Baseball: Ex-Yankee Masahiro Tanaka earns 100th Japan win in Sendai homecoming
April 24, 2021 (Mainichi Japan)
Rakuten Eagles starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka throws during a game against the Seibu Lions at Sendai s Rakuten Seimei Park Miyagi on April 24, 2021. (Kyodo) TOKYO (Kyodo) Former New York Yankee Masahiro Tanaka allowed a run over six innings for his first win in Japan since 2013 and the 100th of his career in Japan s top flight in a 2-1 Pacific League win over the Seibu Lions on Saturday. The 32-year-old Tanaka (1-1) struck out four and hit a batter, while allowing three hits at Sendai s Rakuten Seimei Park Miyagi. His last time on the mound at the Eagles home park had been to close out the 2013 Japan Series with a Game 7 save.
García, Arihara lift Rangers over Angels
Adolis García homered and doubled off Dylan Bundy, Kohei Arihara took a shutout into the sixth inning and the Texas Rangers got their offence on track in a 6-4 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night.
The Canadian Press Kohei Arihara , The Canadian Press
ANAHEIM, Calif. Adolis García homered and doubled off Dylan Bundy, Kohei Arihara took a shutout into the sixth inning and the Texas Rangers got their offence on track in a 6-4 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night.
Texas eclipsed its entire output from a three-game home series against Baltimore over the weekend, when it totalled just four runs.
Justin Upton homered for the Angels, while Bundy (0-2) gave up five runs and seven hits and was knocked out the game during the Rangers’ five-run sixth inning. The right-hander had six strikeouts with two walks.
Arihara (2-1), in his fourth major league start, retired Angels star Shohei Ohtani in two at-bats, although one was a deep fly to center that García caught while crashing into the padded wall. Arihara and Ohtani were teammates in Japan with the Nippon Ham Fighters from 2015-17.
“Honestly, I felt like it was going to be gone off the bat,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “I thought it was one of the better swings I’ve put on the ball this season. And I feel like the wind brought it back a little bit. That might’ve had something to do with it. I was happy with the approach but didn’t get the right results.”
MLB: Kohei Arihara faces ex-teammate Shohei Ohtani, leads Rangers to victory
April 20, 2021 (Mainichi Japan)
This combined photo shows Texas Rangers pitcher Kohei Arihara (L) and Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani facing each other in a game at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, on April 19, 2021. The two were former teammates with the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan. (Kyodo) ANAHEIM, California (Kyodo) Texas Rangers rookie Kohei Arihara held former teammate Shohei Ohtani hitless in two at-bats Monday on the way to his second major league win in a 6-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels. Arihara and Ohtani played together for the Nippon Ham Fighters of Japan s Pacific League from 2015 through 2017. Ohtani started his first season with the Angels in 2018, and Arihara joined the Rangers in December after a six-year career with the Fighters.