
7 - 2.
There was a large contingent of
Japanese press at the game,
Saito spend the day warming up the right fielder Keijiro Matsumoto
on top of each inning, but did pitch in the bullpen in the 8th
inning.
(7/4)
I am going to see the hype of
Yuki Saito, the legend of
2006 Koshien in person tomorrow night. Saito's Japanese
college All-Star team will be taking on a very talented
Team
USA comprised of the best freshmen and
sophomores
in NCAA lead by Vandy's Pedro Alvarez, who might
be the 1st pick overall in the 2008 MLB Draft. This game
is also broadcasted online for free through
USA Baseball.
(7/3) |
"Marine Sox."
Boston Red Sox and NPB's Chiba
Lotte Marines, managed
by former New York Mets skipper Bobby Valentine agreed
to a partnership agreement, where the teams will work
together in the areas of scouting and player development
in Japan and the Pacific Rim such as Taiwan and China.
(7/4) |
Sox, Chiba Lotte Marines form alliance
"AL Aces."
Daisuke Matsuzaka got his 10th
win with a brilliant outing,
as he only gave up 4 hits and a walk in 8 innings to go with
9 strikeouts. Akinori Iwamura had a double off Matsuzaka
but was struck out in his other 3 at-bats against him.
The Boston Red Sox defeat Tampa Bay Devil Rays,
4 - 1.
"All-Star Selections."
Hideki Okajima maintained his
narrow lead in the
final vote, he is followed by Jeremy Bonderman,
Pat Neshek, Kelvim Escobar, and Roy Halladay.
(7/4)
Young, Okajima retain slim leads
Hideki Okajima currently
leading the AL for the All-Star
final vote. Okajima is getting some competition from
Detroit Tigers' pitching sensation Jeremy Bonderman.
(7/3)
Final Vote going OK for Okajima
"Clutch Iguchi."
Tadahito Iguchi's single in the
10th inning drove in two runs to
help the Chicago White Sox past the Kansas City Royals
3 - 1.
(6/30) |
Iguchi comes up big in the clutch
"LA to LV."
A day after making history with
Chin-Hui Tsao to became the
first two Taiwanese pitchers to appear in the same game in
the MLB, Hong-Chih Kuo was optioned down to AAA-Las Vegas
after making his third straight unimpressive start in a row.
(6/30) |
Kuo sent to Las Vegas
"LV to LA."
The Los Angeles Dodgers
activated Chin-Hui Tsao after
having a successful rehab stint with AAA-Las Vegas.
(6/29) |
Tsao's return bumps Anderson
"Safeco Swept."
Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched 8
great innings in which he only
gave up a run on 3 hits to go along with a walk and 8 strikeouts.
However, lack of run support send this game into extra innings
where the Seattle Mariners completed the 3 games sweep
against Boston Red Sox,
2 - 1. Ichiro went 2 for 4 with an RBI
and scored the game winning run. Hideki Okajima was a little
bit of shaky where he gave up 2 hits in just 1/3 of inning.
(6/27) |
Dice-K dazzles, 'pen stumbles
"Ichiro's Spot, Cont."
Ichiro is still 3rd in the AL
outfield All-Star voting,
current behind Vladimir Guerrero and Magglio Ordonez.
(6/26) |
Ichiro in line for another AL All-Star start
"Monster Meets Mad Dog."
A matchup between AL and NL's
best teams was ultimately a
pitching duel. Daisuke Matsuzaka, returning to the site where
he helped Japan won the first WBC allowed three walks to start
the game, but settled down to allow 1 run on 5 hits over 6 innings
while striking out 9. Matsuzaka helped the Boston Red Sox past
Greg Maddux and the San Diego Padres
2 - 1. Hideki Okajima pitched
a shutout 8th inning with 2 strikeouts for his 12th hold of the
year.
Before the game, Matsuzaka and Maddux who both have
Scott Boras as their agent, greeted one another and
chatted for a while, through an interpreter of course.
Maddux even gave Matsuzaka his autograph as a gift.
(6/23) |
Dice-K's triumphant return
Konichiwa, Dice-K
"Kei the Key."
After spending more than a
month in the Minor League to
having his pitching delivery adjusted. Kei Igawa is back in the
Major League, he could not make it through 5 innings, but
New York Yankees still beat the San Francisco Giants
7 - 3.
(6/23) |
Yankees enjoy visit to San Francisco
Igawa's resurgence key to Yanks' hopes
"Bullpen Session."
Chin-Hui Tsao has been slowly
recovering from the shoulder
irritation he experienced at the end of May. He reports no
shoulder pain after a pregame bullpen session and will be
heading to one of the Los Angeles Dodgers' Minor League
affiliates eventually to start a 30-day rehab assignment.
(6/22) |
Rehab stint in store for Tsao
"En Fuego."
After a slow start to began the
season, Ichiro is once again
hitting exceptionally well and is ahead of the pace to break
the hits record of 262 that he personally set back in 2004.
(6/22) |
Ichiro on hit-record pace
"A Week to Remember, Pt. 8."
Akinori Iwamura discussed his
trip to the west coast
with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Iwamura's wife Misaki
is also set to have a baby boy within two weeks.
(6/22) |
Aki's Diary: Traveling out West
"Interleague Interaction."
The Pittsburgh Pirates headed
northwest earlier this week
to play against the Seattle Mariners, it allowed Jim Colborn,
a huge fan of Japanese culture a chance to catch up with
Ichiro, who began his professional career in 1991 with the
Orix BlueWave, when Colborn was the team's pitching coach.
(6/22) |
Colborn a favorite of Ichiro
"North of the Border."
After cruise through the first
inning, Hong-Chih Kuo got smacked
around in the second, particularly by Frank Thomas who started
the inning with a double and knocked Kuo out of the game with a
Grand Slam. Kuo gave up 6 hits and 8 runs in just 1 2/3 inning, as
the Toronto Blue Jays destroyed the Los Angeles Dodgers, 12 - 1.
"More Signings."
Keeping up with the New York
Yankees, the Seattle Mariners
have
signed a pair of player out of China as well. 24-year-old
infielder/outfielder Yu Bing Jia and 28-year-old catcher Wei Wang
are both members of the China's National Team, Wang was the
first player to hit a homer in the WBC history. Both Jia and Wang
will report to the Mariners' Australian Summer League team.
(6/21) |
Mariners sign two Chinese players to Minor League contracts
"Ichiro's Spot."
Ichiro still remained 3rd in
the AL outfield All-Star
voting, trailing Vladimir Guerrero and Manny Ramirez.
(6/19) |
Ichiro holds last outfield starting spot
"Two Weeks Trial."
St. Louis Cardinals have signed
Tomo Ohka to a Minor League
contract, where he will report to AAA-Memphis. After two starts,
Ohka must be call up to the Major League, or else be released.
(6/19) |
Cardinals sign right-hander Ohka
"Chinese Yankees."
The New York Yankees officially
introduced both Kai Liu and
Zhenwang Zhang at a press conference held in Yankee Stadium.
(7/6)
Yanks sign two with approval from CBA
The New York Yankees have
signed two players out of China.
Kai Liu, a 19-year-old southpaw pitcher, and Zhenwang Zhang,
a 19-year-old catcher, are to be introduced at a Yankee Stadium
news conference next month and then will report to the team's
minor league complex in Tampa, Florida. Zhang played in one of
China's WBC game last year, but did not have any at-bats.
(6/18) |
Yankees sign two Chinese prospects
"Sunday Stories."
Ichiro became the first Major
League player this season
to reach 100 hits, he did so in just 66 games played in.
"Matsuzaka VS. Bonds."
Interleague play gave Daisuke
Matsuzaka a chance to pitch
against Barry Bonds. Bonds went 0 for 3 with an intentional walk
from Matsuzaka. Matsuzaka only allowed 3 hits in 7 innings of
work to help the Boston Red Sox shutout the San Francisco Giants
1 - 0 in front of the sold out crowd at Fenway Park, Hideki
Okajima
pitched in the 8th inning to convert his 8th hold of the season.
(6/16) |
Dice-K locks down Giants
"Saito Says."
Takashi Saito's father was his
baseball coach during the
elementary school days, he credits both his parents for creating
an environment that have allowed him to succeed in baseball.
(6/15) |
Father a big part of Saito's career
"Dodger Dudes."
Hong-Chih Kuo pitched well and
hit his first career homer
in Los Angeles Dodgers'
4 - 1 win over the New York Mets.
Kuo won his 2nd career Major League game, the 1st one
came against the Mets as well during last season, and
Takashi Saito collected his 18th save of the season.
(6/13) |
Saito delivers bounce-back pitch
Kuo adds long ball to long journey
"On The Block?"
Akinori Otsuka is gaining
serious interest
from clubs who are looking for bullpen helps.
(6/12) |
Gagne and Otsuka are coveted
"The Pacific Report."
Checked out the websites for
NPB, KBO, and CPBL today.
Using my best limited understanding of Japanese/Korean,
here are the current standing in those respective leagues.
Team: Wins - Losses - Ties - GB
NPB
(Nippon Professional Baseball) Central League Yomiuri Giants: 36-24-0-N/A
Chunichi Dragons: 34-25-1-1.5
Yokohama Bay Stars: 26-29-0-7.5
Hanshin Tigers: 25-32-1-9.5
Hiroshima Toyo Carp: 25-32-1-9.5
Tokyo Yakult Swallows: 23-33-0-11
KBO (Korean Baseball
Organization) SK Wyverns: 28-23-4-N/A
Doosan Bears: 29-24-1-N/A
Hanhwa Eagles: 28-24-1-0.5
Samsung Lions: 26-24-3-1.5
Hyundai Unicorns: 26-27-0-3
Lotte Giants: 25-27-2-3.5
LG Twins: 24-26-2-3.5
Kia Tigers: 22-33-1-8
CPBL
(Chinese Professional Baseball League) Macoto Cobras: 25-19-1-N/A
La New Bears: 23-20-0-1.5
Uni-President Lions: 21-20-0-2.5
Sinon Bulls: 19-19-1-3
Brother Elephants: 18-21-1-4.5
Chinatrust Whales: 18-25-1-6.5
With Asian players like Ichiro and
Wang making a splash in
the MLB, the
attendance and fan interest in NPB, KBO, and CPBL
are all
taking a hit, I believe down the road (15 years?), the
three leagues will merge into one to compete with the MLB.
Also, Chan Ho Park is
signed by the Houston Astros.
(6/12) |
"Ichiro's No Indian."
"To tell the truth, I'm not
excited to go to Cleveland,
but we
have to. If I ever saw myself saying I'm
excited going to
Cleveland, I'd punch myself in
the face, because I'm lying." --- Ichiro Suzuki
Cleveland must be lacking good
Japanese restaurants,
it is official that the Indians will not be one of the
team which Ichiro might be playing for next season.
(6/12) |
M's Notebook
"The Transactions."
Jae Seo will report to
AAA-Durham after accepted his
outright assignment, Seo will join fellow Korean teammate
Jae Kuk Ryu in Durham's starting rotation. Shinji Mori has
been released for the 2nd time by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
(6/11) |
Rays recall Hammel, release Mori
"Dice K'd."
Ordered not to swing the bat
during Spring Training,
Daisuke Matsuzaka finally getting a chance to hit against
Major League pitchers. Too bad the first pitcher deliver
to Matsuzaka was Randy Johnson, where Matsuzaka
describe the Big Unit's slider was a pitch that is impossible
to hit, as he struck out twice against Johnson. Both
Matsuzaka and Johnson finished with similar stats, but
Arizona Diamondbacks beat Boston Red Sox
5 - 1 on some
costly errors committed by the Red Sox. Next up for
Matsuzaka, Barry LaMar Bonds and the San Francisco Giants.
(6/10) |
Dice-K bested in desert
"A Week to Remember, Pt. 7."
Akinori Iwamura is back after
getting hit in the eye
over a week ago. Iwamura currently wearing clear
glasses fielding but likely to stop sometime eventually.
(6/10) |
Aki's Diary: Eyes on the prize
"Kuwata In."
Masumi Kuwata made his Major
League debut against the
New York Yankees, he became the oldest player to make
his Major League debut since another Pittsburgh Pirates
pitcher, 41-year-old Diomedes Olivo, on 9/5/1960, and
Alex Rodriguez greeted Kuwata to the Big League with a
2 run homer. Hideki Matsui went 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs to help the
New York Yankees pulverize the Pittsburgh Pirates,
13 - 6.
(6/10)
Kuwata attracts crowd
Pirates can't slow slugging Yankees
Masumi Kuwata signed with the
Pittsburgh Pirates this
past winter hoping to end his career as a Major Leaguer,
he fulfilled his goal, as he was called up by the Pirates
when the team looking for some pitching help with
reliever
Salomon Torres out with elbow inflammation.
Technically Kuwata is a rookie, however he is the
oldest
player on the team at 39, almost 7 years older
than the 2nd oldest player on the team, Damaso Marte.
(6/9) |
Pirates call up Kuwata from Triple-A
"Kaz Unbelievable..."
Kaz Matsui is currently playing
up to his best ability,
demonstrating the skill and power that he was known
with the Seibu Lions before coming to the Major League.
(6/7) |
Matsui getting in a groove
"Ohka Out."
Tomo Ohka's brief tenure with
the Toronto Blue Jays might
be over. The team designated Ohka for assignment after
giving up 5 earned runs in just 3 1/3 innings during his latest
start. Ohka went 2 - 5 with a 5.79 ERA in 10 starts this season.
(6/7) |
Towers promoted to rotation
"Complete Effort."
Chien-Ming Wang threw 104
pitches complete game and
helped the New York Yankees beat Chicago White Sox,
4 - 1.
(6/6) |
Wang goes the distance for win
"West Side Story."
For the 2nd day in a role,
Ichiro was a big part in the team's win.
Ichiro currently still is the 3rd leading AL Outfielder in the
All-Star voting, he trails Manny Ramirez and Vladimir Guerrero.
Daisuke Matsuzaka and Lenny DiNardo
had a pitching duel.
Boston Red Sox could not capitalize on the walks DiNardo issued.
Oakland Athletics shutout Boston Red Sox at home,
2 - 0.
"DHing."
Ichiro had a day off in the
outfield and played the game as
the leadoff Designated Hitter. Ichiro's bat stayed hot and
he finished the game 3 for 5 with 2 RBIs and scored 2 runs.
Kenji Johjima also swinging the bat well, he finished the
game 2 for 4 with 1 RBI and scored a run. For the season,
Ichiro is hitting .333, and Johijima .323. The Japanese duo
helped Seattle Mariners defeated the Baltimore Orioles,
7 - 4.
(6/5) |
Ichiro's RBI double tops Orioles
"Saito Sidelined."
Like Akinori Iwamura, Takashi
Saito will miss only a few days
without going on the DL. Saito has a strained hamstring which
will force him to miss the important series against the Padres.
(6/4) |
No DL stint for Saito
Saito tests hamstring
"A Week to Remember, Pt. 6."
Akinori Iwamura will not travel
to Toronto, but will be ready to
play when the team is back in Florida. Iwamura's ready to
become a father, as his wife Misaki's deliver date is on July 4th.
(6/4) |
Aki's Diary: Back from oblique injury
"One & Done."
Chan Ho Park's brief tenure
with the New York Mets has come to
an end. Park, signed a week before Spring Training began to add
some depth in the rotation only made one ineffective start for the
team, and did not pitch any better with AAA-New Orleans as well.
(6/4) |
Park's brief career with Mets is over
"Extra Inning Special."
Kaz Matsui went 3 for 6 with 3
RBIs and scored 2 runs. Matsui
lead off bottom of the 10th inning with a single and scored the
game winner in Colorado Rockies'
10 - 9 win over the Cincinnati Reds.
After few disappointing seasons with the New York Mets, seems
like Matsui found a great place to play in the thin air of Denver.
(6/3) |
Matsui fuels comeback win over Reds
"Foul Play."
Akinori Iwamura suffered some
cut in his eye after chasing a
foul ball hit the ground, rebounding up in freak fashion to catch
him
square in the eye socket. Iwamura should be back after a few days.
(6/3) |
Iwamura goes to doctor with eye injury
Iwamura out with eye injury
"Joe Mikulik Who?"
Almost a year ago,
Joe
Mikulik of the Asheville Tourists had one
of
the best manager gone wild moment in pro baseball. I thought
no one would ever come close to Mikulik, but Phillip Wellman
of the Mississippi Braves topped Mikulik's wild performance.
Not sure if Wellman have Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder,
but the crawling on grass, then tossing the rosin bag, which
he showed great arm strength and accuracy to pretend like a
grenade was a first. John Schuerholz sure know who to call
now once Bobby Cox decide to call it a career with the Braves.
(6/2) |
"The Upside."
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays moved
Akinori Iwamura to the
leadoff spot, which is a good move since he hits and gets on
base regularly. Iwamura had some experiences hitting 1st in
the batting order back in the days with the Yakult Swallows.
(6/2) |
Iwamura moved to leadoff
"Gone in 60 days."
Here are some of the Major
Leaguers who were in Major League
Spring Training but has now out with the team they were with.
Hee Seop Choi
Opted not to play in AAA-Durham and asked to be released by the
Tampa Bay Devil Rays, signed to play in Korea, with the Kia Tigers.
Shin-Soo Choo
Began the season in AAA-Buffalo, spend a week in the Majors
when Cleveland Indians' outfield took a hit, back in the Minor
again.
Kei Igawa
The 25 million dollar posting fee Brian Cashman paid to get him
to wear
the pinstripes turned into a project. Went to A-Tampa
to
work on mechanic issues, and now up in AAA-Scranton.
Sun Woo Kim
Did not pitch until May 1st, and spend all of the year so far
with AAA-Fresno of the San Francisco Giants' organization.
Chan Ho Park
Failed to make the team out of Spring Training, but was given
a chance to impress during an emergency start to fill in for the
injured Orlando Hernandez, got hit hard and send right back
down to AAA-New Orleans, where he also struggle on the mound.
Jae Kuk Ryu
Made the team as a long reliever, but inconsistency made the
Tampa Bay Devil Rays optioned him down to AAA-Durham,
where he will be converted back as a starting pitcher again.
Jae Seo
#2 starter behind Scott Kazmir, compiled 8.10 ERA after 10
starts lead to lose his spot in the Tampa Bay Devil Rays'
rotation. Put into the relief role, made one appearance,
and
the team decided to designate him for assignment.
Kazuhito Tadano
Has not pitched in the Major League since 2005 when he
pitched one game in his 2nd year with the Cleveland Indians.
Traded to the Oakland Athletics last season but currently
is not on the 40-man roster. However, he has pitched well
between AA-Midland and AAA-Sacramento so far this season.
Chin-Hui Tsao
Began the year in AAA-Las Vegas, called up twice, the
1st time did not see any action but pitched good enough
to seal a spot in the bullpen the 2nd time around. But
injury has not been something unfamiliar with him, as he
currently is on the 15-day DL with a strained shoulder.
(6/2) |
"Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting..."
Those kicks were fast as
lightning...
In fact, was a little bit frightening...
But they fought with expert timing...
After working almost 10 hours, the
Carlos Zambrano incident is the
first baseball news I see, which made me wonder, have Major League's
professionalism/sportsmanship gone down as the years went by.
A-Rod's "ha" (A-Rod version) or
"mine" (Howie Clark version)
was not really something unexpected. After all, the highest paid
player with the Mickey Mouse batting glove indeed slapped
the ball out of Bronson Arroyo during the 2004 post-season.
Some said it is bush league, other said it is strategic brilliant
that works sometime. While backing up A-Rod by saying how
catchers always have to put up with fans who yells "I got it"
on foul fly balls, but let's be serious, are we switching the
perpetrator to the people on the stands, who's job is making
the visiting team their stay a nightmare. If so, was A-Rod a
fan in the stand now? who's job is heckling and distracting
Howie Clark? Even Joe Torre admitted it was a cheap move.
Fast forward...Wrigley Field in the
middle of the 5th inning.
Carlos Zambrano, on his 26th birthday actually was the one
that delivered the gift, some knuckle sandwiches to his catcher
Michael Barrett. Zambrano is well known from the past as
someone who melts down quick and easy. The Chicago Cubs
who got Lou Pinella and spend big bucks on Alfonso Soriano are
a laughing stock now with a record of 22 - 30, even there are
four months left in the regular season, this incident sealed up
their destiny for 2007 in my opinion, much like what happened
last year in Toronto between John Gibbons and Ted Lilly. Things
were bad in the dugout, and it got worse in the clubhouse, as
Zambrano was ready for round 2 of the confrontation, which he
showed no mercy to Barrett with his own version of fists of fury.
Neither player is having a good season heading to their free agent
year, and now the Cubs must be very glad they did not sign
Zambrano to a contract extension during the Spring Training.
Since Tampa Bay is well known of needing starting pitching, why
not make a trade solve both side's problem by swap Zambrano
with Elijah Dukes? But more likely, Zambrano will be wearing the
pinstripes if the Yankees put another couple pitchers on the DL,
and Kei Igawa is still trying to figure out how to pitch in the
Majors
a month or two down the road as we head into the summer, where
hopefully the level of professionalism/sportsmanship is higher.
"Won't somebody please think of
the
children." --- Helen Lovejoy
(6/1) |
"Streaking."
Ichiro set the new hitting
streak in the Seattle Mariners'
history, as he passed Joey Cora with his 25th straight game
with as least a hit. The current streak is Ichiro's personal best
as well as the longest in Major League Baseball this season.
(6/1) |
Ichiro's 25-game streak sets club mark
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