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03/10/2003 Archived Entry: "Japanese Baseball News: Arakaki Blows Hanshin Away, But Nobody Else Does in Hawks Loss"
Tamura Three Run Homer in Ninth Ties Giants 8-8
There were two stories in Saturday's matchup between the Yomiuri Giants and the Yokohama Bay Stars at Sapporo Dome: one, both starters, Chris Holt for the Stars and Koji Uehara for the kyojin, got spanked for five runs apiece. But perhaps the biggest is that, at least for this spring anyway, a Yokohama club that rolled over and played dead right out of the gate in 2002 is displaying much more life this year, culiminating in a three run game tying homer with two outs in the ninth by Hitoshi Tamura, hitting less than a buck coming in, that resulted in a nine inning 8-8 tie. Ultimately, Yokohama doesn't have enough good arms in the pen to make a viable run at a pennant, but they could at least make things more exciting in the Central League this season by being more competitive.
The Giants went after Holt right out of the blocks, as leftfielder Takayuki Shimizu and shortstop Tomohiro Nioka each slapped singles to right. Following a lineout to second by catcher Shinnosuke Abe that saw Shimizu get doubled off, third baseman Akira Etoh, attempting to save his job at third, looped a double into right to set up a men on second and third, two out situation. First baseman Daisuke Motoki then sliced a triple into the rightfield corner, where nobody was, and managed to spring around to third while Etoh and Nioka crossed to make it 2-0.
Yokohama pared that in half in the bottom segment when shortstop Takuro Ishii singled to center and then stole second. Centerfielder Tatsuhiko Kinjo walked. Leftfielder Takanori Suzuki clocked a single to right and Ishii sped in to make it 2-1 Yomiuri. Uehara prevented any further damage by fanning third baseman Katsuaki Furuki for the first of three times on the night, and first baseman Tyrone Woods grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.
Yomiuri then splattered another three on the big board in the second when centerfielder Mototsugu Kawanaka bunted by the mound for a basehit. Second baseman Masahiro Nagata walked. Speedster Takahiro Suzuki beat out a dribbler toward the mound to load the bases. Shimizu rapped one back up through the middle to pick up both Kawanaka and Nagata scampered around to widen it to 4-1. The runners advanced on a sac bunt by Nioka that made no sense at all. You don't bunt against a pitcher that is floundering with your best clutch hitter of the spring up at the dish. Anyway, after the free out, Abe grounded to second and Suzuki crossed to make it 5-1 for the gigantes.
It stayed that way until the fourth, when Nagata walked against Yuji Yoshimi on another 3-2 count and, two outs later, Nioka went with a 2-1 85mph fastball on the outer half of the plate and got it up in the air and deep down the rightfield line, the ball landing a few rows back into the seats near the foul pole for an opposite field two run homer and Yomiuri thought it was firmly in control at 7-1. Obviously, all that weightlifting in the offseason did Nioka some good.
However, Yokohama surged in a big way in the fifth to get within striking range. Tamura wacked one off of Uehara's glove for a basehit. Reserve shortstop Fukumoto singled to right. Kinjo singled to center to recall Tamura. Takanori Suzuki drilled a shot up the leftcenterfield gap to bring both runners in. Masaaki Koike was sent in to pinch run for Suzuki. After Furuki whiffed for the third time, old reliable Woods got his obligatory nightly RBI with a single to left and the disparty with Yomiuri was shrunk to 7-5.
There was an offensive lull until the eighth, when Yoshimi coughed up the goods again. With one away, Takahiro Suzuki walked. One out later, sub shortstop Masahiro Kawai pumped a double into the leftcenter alley and Suzuki set tha controls for the heart of home plate for what seemed to be a big insurance run.
Matt Whiteside went to the hill in the ninth for Yokohama and struckout the side. Giants helmsman Tatsunori Hara then assigned Takashi Kamoshida to close it out, but he did not get the job done. Kinjo laced a double to rightcenter. Reserve Koike walked. Both men moved up on a groundout. Shichino struckout, bringing up Tamura, who clouted a hanging forkball beyond the leftfield fence for the equalizing three run dinger. Rookie second baseman Shuichi Murata went down on strikes and it was over as an 8-8 deadlock.
Uehara threw 50 pitches in the bullpen upon leaving the game. He said that His mechanics are off and that he couldn't use his changeup since he was leaving it up in pregame warmups. He also insisted that the knocks the Stars collected off of him weren't hit that hard and he didn't feel as if he truly got lit up.But Uehara also averred that he could have done a better job keeping the ball down.
Nagata became the first Giants rookie second baseman to turn three double plays in his first start since Tetsuo Shinozuka in 1977 and he may be given a start Sunday at third. A Chunichi scout said that they way Nagata uses his glove makes you think he isn't just 18. A Yokohama scout evaluated that Nagata has the tools to make the team for opening day.
For Yokohama, Woods was 2-4 and is at .304. His production is making it very hard for manager Daisuke Yamashita to send him down to the minors when Steve Cox returns and it could be that Holt, who hasn't pitched very well so far, may get the kick downstairs in order for the club to stay within the four foreign player limit.
Pitching Lines:
Yomiuri:
Uehara IP 5.0 BF 25 PC 95 H 10 HR 0 K 7 BB 1 R 5 ER 5 ERA 7.88
Okajima IP 1.0 BF 4 PC 10 H 1 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
Bailey IP 1.0 BF 5 PC 17 H 1 HR 0 K 0 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 6.75
Pedraza IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 5 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
Kamoshida IP 1.0 BF 6 PC 31 H 2 HR 1 K 2 BB 1 R 3 ER 3 ERA 6.75
Yokohama:
Holt IP 3.0 BF 16 PC 51 H 8 HR 0 K 1 BB 1 R 5 ER 5 ERA 10.50
Yoshimi IP 5.0 BF 24 PC 96 H 5 HR 1 K 4 BB 4 R 3 ER 3 ERA 2.25
Whiteside IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 14 H 0 HR 0 K 3 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
E: M. Kawai
SB: T. Ishii
2B: Etoh, Ogawa, T. Suzuki, M. Kawai, Kinjo
3B: Motoki
HR: Nioka (1), Tamura (2)
RBI: T. Shimizu, 2, Nioka 2, M. Kawai, S. Abe, Motoki 2, Kinjo. T. Suzuki 3, Woods, Tamura 3
HBP: Nakajima (Pedraza)
GIDP: Woods, Kawanaka, Fukumoto 2
LOB: Yomiuri 8, Yokohama 8
Season Series: Yomiuri 1 Yokohama 0 1 Tie
Game Time: 3:07
Attendance: 33,000
Umpires: Watada (HP), Shikida (1B), Nishimoto (2B), Mori (3B)
Arakaki Outstanding, but Hanshin Massacres Everybody Else 12-3
Big rookie righthander Nagisa Arakaki made the Hanshin Tigers look like a bunch of little leaguers Saturday at Fukuoka before a packed house at the dome, as he held them to two hits and struckout nine in only five innings while hitting 95mph on the radar gun to make a serious bid to become the first pitcher in 19 years to start on opening day for any club and K. the first for the Hawks since Tadashi Sugiura 45 years ago. Unfortunately for shot caller Sadaharu Oh, though, the Tigers then mauled the rest of his pitching staff to win it going away 12-3.
So as Arakaki was declawing the Tigers, rightfielder Hiroshi Shibahara smacked a single to center to kick off the bottom of the first off of sidearmer Tetsuro Kawajiri, and then went to second on a sac bunt. One out later, Kawajiri hung an 0-2 curve ball to catcher Kenji Johjima and he called for a feast that he celebrated with the folks in the leftfield bleachers to make it 2-0 Hawks.
The succeeding inning, second baseman Tadahito Iguchi whistled a shot down the leftfield line for a double. One out later, leftfielder Kazuyuki Takahashi belted a delivery to the rightfield wall and Iguchi cruised in to make it 3-0 Daiei.
The Tigers had their sole threat in the fourth off of the Okinawa native, and that was only with some luck. Second baseman Makoto Imaoka swung and came up empty on one of Arakaki's deep diving sliders and the ball got past Johjima, enabling Imaoka to reach. Centerfielder Norihiro Akahoshi singled to center. The runners were wild pitched to second and third respectively. But Arakaki blew away both DH George Arias and rightfielder Osamu Hamanaka and lured first baseman Shinjiro Hiyama into flying out to left and that was that.
Makoto Sato replaced Arakaki in the sixth and it was party time in Osaka. Imaoka leadoff with a drive into the leftfield bleachers. Akahoshi laced a double down the leftfield line. Two outs later, pinch hitter Taichiro Kamisaka replicated Akahoshi's feat to score him and it was 3-2 Daiei.
Takayuki Shinohara was the next to be sacrificed to the Hanshin onslaught. Leftfielder Yutaka Nakamura cranked a homer to left to open the frame and knot it at three all. Catcher Akihiro Yano and shortstop Yoshinori Okihara each singled to left. Backup first baseman Hiroshi Yagi torqued an 0-1 pitch into the leftfield stands and now it was 6-3 Tigers.
Then in the eighth, Hanshin third baseman Kentaro Sekimoto flamed a double into the leftfield corner with one down and the big cats were back on the warpath. Nakamura singled to right. Yano shredded one into leftcenter for a two RBI double and then came in himself one out later on a Yagi single to center. Akahoshi socked a double down the leftfield line. Veteran Katsumi Hirosawa was sent up to pinch hit for Arias and did he ever, mortaring it deep into the leftcenterfield seats and this one was effectively over at 12-3.
Hiroshi Ishige had another nice outing for the Tigers, tossing two scoreless innings to put it in the refrigerator.
Hanshin has won five in a row. It's been since 1994 that they have taken that many consecutively in exhibition play. They are batting .313 as a team with a 1.20 ERA.
Hiroki Kokubo will have another MRI on the 14th and it will be determined whether or not he will have season ending surgery.
Arakaki has struckout 14 in his last nine innings.
For Daiei, DH Pedro Valdez was 1-3 with two strikeouts and is at .154.
For Hanshin, Arias was 0-4 with two strikeouts and is at .154.
Pitching Lines:
Hanshin:
Kawajiri IP 4.0 BF 18 PC 60 H 6 HR 1 K 2 BB 0 R 3 ER 3 ERA 6.75
K. Shibata (W, 1-0) IP 2.0 BF 8 PC 27 H 1 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
Y.H. Nakamura IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 10 H 1 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 3.00
Ishige IP 2.0 BF 8 PC 28 H 2 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
Daiei:
Arakaki IP 5.0 BF 18 PC 69 H 2 HR 0 K 9 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
M. Sato IP 0.2 BF 4 PC 17 H 2 HR 1 K 1 BB 0 R 2 ER 2 ERA 7.36
Shinohara (L, 0-1) IP 0.1 BF 5 PC 10 H 4 HR 1 K 0 BB 0 R 3 ER 3 ERA 15.43
Yoshitake IP 2.0 BF 13 PC 49 H 7 HR 2 K 2 BB 0 R 7 ER 7 ERA 12.60
K. Okamoto IP 1.0 BF 13 PC 13 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
2B: Iguchi, K.Y. Takahashi, Akahoshi 2, Kamisaka, Johjima, Sekimoto, A. Yano, Chen
HR: Imaoka (1), Y. Nakamura (1), Yagi (1), Hirosawa (1), Johjima (2)
RBI: Imaoka, Yagi 4, Hirosawa 3, Kamisaka, Y. Nakamura, A. Yano 2, Johjima 2, K.Y. Takahashi
WP: Arakaki 2
HBP: Nelson (K. Shibata)
LOB: Hanshin 4, Daiei 7
Season Series: Hanshin 2, Daiei 0
Game Time: 3:05
Attendance: 48,000
Umpires: Watamari (HP), Kodera (1B), Nemoto (2B), Sugimoto (3B)
Hodges Sparkles, Suzuki Doesn't as Swallows Sink Orix 7-3
Righthander Kevin Hodges pitched to just two batters over the minimum during his five innings on the hill Staurday at Kobe Green Stadium against Orix, giving up a solo homer to rightfielder Ikuro Katsuragi for the only run he allowed, to snatch his first spring victory in a 7-3 decision for the Swallows.
Makoto Suzuki threw in relief for Orix and hit 92mph on the gun, but was also hitting a lot of opposition bats, as he was pounded for five runs on six hits in a mere two innings to absorb the loss. Masato Yoshii was cuffed around a little bit as well for the other two Yakult tallies, though only one of those was earned.
Masahiko Kaneda started for the home team and acquitted himself well, working three scoreless innings on two hits before giving way to Suzuki.
So with the score at 0-0, Yakult took Suzuki to the woodshed in the fourth. Leftfielder Alex Ramirez singled to right and was pinch run for by Hiroki Hongo. On a fifth pitch changeup to third baseman Akinori Iwamura, Suzuki unleashed a wild pitch to move Hongo to second. Iwamura then went to the opposite field with a 91mph fastball for a single to left to usher his teammate in. One out later, red hot rightfielder Atsnori Inaba (.444) walked. Shortstop Noriyuki Shiroishi singled to left to pack the sacks. Third baseman Kazuhiro Hatayama singled to left as well to send in both Iwamura and Inaba, Shiroishi hotfooting it successfully for third. Second baseman Yoshiyuki Noguchi grounded to third baseman Koichi Oshima, who booted it and Shiroishi crossed to make it 4-0 birds. Centerfielder Shida then grounded into a double play to stanch the bleeding.
In the fifth, the Swallows flew high again, as Iwamura dropped a double near the line in left and then strode homeward when catcher Kosei Ono played pattycake with the leftfield wall and was thrown out at second on a bang bang play for a long RBI single to expand the Yakult advanatge to 5-0.
Orix got off the schnide in their ups in the stanza when Katsuragi got real gone to straightaway centerfield to make it 5-1.
The Blue Wave pushed another across in the sixth when centerfielder Ryutaro Tsuji doubled off the rightfield fence and did the cadillac walk to the bench in the wake of a rocket that went to the centerfield fence from second baseman Keiichi Hirano that went for a triple. leftfielder Roosevelt Brown drilled a shot off the glove of Oshima for an RBI single and now it was close at 5-3.
The Tokyo side reacted with some small ball to make the margin a little more comfortable in the seventh. Noguchi singled to left, stole second and moved to third on a sac bunt. One out later, Hongo singled to right and Noguchi romped in for a 6-3 lead.
Thre next time Yakult came to the plate wasn't wasted either, as Inaba dented the rightfield wall with a double, Shiroishi got him to third with a single to right and Hatayama singled to center to increase the lead to a granny at 7-3.
Hirotsugu Maeda and Ryu Kawabata smothered the Orix order in their last two opportunities and it was sayonara.
Suzuki said after the game that aside from the fact that the footing on the mound was uncertain, he was overthrowing and that was what lead to his problems Saturday. A Lotte scout revealed that Suzuki seemed to only be using his upper body, taking some of the life out of his fastball.
Yoshii was philosophical about his less than satisfactory performance: "There are good days and bad days and today was one of the bad ones," he sighed.
For Orix, Brown was 2-3 with an RBI and is at .400. Star centerfielder Yoshitomo Tani is still zero for the spring in the batter's box.
For Yakult, first baseman Todd Betts was 1-3 and is at .350. Ramirez was 1-2 and is at .208.
Pitching Lines:
Yakult:
Hodges (W, 1-0) IP 5.0 BF 17 PC 72 H 3 HR 1 K 4 BB 1 R 1 ER 1 ERA 1.13
Yoshikawa IP 2.0 BF 10 PC 38 H 4 HR 0 K 3 BB 0 R 2 ER 2 ERA 4.50
H. Maeda IP 1.0 BF 4 PC 14 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 2.25
Kawabata IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 12 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 16.20
Orix:
Kaneda IP 3.0 BF 12 PC 47 H 2 HR 0 K 1 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
M. Suzuki (L, 0-1) IP 2.0 BF 12 PC 44 H 6 HR 0 K 0 BB 1 R 5 ER 4 ERA 18.00
T. Yamamoto IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 10 H 1 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
Yoshii IP 2.0 BF 11 PC 37 H 5 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 2 ER 1 ERA 1.80
Tokano IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 10 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
E: K. Oshima, Mukae, Hatayama
SB: Y. Noguchi
2B: Inaba 2, Iwamura, R. Tsuji
3B: Hirano
HR: Katsuragi (1)
RBI: Hongo, Iwamura, K. Ono, Hatayama 3, Hirano, Brown, Katsuragi
WP: M. Suzuki
Balk: Yoshii
GIDP: Shida, T. Yamasaki
LOB: Yakult 7, Orix 4
Season Series: Yakult 1, Orix 0
Game Time: 2:38
Attendance: 7000
Umpires: Higashi (HP), Manabe (1B), Tamba (2B), Tomoyori (3B)
Fighters Do That, But Still Lose to Dragons 8-7
The Nippon Ham Fighters kept being knocked down by the Chunichi Dragons Saturday at Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, but they kept true to their nickname and battled back before ultimately dropping the match to the Nagoya contingent 8-7.
One thing that made it tough on Nippon Ham is that DH Angel Echevarria still hasn't figured out Japanese pitching. He was largely absent during this one, as he struckout three times and walked his first four times up before walking in the eighth to force in a run. The ex-Rockie is 0-6 in his last eight plate appearances with six strikeouts. This is a guy who had a good strikeout ratio and lifetime average in the big leagues, so he is really struggling right now.
Tsutomu Iwamoto, who started for the Fighters, wrote his ticket to the minors with this outing, as he was mugged for five runs on five hits and three walks in three innings.
Masafumi Hirai started for the Dragons and he was done up for two runs on four hits in four innings, though he did strikeout seven.
Nippon Ham had the first uprising of the game in the second when leftfielder D.T. Cromer doubled down the rightfield line and first baseman Katsuhiro Nishiura walked. Rightfielder Kazuteru Shimada grounded into a 4-6 force to advance Cromer to third. However, third baseman Kokichi Akune struckout and catcher Kazunari Sanematsu grounded to short to throw water on the fire.
The Dragons then went ahead in the bottom of the inning, as centerfielder Alex Ochoa walked and first baseman Ivan Cruz singled to right. Both runners were sacrificed along. DH Kazuki Inoue grounded to second and Ochoa toed the dish to make it 1-0 Chunichi. The Dragons added another run in the third and it was 2-0. How they did it, though, I have no idea since the game record has omitted a sequence in that inning.
But Nippon Ham charged back to even it against a tiring Hirai, whose pitches were beginning to come up in the zone, in the fourth. Echevarria leadoff by fanning. Cromer plopped a double to right. Nishiura singled to left. Shimada singled to center and Cromer crossed while Nishiura headed to third. Hillman then called for the squeeze and Akune got it down to knot it at 2-2.
The Dragons were able to retaliate immediately. Ochoa walked and Cruz yanked a curve ball into the rightfield corner, Ochoa putting it in fourth and wheeling home. Third baseman Hiroyuki Watanabe walked. Yukuhiro Sakurai balked to move the runners up. Inoue grounded to second to bring Cruz in. Sakurai then wild pitched Watanabe across and it was 5-2 Chunichi.
Again, Nippon Ham answered. Second baseman Ken Tanaka walked and, one out later, so did shortstop Hiroshi Narahara. Echevarria, the tying run, whiffed. Cromer unloaded a screamer into the rightcenter gap and all the way to the wall for a two run triple and it was 5-4 Dragons.
They then restored equilibrium in the sixth, as Shimada doubled down the leftfield line and went to third on a groundout. Sanematsu flew out to center and Shimada tagged up and hustled in to make it 5-5.
Chunichi were then got some help from the Fighters defense to go back into the driver's seat. Watanabe singled to left and Inoue doubled to center. One out later, catcher Akihiro Maeda grounded to third and Akune threw it away, both runners galloping in on the miscue for a 7-5 Dragons advantage.
Ochoa then spurred his side to another run in the eighth, walking with one out and then making like a cheetah for the plate on rightfielder So Tsutsui's ensuing double to leftcenter to expand it to 8-5 Dragons.
Daisuke Yamai was inserted into the game for Chunichi and his control problems nearly cost them the game. With one down, Akune singled to center. One out later, Ken Tanaka pinged a shot off the rightfield wall and Akune scored uncontested on the double. Centerfielder Hichori Morimoto singled to right. Narahara walked to juice the bags. Echevarria walked to shove Tanaka in. That was it though, as Cromer struckout to end the inning with the score 8-7.
Kazuhiro Hiramatsu jogged in from the bullpen endeavoring to save it. He retired Nishiura on a groundout to short, but Shimada doubled to leftcenter and pinch hitter Yukio Tanaka walked. Pinch hitter Shinji Takahashi, the team's hottest hitter this spring, was now at the plate with a chance to put his team ahead, but he grounded into a 5-4-3 twin killing and it was "game setto."
For Chunichi, Ochoa was 1-1 with three walks and is at .571. Cruz was 2-3 with an RBI and is at .333.
For Nippon Ham, Echevarria fell to .056. Cromer was 3-5 with two RBIs and is at .350.
Pitching Lines:
Nippon Ham:
Iwamoto IP 3.0 BF 15 PC 68 H 4 HR 0 K 0 BB 3 R 5 ER 5 ERA 13.50
Y.H. Sakurai IP 2.0 BF 8 PC 29 H 1 HR 0 K 0 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
Tateishi (L, 0-1) IP 2.0 BF 11 PC 41 H 3 HR 0 K 0 BB 1 R 3 ER 1 ERA 2.45
Ko. Yamaguchi IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 9 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
Chunichi:
M. Hirai IP 4.0 BF 17 PC 71 H 4 HR 0 K 7 BB 1 R 2 ER 2 ERA 3.86
Hisamoto (W, 1-0) IP 3.0 BF 15 PC 64 H 2 HR 0 K 5 BB 3 R 3 ER 3 ERA 3.12
D. Yamai IP 0.2 BF 7 PC 30 H 3 HR 0 K 1 BB 2 R 2 ER 2 ERA 14.29
Hiramatsu (S, 2) IP 1.1 BF 5 PC 29 H 1 HR 0 K 1 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
E: Akune
2B: Cromer 2, Cruz, Shimada 2, K. Inoue, Tsuitsui, Ken Tanaka
3B: Cromer
RBI: Echevarria, Cromer 2, Shimada, Akune, Sanematsu, Ken Tanaka, M. Araki, Cruz,
Tsutsui, K. Inoue 2
SF: Sanematsui
WP: Y.H. Sakurai
HBP: Ibata (Tateishi)
Balk: Y.H. Sakurai
LOB: Nippon Ham 10, Chunichi 5
Season Series: Nippon Ham 1, Chunichi 1
Game Time: 3:33
Attendance: 8000
Umpires: Fukatani (HP), Nagami (1B), Sasaki (2B), Okada (3B)
Moritani, Yoshioka Flash Deuces to Smack Lotte 5-1
Kintetsu Buffaloes first baseman Yuji Yoshioka and backup rightfielder Akihito Moritani each drove in a pair of runs and starting rightfielder Koichi Isobe went yard to support a fine effort from starter Hiroshi Takamura and five relievers in a 5-1 triumph over the Chiba Lotte Marines Saturday at Osaka Dome. Takamura went four innings and gave up one run on two hits, though he walked two, to earn his first shiroboshi.
Koji Takagi started for Lotte and didn't do too badly, as he permitted three hits and a run in three innings and didn't get a decision.
Lotte grabbed a temporary lead in the first inning, as centerfielder Saburo Omura leadoff with a walk and went to second on a sac bunt. Takamura then threw a wild pitch to put Omura at third, from where he scored on a sac fly to right off the bat of first baseman Kazuya Fukuura to make it 1-0.
Lotte then put two men on with one out on a walk and a single, but Takamura put the boot in and induced a flyout and a strikeout to wriggle out of it.
Isobe checked in in the home half and then got out into the rightfield bleachers to gridlock it at 1-1.
Lotte created another scoring opportunity in the sixth, as Fukuura doubled against the leftfield fence and then went to third on a single to right by DH Derrick May. But second baseman Rick Short grounded out to third and leftfielder Jun Inoue lined to second to extinguish the threat.
The Buffs stampeded ahead in the bottom of the inning when second baseman Yosuke Takasu walked and, one out later, third baseman Norihiro Nakamura aingled to right. Takashi Muto pinch ran for Nakamura. Yoshioka hammered a shot into the leftfield corner and the two men managed to tour the bases to the plate and it was 3-1 Kintetsu.
Kintetsu then bought themselves another two runs in the seventh when pinch hitter Kenshi Kawaguchi singled to center and pinch hitter Hirotoshi Kitagawa singled to right. Centerfielder Shinji Shimoyama walked to load the bases. substitute leftfielder
Daisuke Masuda grounded to Fukuura, who went to the plate for the force on Kawaguchi. Moritani singled to left and Kitagawa and Shimoyama came around to make it 5-1 Buffs.
Lotte then allowed to get a prime scoring chance dissolve through their fingers. With one away, reserve centerfielder Takashi Tachikawa walked and little used first baseman Takenori Daita singled to right. Pinch hitter Yukihiko Sato singled to right to jam the basepaths. However, Short grounded into a 6-4-3 double play and the Kintetsu hegemony survived intact.
The Buffs had a man thrown out at the plate by Tachikawa in the eighth. Takuya Matsumoto came on for the Buffs to put this baby to bed and nearly gave everyone a heart attack. With one out, pinch hitter Kenji Morozumi doubled to left and went to third on a groundout. Catcher Toshiya Tsuji and Saburo Omura both walked to pack the sacks. Tachikawa, who was the hero a couple of days ago when he unloaded a game winning three run homer, struckout for the final out of the game.
For Kintetsu, leftfielder Tuffy Rhodes was 1-3 and is at .400.
For Lotte, Short was 1-4 and is at .250. May was 1-3 and is at .091.
Pitching Lines:
Lotte:
K. Takagi IP 3.0 BF 12 PC 38 H 3 HR 1 K 2 BB 0 R 1 ER 1 ERA 1.80
H.Y. Kobayashi IP 2.0 BF 7 PC 34 H 2 HR 0 K 2 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 1.80
K. Kato (L, 0-1) IP 2.0 BF 13 PC 48 H 5 HR 0 K 2 BB 2 R 4 ER 4 ERA 9.00
Kanda IP 1.0 BF 4 PC 17 H 2 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
Kintetsu:
Takamura IP 4.0 BF 16 PC 52 H 2 HR 0 K 1 BB 2 R 1 ER 1 ERA 2.25
H. Koike IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 16 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 3.00
Arime IP 0.1 BF 3 PC 7 H 2 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 4.15
Misawa (W, 1-0) IP 1.2 BF 5 PC 21 H 1 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
S. Ono IP 1.0 BF 5 PC 23 H 2 HR 0 K 0 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
T. Matsumoto IP 1.0 BF 6 PC 24 H 1 HR 0 K 1 BB 2 R 0 ER 0 ERA 6.75
E: Hatsushiba
2B: Fukuura, Yoshioka, K. Kawaguchi, Morozumi
HR: Isobe (1)
RBI: Fukuura, Moritani 2, Yoshioka 2, Isobe
SF: Fukuura
WP: Takamura
GIDP: Short
LOB: Lotte 10, Kintetsu 7
Season Series: Lotte 0, Kintetsu 1
Game Time: 2:55
Attendance: 4000
Umpires: Sato (HP), Hayashi (1B), Iizuka (2B), Yamamura (3B)
