Hanshin Tigers One Win Away From League Title
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The Hanshin Tigers could win the Japanese baseball league title today.
Their magic number has dropped to one, meaning just one more win secures the championship.
A win today would give the Tigers a back-to-back league title, their second in a row.
The Tigers will face the Hiroshima Carp in today's game.
Hanshin has already announced its starting lineup for this important match.
The players arrived at the stadium together before the game.
According to reports, manager Kyuji Fujikawa looked calm, and so did his players, even though the title could be decided today.
Hiroshima, meanwhile, is hoping to avoid watching a rival team celebrate a championship on their own field for a third straight year.
To prevent this, Hiroshima pitcher Nobuhito Morishita will try to earn his eighth win of the season.
He will pitch alongside catcher Takinori Ishihara, forming what is called a battery in baseball.
Hiroshima's batters will be the same eight players who played in the team's previous game against Chunichi.
The match is expected to draw a lot of attention, since Hanshin fans are eager to see the Tigers clinch the title at last.
If Hanshin wins, it will mark another successful season for the team under Fujikawa's leadership.
Vocabulary10 words
- league
- a group of sports teams that compete against each other
- magic number
- the number of wins still needed to win a championship
- back-to-back
- happening twice in a row, one after the other
- starting lineup
- the list of players who begin a game
- stadium
- a large place built for sports events
- manager
- the person in charge of a sports team
- pitch
- to throw the ball to a batter in baseball
- catcher
- the player who catches the ball behind home plate
- battery
- the pitcher and catcher working together in a game
- batters
- the players whose job is to hit the ball
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Quiz
Answer key
1. They need one more win to take the title 2. To avoid watching a rival celebrate a title for a third year 3. False
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
The Hanshin Tigers could win the Japanese baseball _____ title today.
Their _____ has dropped to one, meaning just one more win secures the championship.
A win today would give the Tigers a _____ league title, their second in a row.
Hanshin has already announced its _____ for this important match.
The players arrived at the _____ together before the game.
According to reports, _____ Kyuji Fujikawa looked calm, and so did his players.
Hiroshima pitcher Nobuhito Morishita will try to earn his eighth win of the season.
He will _____ alongside catcher Takinori Ishihara, forming what is called a _____ in baseball.
Hiroshima's _____ will be the same eight players who played in the team's previous game against Chunichi.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think a winning team's 'magic number' is important to fans?
- How might it feel for Hiroshima to watch a rival celebrate on their home field?
- Why do managers try to stay calm before big games?
- What makes a baseball battery (pitcher and catcher) important to a team's success?
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