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 Jason Coskrey

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Jason Coskrey
Jason Coskrey is a sports writer for The Japan Times. His primary focus is Japanese baseball, but he has also covered soccer, American football, boxing and basketball. He previously worked for the Marietta Daily Journal in Marietta, Ga. A native of Detroit, he is a graduate of the University of Alabama-Birmingham.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jun 18, 2014
Buffaloes' Italian pitcher Maestri keeps track of Azzurri's World Cup progress
When Mario Balotelli headed Italy into a second-half lead over England at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Italians around the globe rejoiced. That included Alessandro "Alex" Maestri, an Italian relief pitcher for the Orix Buffaloes who was watching in Osaka and had a game to suit up for later in the day....
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jun 17, 2014
Giants wallop Buffaloes in showdown of NPB's winningest teams
The Yomiuri Giants found themselves without their starting pitcher in the early stages of an important game. In the end it didn't matter. The Kyojin just beat up on the opposing starter to make up for it.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Jun 17, 2014
New Lions slugger Mejia relishes opportunity to play in NPB
Ernesto Mejia remembers the bus rides. Those long trips to games in rookie ball, Single-A and a notch up the ladder in Double-A. Some of those rides could last for seven, eight, nine hours.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Jun 14, 2014
Carp like fish out of water during interleague
On the eve of the interleague portion of the schedule, nearly one month ago, the Hiroshima Carp were leading the Central League with a 27-15 record and tied with the Pacific League-leading Orix Buffaloes for the best record in NPB. After ending a postseason drought that had stretched over two decades...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jun 12, 2014
Kaneko capitalizes in clutch as Lions edge Carp
The Seibu Lions were late to the party, but they finally did what the other five Pacific League clubs had already accomplished.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Jun 7, 2014
BayStars pitcher Ino producing better results
It took Yokohama BayStars pitcher Shoichi Ino five starts before he won his first game in 2013. The rookie then bounced in and out of the rotation, and it wasn't until September that the right-hander took a game into at least the seventh inning for the first time. He posted only five wins and had to...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jun 6, 2014
Yokogawa delivers game-winning single in 10th for Giants
The Yomiuri Giants and Seibu Lions played for almost four hours before Fuminori Yokogawa made his first appearance in the game.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Jun 6, 2014
PS3 game predicts success for Japan in early soccer stage
Right now, soccer fans across the globe are wondering how their nation will fare at the upcoming World Cup in Brazil. Usually some company finds a psychic animal to "predict" the results: Paul the Octopus for the 2010 World Cup, an Indian elephant for Euro 2012, and this time a panda.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Jun 2, 2014
Bowker relishing second chance
John Bowker’s second chance presented itself one morning in late April. Bowker was just sitting down for breakfast at his apartment in Campeche, a port city on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, when his telephone rang.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Jun 1, 2014
Tough luck for Kaneko
Chihiro Kaneko no-hit the Yomiuri Giants for nine innings on Saturday. He then watched his team lose the game.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
May 29, 2014
Young hurlers Norimoto, Sugano aiming for All-Star Series participation
Takahiro Norimoto's favorite NPB All-Star memory is of watching Norichika Aoki propel the Central League to a 10-8 win over the Pacific League with a ninth-inning two-run home run in Game 1 of the 2009 All-Star Series.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
May 29, 2014
Giants southpaw Utsumi records first victory of season
Tetsuya Utsumi threw his hands in the air as soon as the ball cleared the wall in left-center. Then he started clapping, and then he started grinning, and he capped his celebration by giving teammate Frederich Cepeda a high-five and a big slap on the backside for a job well done.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
May 26, 2014
Hawks spent wisely during winter
The Fukuoka Softbank Hawks were scheduled to play their 48th game of the season on Monday night at Nagoya Dome, placing the Kyushu club beyond the quarter-pole of the season but with a lot of games still between them and the halfway mark.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
May 24, 2014
Kaneko continues push toward elite status
Chihiro Kaneko showed up Kenta Maeda twice Friday night.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
May 19, 2014
No time to rest as Cepeda hits ground running in Japan
Frederich Cepeda has had quite the week.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
May 18, 2014
Carp crush Giants to send interleague warning
If Brad Eldred and the Hiroshima Carp keep playing like this, the six Pacific League clubs aren't going to enjoy facing them any more than their Central League counterparts have so far this season.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
May 18, 2014
Hiroshima's Maru has learned a walk is as good as a hit
Yoshihiro Maru is getting on base more by swinging his bat less.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
May 17, 2014
Cepeda crushes first home run in NPB; Giants snap five-game slide
Frederich Cepeda, while playing for the Cuban national team, got a chance to watch Kenta Maeda pitch for Samurai Japan during the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
May 15, 2014
Swallows pound out 17 hits, throttle Giants
The Tokyo Yakult Swallows wrapped up a series that saw them play in three cities on three consecutive nights. The only constants were a barrage of hits and victories over the Yomiuri Giants at every stop.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
May 12, 2014
Eldred's bat on fire early for surprising CL-leading Carp
After years of futility and sub-.500 finishes, it's possible the Hiroshima Carp, still in first place despite Sunday's 9-5 loss to the Chunichi Dragons, are actually for real this season.

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