Hanshin Tigers Move Closer to Baseball Title
Listen to the story
The Hanshin Tigers have moved closer to winning Japan's Central League baseball title.
They beat the Yomiuri Giants in an important game between the top two teams.
This win was Hanshin's sixth in a row against the Giants.
After the game, Hanshin's magic number for the title dropped to 23.
A magic number shows how many wins or losses by other teams are needed before a team can clinch the title.
Because of this result, the other five teams in the Central League have lost their chance to win the pennant on their own.
This means only Hanshin can still finish first without help from other teams' results.
The Tigers are trying to win the league for a second year in a row, known as achieving back-to-back titles.
Reports said that both Hanshin's pitching and batting performed very well in the game.
The match was described as a key battle for first place in the standings.
Hanshin has been playing strong baseball this season, and fans are hoping the team can soon celebrate the championship.
The Giants, meanwhile, need to win many more games to have any realistic hope of catching up.
Japanese professional baseball fans are now watching closely to see how quickly Hanshin's magic number will fall.
Vocabulary8 words
- magic number
- a number showing how close a team is to winning the league
- pennant
- the prize given to the league champion team
- back-to-back titles
- winning first place two years in a row
- pitching
- the skill of throwing the ball to batters
- batting
- the skill of hitting the ball
- professional baseball
- baseball played by paid, expert players
- standings
- a list showing which teams are winning or losing the most
- clinch
- to officially win something after a close competition
Quiz
Answer key
1. It dropped to 23 2. They have lost the chance to win the pennant by themselves 3. False
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
The Hanshin Tigers have moved closer to winning Japan's Central League baseball _____.
They beat the Yomiuri Giants in an important game between the top two _____.
This win was Hanshin's sixth in a row against the _____.
After the game, Hanshin's magic _____ for the title dropped to 23.
Because of this result, the other five teams have lost their chance to win the _____ on their own.
This means only Hanshin can still finish _____ without help from other teams' results.
The Tigers are trying to win the league for a second year in a row, known as _____ titles.
Reports said that both Hanshin's pitching and _____ performed very well in the game.
The match was described as a key battle for first place in the _____.
Japanese professional baseball fans are watching closely to see how fast the magic _____ will fall.