#10 Sports Talk ― Baseball Banter with Jim Armstrong as NPB’s Interleague Play Dominates the Headlines

Insights on Roki Sasaki’s rising fame, other young stars to keep an eye on, Yoshihisa Hirano’s brilliant career as a closer, and much more.

Published

2 years ago

June 8, 2022

Ed Odeven

Listen in as Jim Armstrong rejoins the podcast for a wide-ranging discussion about the NPB season, including perspective on Chiba Lotte Marines hurler Roki Sasaki’s season to date.

Sasaki, whose perfect game on April 10 received global attention, recorded his first loss of 2022 in a rough outing against the Yomiuri Giants on Friday, June 3.

The conversation also highlighted the ongoing interleague portion of the schedule, as well as banner performances so far this season by Giants rookie closer Taisei Ota, Yokohama DeNA BayStars second baseman Shugo Maki and Hokkaido Nipponham Fighters outfielder Go Matsumoto.

The discussion also shifted to talk about Orix Buffaloes reliever Yoshihisa Hirano recently collecting his 200th NPB save, making him only the seventh player to so, and Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles hurler Masahiro Tanaka’s solid start to the season.

Author: Ed Odeven

Follow Ed on JAPAN Forward's [Japan Sports Notebook] here on Sundays, in [Odds and Evens] here during the week, and Twitter ＠ed_odeven and find him on JAPAN Forward’s dedicated sports website, SportsLook.