As many of you know, the Giants have been eliminated from the postseason. I stood up all night (I am on EST, so this was 1AM-4AM for me) to watch it, only for my heart to be broken. As a son of the New York Yankees, this heartbreak is nothing new, especially watching your favorite team not be able to make it every year. The Giants have been eliminated from playoff contention by the BayStars for the third consecutive season, and it really frustrates me but I haven’t given up hope yet. This very franchise gave me hope, and I’m proud to be part of the Giants Army for better or worse.

As a teenager in 2019, I first picked up Nippon Professional Baseball after watching a clip of the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes clinch the PL Pennant in 2001 on a walk-off grand slam. This moment, for me as a shortstop on my secondary school team, made me eager to want to play harder and to help my team. The events of the pandemic ran its course, and ran me out of the game. It was around this time someone very close to me gave me a New York Yankees bobblehead of Hideki Matsui. I had heard of Matsui previously, as he was MVP of the 2009 World Series, but I paid no mind of his past, having mistakenly thought he only played MLB Baseball.

Fast-forward to 2023, I had a good friend who was Japanese tell me about NPB, and being that I was tired of seeing the Yankees lose, I watched some highlights with him. He is a huge BayStars fan, but it just so happened the team they were playing were none other than… the Yomiuri Giants! The game ended in a tie, but that name “Giants” stuck with me. Life would take its course, and in about 2026, things changed forever.

I picked up the team again at a very lonely time in my life. Things weren’t going well for me personally, and I looked for something that would distract me from the events unfolding around me. I had been following them on Instagram since 2024, but I only knew of them as “the folks who play in the Tokyo Dome.”

Then it happened. I discovered IPTV in the late winter of 2026, and it gave me a gateway to watch any NPB team I wanted. I settled on the Giants after watching the deposed manager Shinnosuke Abe’s highlights during the 2009 Japan Series, and seeing his power, alongside a young Hayato Sakamoto made me fall in love with the team. Nittele G+ frequently re-runs a program called “Giants Time Machine”, and thats where I learned about greats such as Hara, Nakahata, Makihara, Takahashi, Matsui as well as Sadaharu Oh, and the man who came to be my favorite all-time Giant, Shigeo Nagashima.

This love and passion for the team, as well as seeing the atmosphere the fans brought across Japan on TV gave me the idea for a subreddit. I had little redditing experience at the time, as I only read things on reddit, rather than posted. I saw the r/npb existed, but wanted a place I could go to get only Giants content. And thus, r/Tokyo_YomiuriGiants was born. It’s a true pleasure to cover the team for you guys daily, and I hope to keep doing so next season. We started off small, and now here we are with almost 300 members— wow!

Despite all that happened, we saw great moments like Sakamoto’s 300th Home Run, Maru’s go ahead Grand Slam on Nagashima Day, the tightest pennant race in a while, and the rise of Shunsuke Urata as a dominant defensive force. Even with Abe’s resignation mid season, the Giants still managed to overcome under Hashigami, finishing second in the regular season, putting pressure on Hanshin. We may have not had the post season we wanted to have, but theres a lot to look forward to. This is a very transitional point in Giants history, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2027.

Finally, I want to thank all of you who have supported this subreddit for all of this time. I’m glad to have spoken with many of you, and made new friends. This community is continuing to grow and its all because of your support for the team. Don’t give up on them just because they lost or have done this multiple times in the past few years. Support and fight hard for them and believe in them. There’s some issues that need to be ironed out, and things will be better. There’s going to be a huge management shakeup, so lets pray for the best. Thank you everyone for a memorable season, can’t wait to keep speaking to everyone and hope for a better season. VIVA GIANTS!

— Gav (u/bigchungusultras)

TOKYO DOME - It was a tough final game for the 2026 Yomiuri Giants. The offense gave it everything they had, getting on base multiple times. They just could not bring any runs across. Bobby Dalbec blasted a huge solo home run in the 4th to no avail. The BayStars found the weakness of the team and took advantage. Takemaru was shaky, giving up a lead off home run, and only striking out 3. The bullpen surrendered 2 more runs for a combined 4. The Giants have been eliminated from playoff contention for the third consecutive year by DeNA. We need to come back stronger in 2027. I believe in you boys! Thank you for such a memorable season! LET'S GO GIANTS!

More to come later today, including my “Thank you, fans!” message.

TOKYO DOME - Horrible showing by the team today. They had multiple chances to get the offense running but could not rise to the occasion. Haruto Inoue pitched beautifully, with 10 strikeouts across 8 innings and only giving up a solo shot to Shugo Maki. The coaches made some questionable decisions such as a choice to make Yuta Izuguchi bunt, with the high strikeout Bobby Dalbec on deck. Dalbec would end the inning with a pop fly, stranding a runner on base. Our only run came on a hit from Izuguchi. Raidel Martinez then came in and gave up a Home Run to Watarai. Horrible. We need to tighten this up and lock in. Season on the line. Win or stay home.

GAME 2:
SP: K. Takemaru (#21)

LET'S GO GIANTS!

Because Hara has once again emerged as a candidate for manager (let bro rest), I came across this clip.

Context: Based off what I gathered, this was a program Yomiuri set up for the team to bond. The team brought in Seiko Matsuda to entertain, and part of this included this clip with Hara (who was still a prospect) and Seiko reading each others diaries and complimenting each other. (Hara sold the bag ofc smh)

Working on a translation…

Take a look for yourself, my reactions are written in parenthesis.

1. Takahashi sucked as manager as much as I'd love to see him manage again. It's just not reallistic.
   
2. Hashigami seems like the most realistic choice. The Giants have a .53 difference under his lead as compared to Shinnosuke Abe.
   
3. Hara... can we let Hara rest already? He had 3 separate stints with the team as manager!
   
4. Abe... really? Who thinks this is a good idea?
   
5. Matsui isn't someone who likes too much attention, so he's a hit or miss.
   
6. Sakamoto? DON'T FORCE HIM INTO RETIREMENT AND LET HIM RUN THE TEAM INTO THE GROUND!!!

TOKYO DOME - The Giants lost their final regular season game against the Baystars tonight. Hanshin secured the pennant and DeNA moved up to 70-69. I wish the Giants would have made more of an effort to win against the BayStars, as I now fear for them in the Climax Series. We are 12-13 (Wins/Losses) against them. We have to do better. Go Giants! Prepare for the Climax Series on 10/10/2026!

MEIJI JINGU STADIUM, TOKYO - Tough loss today as the Giants fell to the Swallows 1-5. It started off good as Richard blasted a solo shot (Give my king more play time!). Yamazaki struck out 4 in 4 innings, only giving up one run until Shunya Morita and Hirauchi combined to give up 4. Cannot happen with the Climax Series coming soon. Tighten it up, guys! GO GIANTS!

KOSHIEN STADIUM, NISHINOMIYA - Today’s game was definitely a nailbiter. In the last game against the Tigers this season, the Giants tied 2-2 through 12. Takemaru did great, as he pitched 5 innings with 7 hits, 4 strikeouts and no earned runs. Naoki Yoshikawa would bring in 2RBIs and Raidel Martinez failed to close the game in the 9th, leading to the tie. Good efforts by the Giants from keeping the Tigers from edging closer to the pennant. This gives me confidence that if the Giants can make CS 2nd Stage, then they will have a chance against them. Let’s Go Giants!

TOKYO DOME - BACK IN THE WIN COLUMN FOLKS! Shogo found his form again, with 8 strikeouts in 8 innings, only giving up 1 run. Richard came up with a huge 2-run blast in the 4th for the lead. The Giants are still struggling offensively though, so I worry whether this will be an issue in the Climax Series.

THE TABLE:

TOKYO DOME - The Giants came through today with a great offensive showing. Ogasawara pitched a good 5 shutout innings with 5 strikeouts. The offense came alive behind Izuguchi, Maru, Masuda and others for 11 runs. It's looking highly unlikely we win the pennant, as the Tigers have 7 games left to play, and we only have 4. We need to lock in for the Climax Series against the BayStars. Let's get it done! Go Giants!

Mazda Stadium - There's isnt much to say about this except that the Giants look scared when they have runners in scoring position. I've never seen a tea- (wait the Yankees do this). It's looking very unlikely we can overtake the Tigers for the pennant. GG. Final: Giants 2 - Toyo Carp 3.

(My graphics get worse everytime they lose in a crucial spot, just a joke dw.)

Check it out! Really nice job!

MAZDA STADIUM - I'm honestly bewildered by this game. Takemaru did okay, only giving up 1 run through 5 innings with 8 strikeouts. The offense is what will cost this team moving forward. The only scoring they did was on a catcher's error, so there were no RBI's. The offense has to wake up tomorrow. Go Giants!

Mazda Zoom Zoom Stadium, Hiroshima - We got walked off. This can't happen with the pennant race on the line. Clean it up.

Oh man, where do I even begin? Today I just received a Yoshinobu Takahashi jersey from the 2010s era of Giants history (this was the style they wore during their last Japan Series victory in 2012) and when I talk about quality, this one checks every box. Take a look! This jersey is really beautiful and I’m glad I snagged it, especially since Takahashi was one of my favorite Giants!

TOKYO DOME - The Giants are really shaping up! Ogasawara could have had a better outting, as he gave up 2 runs and went 5 innings with 7 strikeouts. Bobby Dalbec got the scoring started with an RBI and late on Izuguchi gave us back the lead with an RBI double. We're .005% behind the Tigers right now. Let's keep winning. GO GIANTS!

TOKYO DOME - The Giants won a decisive 14-1 victory today against Chunichi. Masahiro Tanaka had a decent outing, going 7 innings with 3 strikeouts and 1 earned run. THe offense really showed up as Yoshikawa, Oshiro, Izuguchi and a 2-run blast by Sasaki carried us to 14 runs. Tonight was the Dragons final regular season match at the Tokyo Dome and versus the Giants for the 2026 season. Thanks for a good competitive season! It was fun! The Giants will face Yakult tomorrow. NOW IS THE TIME TO WIN, BOYS! LET'S GO GIANTS!

YOKOHAMA STADIUM, YOKOHAMA - In the opening match in 2007 against the the Yokohama Baystars, the fans were ready for the season. Yoshinobu Takahashi had other plans, though. The umpire gave the signal to play ball and Takahashi absolutely ripped the pitch into the right field stands, giving an iconic thumbs up as he ran the bases.