Oh, I can already hear the cracks of the bats and the roars of the crowd as the Hanshin Tigers get set to visit the Hiroshima Carp. Let's take a nostalgic trip down memory lane, shall we? These two seem to have been locked in a tango routine lately with the Tigers playing the lead. Except that one clumsy misstep on the 21st of May, the Tigers have been consistently having the upper hand in this dance-off. If I were a betting man, which I'm not—well, except for those office pool brackets, but that doesn't count—I'd say that dancing shoes fit the Tigers just perfectly.
But wait, let's get that nostalgic sepia filter off and look at the color of their recent form. The Tigers might've left some painful claw marks on the Carp recently, but they seem to have borrowed a cat's curiosity elsewhere on the pitch, while the Carp danced smoothly around Erik Barnes.
Now, folks, we all know regular seasons are like dating, but playoff is marriage. Trust issues, a few good fights, the last bite of the sushi roll... you know the drill. Numbers can be deceptive, and even though Carp's regular season record might tip the iceberg, the tip isn't always the sturdiest.
So as we prepare to embark on this clash, remember my words: Tigers have been practicing their cha-cha, and the dance floor seems to be favoring them, my dear friends.
Albert’s Prediction: Hanshin Tigers by 2