JapanBall
  • Japanese Baseball
    • NPB Teams
      • All Teams
      • Central League
      • Yokohama DeNa Baystars
      • Hiroshima Toyo Carp
      • Chunichi Dragons
      • Tokyo Yomiuri Giants
      • Tokyo Yakult Swallows
      • Hanshin Tigers
      • Pacific League
      • Orix Buffaloes
      • Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters
      • Tohoku Rakuten Eagles
      • Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
      • Saitama Seibu Lions
      • Chiba Lotte Marines
    • NPB Stadiums
      • All Stadiums
      • Central League
      • Yokohama Stadium (BayStars)
      • Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium Hiroshima (Carp)
      • Vantelin Dome Nagoya (Dragons)
      • Tokyo Dome (Giants)
      • Meiji Jingu Stadium (Swallows)
      • Hanshin Koshien Stadium (Tigers)
      • Pacific League
      • Kyocera Dome Osaka (Buffaloes)
      • ES CON Field Hokkaido (Fighters)
      • Rakuten Mobile Park Miyagi (Golden Eagles)
      • Fukuoka PayPay Dome (Hawks)
      • Belluna Dome (Lions)
      • ZOZO Marine Stadium (Marines)
    • NPB News
    • NPB Stats Leaders
      • Central League – Hitting
      • Central League – Pitching
      • Pacific League – Hitting
      • Pacific League – Pitching
      • Past NPB Stat Leaders
    • NPB Schedule
    • NPB Standings
      • Current NPB Standings
      • Past NPB Standings
    • NPB Scores
  • Baseball Tours
  • Articles and Features
    • All Articles and Features
    • Japanese Baseball
    • Book and Film Reviews
    • Chatter Up! Video Calls
    • Japanese Baseball Profiles
      • All Japanese Baseball Profiles
      • Japanese MLB Players
    • Japan Baseball News
      • All Japan Baseball News
      • MLB Japanese Player Recaps
      • NPB Newsletters
  • Shop
    • JapanBall Store
    • Recommended Items
  • About
    • About JapanBall
    • Our Team
    • Media Coverage
    • Partners
    • Contact
  • 0
Home Japanese Baseball NewsNPB NewslettersUpdates on Every Team

Updates on Every Team

by Trevor Raichura May 15, 2023
May 15, 2023
7.9K

With six weeks of the NPB season in the books, I thought this might be a good time to look at a little bit of news from each team, plus current records. Teams are listed by the standings in their respective leagues, from last to first, as of May 14.

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (14-20-1): On Sunday, pitcher Ryota Takinaka took a no-hitter into the ninth inning but fell two outs short of reaching the accomplishment. Nevertheless, his team ended their week with a 5-0 shutout of the Lions.

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (15-21): Lefty Takayuki Katoh tossed a complete-game shutout on Saturday against the Chiba Lotte Marines. The team also sported some of the wildest uniforms in NPB history (see above) this past week. They were designed by manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo.

Saitama Seibu Lions (16-19-1): Thirty-nine-year-old slugger Takeya Nakamura was named the Pacific League hitter of the month for his outstanding April. He batted .364 and hit 7 home runs, knocking in 22 runs. On the dark side of the news, first baseman Hotaka Yamakawa has been deactivated due to a scandal involving sexual violence.

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (17-14-2): Tomohisa Ohzeki threw a one-hit gem on Tuesday, striking out 13 Fighters in a 1-0 victory in Kumamoto.

Chiba Lotte Marines (19-14-1): Roki Sasaki was named the PL pitcher of the month, thanks to an outstanding April that featured 4 starts, 3 wins, an ERA of 1.00, and 38 strikeouts in 27 innings of work. The team also managed to sweep the Lions in the first half of the week.

Orix Buffaloes (21-14-1): Hiroya Miyagi threw a complete-game shutout against the Eagles on Tuesday as his fielders put up two runs to give him his fourth win of the campaign. Despite Masataka Yoshida’s offseason departure, the defending champs lead the league in team batting average (.273) and are second in home runs (29).


Chunichi Dragons (13-22): On Friday, speedy outfielder Yuki Okabayashi hit his first career home run in a victory over the Swallows. Then on Sunday, rookie Kaito Muramatsu hit a grand slam (one of three in the CL, the first time since 1990 that three separate games featured grand slams) in a losing cause against those same Swallows. (The reality for the Dragons bats, though, is 10 shutout losses already in 2023.)

Yomiuri Giants (16-20): On Saturday, Lewis Brinson helped his team stave off another embarrassing late-inning collapse. His one-out single to center in the bottom of the 12th provided the walk-off run, giving the Giants a much-needed win. They lost their other two games on the weekend.

Yakult Swallows (17-18-1): Masanori Ishikawa threw 5 2/3 shutout innings against the Tigers on Wednesday, which were enough to earn him his first win of the year. The 43-year-old has tied an NPB record by getting at least one win in each of his first 22 seasons as a pro. The Swallows also shut out the Tigers on Tuesday.

Hiroshima Carp (18-16): Aren Kuri threw a complete-game shutout on Wednesday against the Dragons as part of the team’s three-game sweep. They also came back to beat the Giants on Friday, tying the game in the ninth off closer Taisei, and then scoring six runs in the top of the 10th.

Yokohama DeNA Baystars (19-14): Trevor Bauer had a rough outing on Tuesday, giving up seven runs (six earned) in six innings of work against the Giants. They also got swept over the weekend by the Tigers and fell into second place for the first time in a few weeks. The good news is that third baseman Toshiro Miyazaki won CL hitter of the month, thanks to a sizzling .444 average (and a 1.266 OPS) including 4 home runs and 13 RBI.

Hanshin Tigers (20-13-1): Rookie pitcher Shoki Murakami saw his shutout streak end at 31 innings on Tuesday as the Swallows managed a single run in 7 innings. He got hung with the tough-luck loss. Murakami won pitcher of the month in the CL for throwing 25 shutout innings, striking out 23 batters, and winning two of his three starts. On the weekend, the Tigers put up 28 runs against the Baystars, propelling themselves into first.


Good Week: Carp (5-1), Marines (4-1), Tigers (4-2), Swallows (4-2)

Rough Week: Baystars (0-5), Dragons (1-5), Lions (1-4-1)

  • Trevor Raichura
Hanshin TigersmiyazakimurakaminakamuraOrix BuffaloesSasaki
1 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

Categories

  • Book and Film Reviews
  • Chatter Up! Video Calls
  • Japanese Baseball
  • Japanese Baseball News
    • MLB Japanese Player Recaps
    • NPB Newsletters
  • Japanese Baseball Profiles
    • Japanese MLB Players

Latest from Our YouTube Channel

Thumbnail youtube NPB Midseason Starting Pitcher Draft Thumbnail youtube NPB June Power Rankings Thumbnail youtube Top 10 NPB Pitchers Thumbnail youtube NPB May Status Report Thumbnail youtube 2025 NPB Leaders (So Far) Thumbnail youtube NPB Power Rankings Thumbnail youtube NPB Opening Weekend Recap Thumbnail youtube 2025 NPB Central League Preview Thumbnail youtube 2025 NPB Pacific League Preview Thumbnail youtube NPB Preseason Starting Pitcher Rankings - Talking Yakyu Thumbnail youtube Five Japanese Baseball Stories to Watch in 2025 Thumbnail youtube Our Travel Guide to Japanese Baseball! Thumbnail youtube Remembering Fernando Valenzuela by Leon DeHaven Thumbnail youtube What is the Tokyo Big6 Baseball League? Thumbnail youtube Visiting the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum Thumbnail youtube Number 18: The Ace Tradition in Japanese Baseball Thumbnail youtube Korean baseball culture and vibes at the Dodgers-Padres MLB Opening... Thumbnail youtube Batter Up: A Conversation About Asian American Representation in Management... Thumbnail youtube Shane Barclay & Anna DiTommaso – Baseball Brew Crew Interview... Thumbnail youtube Haarlem Baseball Week (Honkbalweek Haarlem) in the Netherlands - European... Thumbnail youtube New Zealand Baseball National Team does the Haka at 2022... Thumbnail youtube "Chatter Up!" – Bob Fontaine Jr., Legendary Scout and "Baseball... Thumbnail youtube "Chatter Up!" – George Arias, Hanshin Tigers, Yomiuri Giants, and... Thumbnail youtube "Chatter Up!" – Best-selling Japanese Baseball Author Robert Whiting (8/6/21) Thumbnail youtube "Chatter Up!" – Former Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles General Manager... Thumbnail youtube "Chatter Up!" – Former Yakult Swallows Stars Tony Barnette, Aaron... Thumbnail youtube "Chatter Up!" – Kerry Yo Nakagawa, Japanese American Baseball Multimedia... Thumbnail youtube "Chatter Up!" – Matt Murton, Hanshin Tigers Legend & NPB... Thumbnail youtube "Chatter Up!" –Trey Hillman, NPB/KBO/MLB 2x Champion Manager (02/05/21) Thumbnail youtube "Chatter Up!" – Kim Ng, Miami Marlins General Manager (01/06/21) Thumbnail youtube "Chatter Up!" – Filmmaker/Director Ema Ryan Yamazaki of "Koshien: Japan's... Thumbnail youtube JapanBaller Spotlight: Susan McCormac
Subscribe:

Please follow & like

Facebook
Instagram

Contact Us

Note that we no longer offer ticketing services and cannot fulfill NPB ticket requests outside our prepackaged tours.

Name(Required)

©2024 Extra Innings, Inc. | All Right Reserved | Privacy Policy | Shop Terms & Conditions

JapanBall
  • Japanese Baseball
    • NPB Teams
      • All Teams
      • Central League
      • Yokohama DeNa Baystars
      • Hiroshima Toyo Carp
      • Chunichi Dragons
      • Tokyo Yomiuri Giants
      • Tokyo Yakult Swallows
      • Hanshin Tigers
      • Pacific League
      • Orix Buffaloes
      • Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters
      • Tohoku Rakuten Eagles
      • Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
      • Saitama Seibu Lions
      • Chiba Lotte Marines
    • NPB Stadiums
      • All Stadiums
      • Central League
      • Yokohama Stadium (BayStars)
      • Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium Hiroshima (Carp)
      • Vantelin Dome Nagoya (Dragons)
      • Tokyo Dome (Giants)
      • Meiji Jingu Stadium (Swallows)
      • Hanshin Koshien Stadium (Tigers)
      • Pacific League
      • Kyocera Dome Osaka (Buffaloes)
      • ES CON Field Hokkaido (Fighters)
      • Rakuten Mobile Park Miyagi (Golden Eagles)
      • Fukuoka PayPay Dome (Hawks)
      • Belluna Dome (Lions)
      • ZOZO Marine Stadium (Marines)
    • NPB News
    • NPB Stats Leaders
      • Central League – Hitting
      • Central League – Pitching
      • Pacific League – Hitting
      • Pacific League – Pitching
      • Past NPB Stat Leaders
    • NPB Schedule
    • NPB Standings
      • Current NPB Standings
      • Past NPB Standings
    • NPB Scores
  • Baseball Tours
  • Articles and Features
    • All Articles and Features
    • Japanese Baseball
    • Book and Film Reviews
    • Chatter Up! Video Calls
    • Japanese Baseball Profiles
      • All Japanese Baseball Profiles
      • Japanese MLB Players
    • Japan Baseball News
      • All Japan Baseball News
      • MLB Japanese Player Recaps
      • NPB Newsletters
  • Shop
    • JapanBall Store
    • Recommended Items
  • About
    • About JapanBall
    • Our Team
    • Media Coverage
    • Partners
    • Contact

Shopping Cart

Close

No products in the cart.

Close