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10/31/2002 Archived Entry: "Japan Series Game Three"
Nioka Slams Giants to Verge of 20th Nippon Ichi
Well, the Seibu Lions are up against it now, as the Yomiuri Giants got a grand slam homer from shortstop Tomohiro Nioka in the fourth and then a two run jack from rightfielder Yoshinobu Takahashi in game three of the Japan Series on the way to a 10-2 drubbing of the Tokorozawa contingent Tuesday at Seibu Dome. The Tokyo side is now up 3-0 and is looking for its first ever series sweep.
21st year veteran Kimiyasu Kudoh started for Yomiuri and notched his eighth post season win, even after having rightfielder Tatsuya Ozeki ping a bouncer off of his right thigh in the first, while also expanding his career record for series strikeouts with 102 in tossing eight innings of two run ball on eight hits in his 14th lifetime series battle.
Chang Chieh-chiah started for Seibu and was thoroughly routed for five runs on six hits in three innings plus in one of his worst outings of the season. Relievers Koji Mitsui have up his first two runs of the series after two fine performances and then Hsu Ming-chieh was shaken down for another pair on five hits in his three innings to really put this one well beyond the reach to the disappointing Lions attack.
200 meter breastroke world record holder Kosuke Kitajima threw out the first pitch and once the game was underway, the Lions seized their first lead of the series in the bottom of the initial inning, as shortstop Kazuo Matsui banged a single to left and Ozeki used Kudoh for target practice to put men on first and second. DH Toshiaki Inubushi grounded into a force play at second to move Matsui to third. First baseman Alex Cabrera then laced a double down the leftfield line to convert the runner and it was 1-0 Seibu. That was as far as that uprising went, however, as leftfielder Kazuhiro Wada fanned and centerfielder Tomo Sato grounded to short.
Two batters later, it was knotted at one all, as Giants DH Kazuhiro Kiyohara put good wood on an 88mph 3-0 fastball that was left out over the middle of the plate and stung it into the leftcenterfield stands. He is now tied for third all time with Koji Akiyama for series jacks with 15. Note, however, that Kiyohara, by swinging at air in the third, is second all time in series empties with 53.
And as further proof that everything seems destined to go the Giants way, third baseman Akira Etoh, 0-7 up until he leadoff the third, thwacked a slider on one steaming hop near short that Kazuo Matsui attempted to make a play on, but the ball deflected off toward the leftfield line and the slow footed ex-Carp hustled into second and was then sacrificed to third. Leftfielder Takayuki Shimizu slapped an 86mph fastball that Chang got up in the inner part of the zone to center and Yomiuri was in front to stay 2-1. Nioka flamed a double to rightcenter. Now with the infield up, Takahashi hit one past Chang, Little Matsui cutting the ball off and throwing to the plate for the tag on Shimizu, Nioka advancing to third. Godzilla Matsui, with his parents having travelled in from Ishikawa Prefecture, lined a bazooka shot to the wall in right for an RBI double and it was 3-1 Kyojin. He now has four RBIs for the series.
Cabrera doubled into the rightfield corner with two gone in the bottom of the frame for his second consecutive two bagger in as many at bats, tying a series mark held by a bunch of folks. Unfortunately, he died there, since Wada grounded out to terminate the inning.
In the fourth, Yomiuri blew it open. Catcher Shinnosuke Abe walked and first baseman Takayuki Saito bounced to Cabrera, who scooped the ball up and then discovered to his chagrin that Chang was late covering first and Saito was safe as a result. Mitsui was summoned from the bullpen and Etoh walked to load the bases. One out later, Shimizu lined one right to Sato in center. Saito had strayed too far off of second and should have been a dead duck to end the inning, but Sato wasn't paying attention and instead of throwing to the base, he winged it to Mitsui on the mound instead, thinking only of a possible play at home. That was the crucial mistake of the game, as Nioka worked the count to 3-2 and then crushed a hanging slider into the centerfield bleachers to make it 7-1 Giants. You can see a pic of the biggest swing of the night at: http://www.sanspo.com/baseball/top/bt200210/image/02103003niokaOS161A29.jpg
Things quieted down until the seventh, when backup DH Koji Goto beat out a roller toward first with a headfirst slide and Abe cracked a single to center that enabled Goto to sprint to third. Pinch hitter Daisuke Motoki directed the ball up through the center of the diamond and through to redeem Goto to make it 8-1 Yomiuri.
The following inning, Yomiuri second baseman Toshihisa Nishi leadoff with a single to right, but was then eliminated on a subsequent 6-4-3 double play. Nioka singled to left to set a record with three consecutive series tilts with at least three hits. Takahashi flattened a first pitch shuuto into the rightfield seats and it was 10-1 Giants. Now every Giants batsman had at least one hit in this one.
Kazuo Matsui kicked off the bottom of the eighth with a roundtripper into the first row of the rightfield stands to close the deficit to 10-2 and that was all for the Lions offense, as the next six Seibu hitters went down in order at the hands of both Kudoh and Tsuyoshi Jobe to mercifully bring down the curtain.
Yomiuri has now won seven series games in a row. They have won the first three in a Japan Series 15 times. Giants manager Tatsunori Hara became the first ever rookie manager to seize the first three in a series. Ex-Hiroshima boss Junro Anan saw his club tie the first game of the 1984 classic and the rip off three straight victories to be the next closest.
This is the third time the Lions have dropped the first three, the last such occasion being 1986 against the Carp. The other occurrence was in 1958 against Yomiuri.
Chang may have gone to the well too often in the fateful Nioka at bat, as four of the first five pitches were sliders. Nioka, who set a team record for shortstops with 23 homers during the regular schedule, is now 9-14 with five RBIs on the series for a .643 average. He also slugged a sayonara homer off of a slider from Chunichi Dragons closer Eddie Gaillard on September 24th, 2000 to lock up the pennant in what ultimately proved to be a Japan Series championship campaign. Tonight's slam was the first in a series since Giants outfielder Koichi Ogata (not to be confused with the Hiroshima centerfielder of the same name) did it in 1994 in game five. How did he hit with runners in scoring position this season? A healthy .329 with two grannies. He has six sacks packed blasts to his name as a pro. There have been 13 slams in series annals. Nioka is also the third ever to three three hits or more in three different games in a single series, joining former Giants centerfielder Isao Shibata in 1966 and shortstop Yoshihiko Takahashi of Hiroshima in 1984.
Kudoh admitted to reporters that his feet were shaking while he was warming up in the bullpen before the game, but once he climbed the hill for real, he was his usual professional and effective self. On the shot from Ozeki off of his leg, Kudoh went to the dugout for a couple of minutes while the team trainer sprayed some ethyl chloride on the bruise and then taped the leg. For trivia buffs, he struckout Inubushi in the fifth for his 100th lifetime series K. Kazuhisa Inao is second in series strikeouts with 84. Kudoh is also 7-1 at Seibu Dome in series games. Inao and erstwhile Giants great Tsuneo Horiuchi are tops in series shiroboshi with 11.
This was the first time all six members of Kudoh's family (wife Masako and their five kids) had gone to the ballpark to see the two time series MVP pitch. Masako gets so wound up that she has a hard time watching. In fact, it has been 11 season since Masako has cheered her husband on from the stands.
The Giants tied a record with the three third inning doubles and is the eighth time that has been accomplished.
For Seibu, Cabrera was 2-4 with an RBI and two strikeouts and is at .500. He has at least one RBI in each of the three series faceoffs. Third baseman Scott McClain was 3-4 and is at .571.
As was the case with the previous two games, I am indebted to Michael Westbay's report for Japanese Baseball.com at: http://www.japanesebaseball.com/forum/thread.jsp?forum=1&thread=1537
Stats culled from Sankei Sports.
See related story at: http://www.japantimes.com/cgi-bin/getsp.pl5?sb20021030a1.htm
See another related story at:http://www.japantimes.com/cgi-bin/getsp.pl5?sb20021030a2.htm
Yet another related story at: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20021030wo51.htm
And for good measure, one more: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20021030wo52.htm
Pitching Lines:
Yomiuri:
Kudoh (W, 1-0)...........IP 8.0 PC 111 H 8 HR 1 K 8 BB 0 R 2 ER 2 ERA 2.25
Jobe.....................IP 1.0 PC 12 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
Seibu:
Chang (L, 0-1)...........IP 3.0 PC 59 H 6 HR 1 K 3 BB 1 R 5 ER 5 ERA 15.00
Mitsui...................IP 1.2 PC 32 H 1 HR 1 K 0 BB 2 R 2 ER 2 ERA 3.18
Hsu......................IP 3.0 PC 52 H 5 HR 0 K 2 BB 1 R 2 ER 2 ERA 5.40
Doi......................IP 0.1 PC 5 H 1 HR 1 K 0 BB 0 R 1 ER 1 ERA 6.75
T. Shiozaki..............IP 1.0 PC 16 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
SB: Suzuki
2B: Cabrera 2, Etoh, Nioka, H. Matsui,
HR: Kiyohara (2), Nioka (1), Y. Takahashi (1), K. Matsui (1)
RBI: T. Shimizu, Nioka 4, Y. Takahashi 2, H. Matsui, Kiyohara, Motoki, K. Matsui, Cabrera
WP: Mitsui, Kudoh
GIDP: Hirao, T. Shimizu
LOB: Yomiuri 6, Seibu 5
Series Status: Yomiuri 3, Seibu 0
Game Time: 3:15
Attendance: 30,993
Umpires: Kasahara (HP), Nakamura (1B), Mori (2B), Yamamoto (3B) Tomoyori (OF), Yamamura (OF)
Shinjo Cut Loose by San Francisco
According to Sankei Sports, Tsuyoshi Shinjo is not going to have his option picked up by the Giants. Had the Giants done so, Shinjo would have earned $1.35 million plus another $500,000 in incentives, which proved to be too expensive for the ballclub's taste.
When asked by reporters if he intends to return to Japan, the former Hanshin Tiger said no. He will now look to catch on with another MLB team.
During the World Series, Shinjo was upset that he wasn't starting, telling the Japanese press, "this is boring" and "I'm not having any fun." After the end of the fall classic, he offered, "My feeling is that next year I want to get off to a fresh start. I will work so that I won't have a repeat of this season and will open 2002 in the starting lineup. Will I go back to Japan? Of course not. I won't let this bring me down."
By the way, Marty Kuehnert at the Japan Times did a Shinjo-related piece this week at: http://www.japantimes.com/cgi-bin/getsp.pl5?sp20021030mk.htm
Izzy Alcantara Being Looked at by Yomiuri
According to Nikkan Sports, the Yomiuri Giants are reportedly considering bringing in 29 year old career minor leaguer Izzy Alcantara. The righthanded hitting Dominican hit.270 in 51 games with six homers and 15 RBIs in big league action and can play both first base and the outfield. He originally came up with Montreal in 1990 and has also played with the Red Sox and Brewers, his career hindered by attitude problems. With Yomiuri, he would be used as a backup player, mainly for first baseman Kazuhiro Kiyohara, who was dogged by hamstring problems this past season. Giants scouts also reportedly like Alcantarra's arm.
Yomiuri seems to have a penchant for signing foreign players with less than desirable attitudes, as Balvino Galvez was suspended for the last month of the season a few years ago for throwing a ball at umpire Atsushi Kittaka, Felipe Crespo often groused loudly to the press about his lack of playing time and reliever Hector Almonte, the brother of Yankees minor league infielder Erick Almonte, threw his hat in a trash can as part of one of many tirades he went into this season over the team's workout regimens.
Also said to be interested in Alcantarra are the Chunichi Dragons and the Daiei Hawks.
Padres Express Interest in Nippon Ham's Shibakusa
According to Nikkan Sports, the San Diego Padres have expressed interest in acquiring 33 year old free agent Nippon Ham righthanded reliever Hiroshi Shibakusa. A scout from the Padres liked the Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture native's forkball and his shuuto and noted that he has been healthy over his career. "He would be good for at least another three years," the scout is quoted as saying.
The Padres had been interested in Yokohama Bay Stars starter Daisuke Miura, but Miura is going to stay in Japan.
The 5'11" 176 pound Shibakusa tossed a no hitter at the 1987 Koshien Summer Baseball Tournament for Teikyo High School (though he walked or hit ten batters) and then was drafted the same year on the sixth round by the Fighters. He spent his first three seasons in the minors before being promoted to the big club in April, 1991. Five years later, he was made the team's fifth starter with mediocre results. In 1999, he changed his delivery to a sidearm approach. Shibakusa's fastball is consistently at 87-88mph. This season, he was in 55 games and went 4-3 with 11 saves and a 3.53 ERA. For his career, he is 41-52 with 17 saves in 322 total appearances.
One quirky sidelight to Shibakusa is that his first name uses the characters that are normally applied to the Japanese word for outer space, "uchuu." Yet, as a name it is supposed to be read as "Hiroshi" for some reason. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the reason as to why his parents gave him those characters. If anyone knows, please write in.
Hawks to Tryout Taiwanese Slugger Chen
According to the Jiji News Service, the Daiei Hawks will have China Trust Whales outfielder Chen Chien-wei, 29, the 2002 Chinese Professional Baseball League homer champ, join the team at their fall camp beginning November 1st in what will be an extended tryout. Chen blasted 26 roundtrippers for the Whales and Daiei needs a power bat in their outfield. He has also pitched, so he has a strong arm and he can fill in at catcher in an emergency.
In exchange for Chen, if Daiei does indeed sign him, they will send then 30 year old backup catcher Takashi Uchinokura. If the trade ends up happening, it will be the first such exchange between a Japanese team and a Taiwanese club in history.
Yonamine to be Inducted into Japanese-American Sports Hall
See New California Media Online story at: http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=58427b8ebe7a4fada9446d7aa1d59908
Daiei Hawks Parent Company a "Zombie"
See NY Times article at: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/29/business/worldbusiness/29ZOMB.html?ex=1036558800&en=ea64a2d76d7e43df&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE
Choi Sang-deok Throws 5-0 Shutout at Kia in KBO Playoffs
See Korea Times story at: http://www.hankooki.com/kt_sports/200210/t2002103009555747110.htm
Today in Japanese Baseball History
This report is for October 29th and on that date in Japanese baseball history in 1959, the Hankyu Braves, who couldn't beat the Giants in previous post season faceoffs, swept the Japan Series against them behind ace Tadashi Sugiura, who was credited with all four victories.
Also, on that date in 1961, following the fourth game of a Japan Series between the Nankai Hawks and the Yomiuri Giants, Hawks players roughed up the plate umpire over how he had called the deliveries of their pitcher, Joe Stanka.
Also on that date in 1981, Lotte Orions outfielder Isao Harimoto, the only 3000 hit man in Japanese history, retired.
