Page 10 - Eric Thames News Today

First baseman Chris Gittens has agreed to a contract with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Japans Nippon Professional Baseball, …

Outfielder Mike Tauchman has signed with the Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization, reports Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News. …

Former Phillies outfielder Aaron Altherr is open to a Major League comeback following a strong run in the KBO. Read more at MLB Trade Rumors.

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Gerry Angus-USA TODAY Sports Justin Smoak is getting attention in Japan whether he likes it or not. A dozen games into his Nippon Professional Baseball career, former Blue Jay Smoak is giving post-game "hero" interviews, being awarded high quality Japanese meat, and leading his Yomiuri Giants to the second-best record in the league. "I am sure most of you know this much attention is a lot for him," Smoaks wife Kristin tweeted. "But it’s all about embracing the new experiences!" Through 12 g...

Hitters streaks of homering in consecutive games By JohnW53 on May 8, 2021, 4:48am CDT + Only the Yankees (16,350) and Giants (14,804) have hit more. The Cubs have hit at least 1 homer in as many as 17 consecutive games. They have homered in at least 10 straight games 5 games in a row. Intriguingly, neither have the Braves, who had hit the fourth most total homers, 14,047. Nor have the Dodgers, Phillies or Reds. That makes 5 of the 8 National League teams that existed before 1962...

Last week was one of contrasting fortunes for two of the biggest signings of the NPB offseason. Eric Thames and Justin Smoak finally got on the field for the Yomiuri Giants on April 27, after having their arrival to Japan delayed by coronavirus travel restrictions and then enduring two weeks of isolation. They were both in Yomiuri’s starting lineup against the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, with Smoak getting a hit in his first at-bat. Then things took a turn for the worse. Thames went down in pain w...

This Date in Baseball-Week Ahead By The Associated PressApril 22, 2021 GMT April 23 1903 — The New York Highlanders won their first game as a major league team, 7-2 over the Washington Senators. 1913 — New York Giants ace Christy Mathewson beat the Phillies 3-1, throwing just 67 pitches. 1939 — Rookie Ted Williams went 4-for-5, including his first major league home run, but the Red Sox lost to Philadelphia 12-8 at Fenway Park. 1946 — Ed Head of the Brooklyn Dodgers no-hit the Boston Bra...

April 18, 2021 Cesar Valdez’s name has graced this column a handful of times over the past year, most recently a month ago when I asked him about his powerful paralyzing perfect pachydermous percussion pitch. (No, the Baltimore Orioles reliever doesn’t actually call it that, but given that Bugs Bunny changeups make up the lion’s share of his deliveries, he arguably should). Since the start of last season, Valdez has thrown the mesmerizing offering an eye-popping 83.1% of the time. The Red...

March 5, 2021 Earlier this week, when I examined the potential landing spots for center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr., the Brewers stuck out as a team that didn’t appear to have a glaring need, particularly with center fielder Lorenzo Cain returning to the roster after opting out early in 2020. Yet FanSided’s Robert Murray, who previously covered the Brewers for The Athletic, had recently reported that the team was in the mix for them, and a week and a half later, they landed him via a two-ye...