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On Friday night there’s something more important than baseball happening at the ballpark, we’re partnering with Cancer Prevention and Support Association to help raise money for their amazing organisation. This exceptional charity work on cancer prevention through increasing education and the provision of respite homes for families in need during one of the hardest challenges a family can face.

CPSA will be in attendance at the game and you can help out in a multitude of ways:

Players from one of the biggest sports brands in the world are playing baseball in Adelaide.

The Tokyo Giants’ four players on Adelaide’s roster will make their final appearances in South Australia coming this weekend against the Brisbane Bandits.

They are with the club until Round 7, but with two road series, this is the last chance Adelaide fans can see them in person.

And, just what are we watching exactly?

“They’re often called Japan’s New York Yankees because of how big a deal they are,” says Giants general manager Nathan Davison, who established the arrangement between the two clubs. “They are the biggest professional sports team brand in Japan, and it’s not really close.”

The Tokyo Giants’ profile is immense. They play at the iconic Tokyo Dome, attract 35,000 to 40,000 fans a game and draw some of the highest baseball TV numbers in Japan’s sports-mad market.

And the four players sent to Adelaide come with pedigree.

Nineteen-year-old prodigy Yusei Ishizuka headlines the group.

The shortstop is here to collect more at-bats before making the jump to the Giants’ top NPB roster full time in 2026. He has already made an impact in the ABL, ranking in the top five in batting average, hits and runs batted in.

“He’s the number one position-player prospect in all of Japan,” Davison says. “He’s expected to play shortstop for the Tokyo Giants for a decade.”

That’s no small feat. The incumbent is 37-year-old superstar Hayato Sakamoto, one of Japan’s greatest-ever players.

“I’ve seen all kinds of different pitchers in Australia. It’s my first time playing outside Japan and it’s been a really great experience for me,” Ishizuka said through a translator. “There isn’t as much data on other teams compared with Japan, so I just have to prepare in new ways and try my best.”

Ishizuka isn’t the only marquee name.

Infielder Yu Aramaki, who has already tasted success at the NPB level, is using his Adelaide stint to sharpen his work at third base.

“I’m here to hit and play defence in ways that can help the team and build momentum,” Aramaki says. “I’m working hard in Australia.”

Aramaki’s power was on display last weekend in Sydney, when he hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning.

The two pitchers — Yamato Shiroki and Tomoki Tamura — bring serious upside as well. Shiroki debuted in the NPB as a teenager, while Tamura features a fastball that is approaching 160km/h.

“I’ve been at ease in Australia,” Shiroki says. “I’ve got used to the environment. I’m slowly getting used to this baseball thing and now I’m having a lot of fun. I’m learning English, too.”

The media impact has also been significant.

“Games are being broadcast in Japanese on DAZN,” Davison says. “If you scroll through their X accounts you’ll see some highlights eclipse over two million views.”

Davison says the arrangement makes all of Australian baseball better.

“Everything is improved when the Tokyo Giants are around. We have to operate better, and they challenge the those they play with and against,” says Davison. “In a few years, all these players will be talking about the time they played against Yusei Ishizuka.”

FIVEAA TALKING POINTS

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Here are five things to discuss to sound like an Adelaide Giants smarty-pants.

The bats are hot: Last week’s sweep to Sydney was strange. The standings don’t look great when you lose four in a row. That said, the Giants had plenty of opportunities to win all four of those games. In fact, the Giants hit .319 over the weekend and outhit Sydney 44-42. Over the last two weeks, the Giants are hitting at a .343 clip – forty points higher than the next closest team.

St. Nick: It’s Christmas season and luckily we have our own St. Nick in Adelaide. In his fourth ABL year, Ward is fourth in the ABL with a .381 average and equal third with a .438 on-base percentage. He’s on a team-high nine game hit streak.

Going Greene: How about Conner Greene? The Major League pitcher has been as advertised. In his two starts, Greene has a 1.12 ERA, good for fourth in the league. He’s a funny character too. Here’s a great story on how he was a child model with Abercrombie and a gymnast growing up. He’s friendly, hard working and one-of-a-kind. Greene is worth saying hello to at the ballpark.

Putting the 0 in Lott and Morgan: We gotta chat Jason Lott and Cooper Morgan (again). The two Aussie relievers have yet to allow an earned run this season. In fact, Lott fired off another perfect 1.2 innings in Sydney. He’s gone 7.0 innings and has yet to allow a baserunner. Morgan has 10 strikeouts in his 6.0 shutout innings.
Welcome back, Mitch Edwards: Mitch Edwards is healthy and will be back in the line-up this weekend. Edwards starred for the Giants from 2018-22 before heading to Canberra and Melbourne. A thumb injury sidelined his return but it will be so great to see the fan-favourite Aussie catcher back behind the dish.

Body on the line Ben: Ben Fierenzi made quite the impression in his first ABL game. The Melbourne-based shortstop slid into a wall in his first ABL game to make a catch. He’s back on the roster this week.

ABOUT BRISBANE

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