Nippon Ham Fighters

Brian Wolfe threw thirty-five pitches in the bullpen on Tuesday.  He told reporters he was back to about eighty percent and would work on the remaining twenty percent by taking things day-by-day.

Source: Daily Sports 5/21/2013

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1st round draft pick Shohei Otani threw thirty-two pitches off the mound at Sapporo Dome on Monday before moving to the bullpen to throw another fifty-six pitches.  He is slated to make the first start of his Ichi-gun career on the 23rd against Yakult at Sapporo Dome.

Otani has not played in any Ichi-gun games since he started a Ni-gun game against Seibu on the 16th.

Source: Sanspo 5/21/2013

Sponichi adds that Otani threw twelve pitches to a standing catcher and twenty pitches to a squatting catcher when testing the mound at Sapporo Dome on Monday.

Source: Sponichi 5/21/2013

The media learned on Monday that the Fighters will not nominate Otani for the Fresh All-Star Game because they consider him an Ichi-gun player and as such, feel he should only focus on the Ichi-gun All-Star Game.

Source: Sponichi 5/21/2013

Seibu Lions

Ryoma Nogami threw thirty pitches in the bullpen on Tuesday (about ten fewer than usual).  He is scheduled to start a game against Hiroshima on the 23rd.

Source: Nikkan Sports 5/21/2013

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At about forty pitches, Yusei Kikuchi threw about ten more pitches than usual during his pre-game bullpen session on Monday.

Source: Sanspo 5/21/2013

Softbank Hawks

The Hawks recorded ten or more runs in two consecutive games -- twelve runs on May 19 and ten runs on the 20.  The last time they managed a similar feat was in 2010 when they scored fourteen runs on July 31 and twelve runs on August 1.

Source: Sponichi 5/21/2013

Rakuten Eagles

Scouts from the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers are expected to attend Wednesday's game against Yomiuri at Kleenex Stadium.

Masahiro Tanaka is scheduled to start for the Eagles, Hirokazu Sawamura for the Giants.

Source: Daily Sports 5/21/2013

Chiba Lotte Marines

Seth Greisinger was taken off the active roster on Tuesday with tightness in his right shoulder.  Kazunari Abe is scheduled to take Greisinger's next start on Wednesday against Hanshin.

Source: Nikkan Sports 5/21/2013

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Yuji Nishino struck out twelve batters in 8.1 innings of work on Monday and became the first pitcher taken during the Ikusei draft to record ten or more strikeouts in a game.

Source: Sponichi 5/21/2013

The Hanshin Tigers and Nippon Ham Fighters have joined forces to create special limited Shintaro Fujinami and Shohei Otani merchandise that will only be available at Koshien Stadium (May 25-26), Sapporo Dome June (12-13), and individual official team stores (May 25 until supplies for online stores run out).  Each item will feature both players prominently -- Fujinami pitching and Otani hitting.

• T-Shirt - 2,940 yen
• Key Chain - 500 yen
• Stickers - 350 yen
• Clear File - 350 yen
• Face Towel - 1,050 yen

Fans that spend 3,000 yen or more on the above merchandise through either team's official online store will also have a chance to win one of five Fujinami/Otani autographed t-shirts.

Source: official announcement (Nippon Ham), online store (Nippon Ham), official announcement (Hanshin), online store (Hanshin)

The Dragons announced today that Kazuki Yoshimi will have reconstructive surgery on his right ulnar collateral ligament (elbow) on June 4.  This will be the third time he has had surgery on his right elbow.  There is no timetable for his return, but based on past cases, he may require about a year for a full recovery.

Source: Sponichi 5/21/2013, Nikkan Sports 5/21/2013

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UPDATE 5/22 @ 5:00pm -

To clarify: Yoshimi will undergo Tommy John surgery.

Source: Sports Hochi 5/22/2013, Daily Sports 5/22/2013, Nikkan Sports 5/22/2013

The NPB released figures on what happened to players after they were senryokugaied (released) or retired after the 2012 season.

==

Senryokugai / Retired = 101

Remained in Baseball (77 - 76%)

Outside of Baseball (24 - 24%)

==

Breakdown by Team

==

Results Since 2007

=

* All data through May 7, 2013.  2012 data does not include Ikusei players.

Various other stats:

• Found some sort of employment: 85 (84%)
• Unknown: 16 (16%)
• Average Age: 30.5
• Average Playing Years: 9.9

Central League Updates

Added to the Active Roster

None

Removed from the Active Roster

Chunichi Dragons

- Asakura, Kenta P

Yokohama Bay Stars

- Yoshikawa, Teruaki P

Pacific League Updates

Added to the Active Roster

None

Removed from the Active Roster

Chiba Lotte Marines

- Greisinger, Seth P

* Players removed from the active roster today can be added back beginning on May 31.

The Tigers and Lions have agreed to a one-for-one trade that will send thirty-one-year-old pitcher Yusuke Kawasaki to the Lions in exchange for thirty-one-year-old outfielder Hisashi Takayama.

Source: official announcement (Seibu), Daily Sports 5/21/2013, Sponichi 5/21/2013

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Nippon Ham Fighters

Hiroshi Kisanuki won his start against the Yomiuri Giants on Monday and became the twelfth pitcher in NPB history to record victories against twelve NPB teams.

Victories against thirteen NPB teams (Kintetsu, Rakuten): Kimiyasu Kudo, Toshiya Sugiuchi.

Victories against twelve NPB teams (before Inter-league play): Osamu Nomura, Masaaki Koga, Kazuhiro Takeda.

Victories against twelve NPB teams (after Inter-league play): Ken Kadokura, Masato Yoshii, Yasutomo Kubo, Shugo Fujii, Kazuhisa Ishii, Seth Greisinger, Kisanuki.

Source: Daily Sports 5/20/2013, Daily Sports 5/20/2013

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1st round draft pick Shohei Otani threw twenty pitches off the mound at Sapporo Dome on Monday.  He then moved to the bullpen and threw another fifty-six pitches.

Source: Sanspo 5/20/2013

Softbank Hawks

The Hawks played Monday's game with the roof open at YafuOku Dome (for the first time this season).  The roof will be opened again during a game against Yakult on June 13.

Source: Nikkan Sports 5/20/2013

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Team chairman Sadaharu Oh turned seventy-three on Monday.

Yomiuri Giants

Yoshinobu Takahashi took outdoor batting practice on Sunday for the first time after hurting his left calf.  With Ni-gun pitching coach Kazuya Tabata on the mound, Takahashi took sixty-two swings and hit one over the fence.

Source: Sanspo 5/20/2013

Chunichi Dragons

Hector Luna extended his hitting streak to twenty games on Sunday.  This ties the franchise record for foreign players set by Alonzo Powell 1994 and 1995.  He is also the only player in franchise history that has managed to maintain a batting average above .400 after playing in forty-four games -- the previous franchise record of forty-three games was set by Powell in 1996 and Masahiko Morino in 2010.

Source: Sports Hochi 5/20/2013

Hanshin Tigers

Through Sunday, the Tigers are 9-0 when Takashi Toritani records at least one RBI in a game.

Source: Sponichi 5/20/2013

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Kohei Shibata was pulled from Sunday's game after he made a base-running mistake in the 7th inning -- with a runner on second and one out, Shibata hit a ball to center and rounded first thinking the throw would go home, but the runner on second stopped at third and the ball was cut-off and he was thrown out at second.

Source: Sanspo 5/20/2013

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1st round draft pick Shintaro Fujinami threw thirty-five pitches in the bullpen at Naruohama today.  This was his third session since he was removed from the active roster with tightness in his lower back.  He threw all his pitches (fastball, curve, slider, fork, change, cutter, two-seamer) and also threw from the set and slid-step.

Source: Daily Sports 5/20/2013

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Kosuke Fukduome practiced outdoors on Sunday for the first time since he injured his left knee.  He should be able to start taking indoor batting practice (soft-toss, off a tee) soon.

Source: Sanspo 5/20/2013

Nippon Ham Fighters

Dai-Kang Yoh became the seventh player in NPB history since the start of the two-league format to record multiple hits in nine straight games.  Yoh has also recorded multiple hit in eleven games this month.  The CL high of sixteen in one game was set by four players, most recently by Hisayoshi Chono in August 2012.  The PL high of fifteen was set six times by five players.

Source: Sponichi 5/20/2013

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1st round draft pick Shohei Otani is scheduled to toss a bullpen session today.

Source: Sanspo 5/20/2013

Hokkaido Bunka Hoso (UHB) plans to have two TV cameras assigned to Otani for his debut start as pitcher on the 23rd against Yakult.

Source: Sponichi 5/20/2013

Seibu Lions

Hideaki Wakui lost his spot in the starting rotation after another poor outing on Sunday.  He spoke to reporters after the game and seemed to be a little lost.

"I am not sure what I need to do.  I do not know when I will pitch next, but I will think about it today and tomorrow," said Wakui on Sunday.

Source: Sponichi 5/20/2013

Chiba Lotte Marines

Katsuya Kakunaka was taken off the active roster on the 11th with pain in his left hamstring.  While he is eligible to return to the active roster on Tuesday, he only recently started taking soft-toss batting practice and will likely require more time.

Source: Sanspo 5/20/2013

Orix Buffaloes

The Buffaloes made a mistake on Sunday when they announced that umpire Tatsuya Yamamura was working his 1,500th game.  After the game, team officials apologized for Yamamura for the error.  Sunday's game was Yamamura's 1,499th game.

Source: Sanspo 5/20/2013

Central League Updates

Added to the Active Roster

Hanshin Tigers

- Asai, Ryo OF

Removed from the Active Roster

Hanshin Tigers

- Ito, Hayata OF

Pacific League Updates

Added to the Active Roster

Seibu Lions

- Hoshi, Hidekazu OF
- Kimura, Fumikazu OF

Softbank Hawks

- Yamanaka, Hirofumi P
- Padilla, Vicente P
- Hoshino, Daichi P

Rakuten Eagles

- Tomura, Kenji P

Removed from the Active Roster

Seibu Lions

- Sakamoto, Yataro P
- Sakata, Ryo OF

Softbank Hawks

- Ejiri, Shintaro P
- Kawahara, Hiroyuki P

Rakuten Eagles

- Oyama, Keiji C

* Players removed from the active roster today can be added back beginning on May 30.