Wladimir Balentien of the Yakult Swallows (NPB 2013 home run record)

Figuring out kanji used for baseball in Japan is a fun challenge. If you have a basic understanding of kanji you can literally read what Balentien (バレンティン) did on this evening before coming to bat for the fourth time. (遊ゴ = fun go, 四球 = four balls, 死球 = death ball) So what do these things really mean? 遊 is the shortstop (the funnest position?). goro (ゴロ) is grounder so he grounded out to short his first time up. Four balls is easy enough. He walked in his second at bat. But “death ball”? What could that possibly mean? He was hit by the pitch in his most recent at bat.

Posted on November 22nd, 2014 under Japan. Tags: baseball, japanese language, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, yakult swallows. Comments Off on Japanese baseball terminology

阪神タイガース

The Tigers made it to the Japan Series in 2014, thanks to a strange advancement past Hiroshima in the first stage of the Climax Series (equivalent to the division playoffs in MLB). They won the series by tying the Carp. By virtue of their higher seed, that was all they needed to advance. Ultimately, they lost to Fukuoka in the Japan Series (equivalent to the World Series in MLB).

Today’s photo comes from a game I went to between the Tigers and the Dragons in 2013. I am not a fan of either team, but I wanted to sit with the crazy Tigers’ fans. However, the Tigers’ fan section was sold out (even though this was a game in Nagoya, not Osaka). So I bought a ticket in the upper deck, behind the crazy fans of the Tigers as did others who couldn’t get the “real” cheering section tickets. The seats were mostly empty, and the fans weren’t nearly as interesting as those below, but they still showed their support in more subdued ways.

Posted on November 21st, 2014 under Japan. Tags: baseball, Nikon AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED Telephoto Lens, Nikon D600. Comments Off on Hanshin Tigers fan

こってり 牛すじラーメン

Beef based ramen recommended by Kan Otake (大竹寛) of the Hiroshima Carp? Not for me on an extremely hot and humid summer day. In the winter or in an air conditioned restaurant, with freshly made ingredients, and I wouldn’t be able to pass this up.

BTW, koi (鯉) means carp in Japanese. KoiCourt is the food court at the stadium of the Hiroshima Carp.

Posted on November 20th, 2014 under Japan. Tags: baseball, food, hiroshima, Nikon AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED Telephoto Lens, Nikon D600, ramen. Comments Off on Baseball ramen

David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox (2013 World Series MVP)

Baseball is a fickle sport.

Posted on October 25th, 2014 under Other. Tags: AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II, baseball, boston, nikon d7000, Nikon TC-17E II 1.7x Teleconverter, sports photography. Comments Off on World Series MVP

Fred Lewis of the Hiroshima Carp loses his bat in a 2013 game

The Central League Climax Series First Stage begins this weekend in Japan. The Swallows are my Central League team, but they had a typical Swallows season and ended up in the basement. My next favorite team in the CL is Hiroshima, in large part because of the wonderful Carp fans I sat next to last summer. They will be matched up with the Tigers in the series.

Fred Lewis, by the way, only lasted one season for the Carp. Although he played in 79 games for Hiroshima last year, he hit just .268 with only 4 home runs.

Posted on October 9th, 2014 under Japan. Tags: baseball, hiroshima, Nikon AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED Telephoto Lens, Nikon D600. Comments Off on Hiroshima Carp begin postseason play