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03/15/2003 Archived Entry: "Japanese Baseball News: Is There More in the Tadano Signing Than Meets the Eye?"
Wada and Sugiuchi Combine to Down Orix 3-2
This game was a case of this year and last, as Daiei's 2002 number one draftee Tsuyoshi Wada, making his first ever pro start, was followed by the 2001 numero uno, Toshiya Sugiuchi, who had a disappointing initial pro campaign that resulted in him being sent down to the minors. And while Wada, who purposely held back on using his filthy changeup since he wanted something to surprise the Orix Blue Wave with next time he faces them, was merely okay, Sugiuchi looked like a different pitcher from the one who appeared in over his head last season and so Daiei ultimately prevailed 3-2 Friday at Kobe Green Stadium. Sugiuchi got the victory while veteran Blue Wave reliever Shuichi Iwashita was hung with the defeat.
It was scoreless until the second, when DH Takeshi Yamasaki torched a slider into the leftfield seats to put Orix ahead 1-0.
Daiei returned serve in the top of the third when DH Yusuke Torigoe leadoff with a single to right and beat it for home on centerfielder Arihito Muramatsu's liner down into the leftfield corner to knot it at 1-1. The speedster Muramatsu tagged and went to third on a flyout to right from shortstop Munenori Kawasaki and then completed the circuit on a sac fly to left by catcher Kenji Johjima to lend the birds of prey a 2-1 edge.
Orix, though, got a one out double by rookie catcher Daisuke Maeda and a two out single to center from second baseman Keiichi Hirano during their ups in the frame to level it at 2-2.
In the sixth, the Hawks pulled into a lead thanks to a two out single to left from first baseman Nobuhiko Matsunaka, walks to leftfielder Pedro Valdez and third baseman Bryant Nelson and Iwashita plunking second baseman Tadahito Iguchi to force Matsunaka in to make it 3-2. The next nine Orix hitters than went down quietly in order thanks to Sugiuchi being very effective with his changeup and curve and that was your ballgame.
Wada told reporters after the game that "my mechanics were all screwed up."
For Orix, third baseman Jose Ortiz was 0-4 and is at .000. Leftfielder Roosevelt Brown was 0-3 with a walk and is at .280. First baseman Scott Sheldon was 0-3 with two strikeouts and a walk and is at .300.
For Daiei, Valdez was 0-3 with a walk and is at .182. Nelson was 1-3 with two strikeouts and a walk and is at .250.
Pitching Lines:
Daiei:
T. Wada IP 4.0 BF 16 PC 68 H 4 HR 1 K 3 BB 1 R 2 ER 2 ERA 3.00
Sugiuchi (W, 1-0) IP 5.0 BF 16 PC 75 H 1 HR 0 K 5 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 2.00
Orix:
H. Ogura IP 5.0 BF 19 PC 69 H 4 HR 0 K 3 BB 0 R 2 ER 2 ERA 4.50
Iwashita (L, 1-1) IP 1.0 BF 7 PC 19 H 1 HR 0 K 0 BB 3 R 1 ER 1 ERA 13.50
Tokano IP 2.0 BF 8 PC 36 H 2 HR 0 K 1 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 1.29
J. Hagiwara IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 11 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 2.25
2B: M. Kawasaki, Muramatsu, D. Maeda
HR: T. Yamasaki (2)
RBI: Muramatsu, Iguchi, Hirano, T. Yamasaki
SF: Johjima
HBP: Iguchi (Iwashita)
PB: Johjima
GIDP: T. Yamasaki
LOB: Daiei 7, Orix 3
Season Series: Daiei 1, Orix 0
Game Time: 2:31
Attendance: 4000
Umpires: Hayashi (HP), Maeda (1B), Sugimoto (2B), Kakigizono (3B)
Hodges Dominates Yokohama 4-2
Yokohama Bay Stars righthander Takashi Saito, whose dream of playing in MLB was thwarted this offseason by his own monetary demands, made his first start in three years Friday and was very solid, going four shutout innings on two hits, though he walked two hit and hit a batter to keep it interesting. But Yakult starter Kevin Hodges was absolutely electric, lasting seven scoreless innings on an economical 80 pitches while walking one and nailing Steve Cox in the ex-Devil Ray's Japan debut and striking out four to cadge the shiroboshi in the Swallows' 4-2 triumph Friday at Yokohama Stadium. The former Mariner now has an ERA of 0.60.
Yakult ran themselves out of the first inning to give Saito a bit of a break. Centerfielder Mitsuru Manaka leadoff the game with a single to left, but was then gunned down attempting to steal second by catcher Satoshi Nakajima. That proved to be big because first baseman Todd Betts, who has been under a nice head of steam at the plate the last couple of weeks, scorched a heater down the rightfield line. Consequently, instead of men on second and third with one out where a run could be scored on a groundout to the right side at the very least, it was just a man on second with two gone. Leftfielder Alex Ramirez whiffed to stifle the threat.
Another failed steal attempt sabotaged a one out rally in the third, when Saito walked two and hit shortstop Shinya Miyamoto. Betts popped out and that flame was doused.
So it remained 0-0 until the top of the seventh, when the Swallows broke the stalemate. Third baseman Akinori Iwamura commenced the stanza by walloping a delivery from reliever Takeo Kawamura into the rightfield bleachers to make it 1-0 Yakult. Catcher Atsuya Furuta singled to center. Yoshiyuki Noguchi pinch ran for Furuta. One out later, second baseman Noriyuki Shiroishi mashed one off of the leftfield fence for an RBI double and Noguchi got on his horse and galloped all the way around to double the advantage to 2-0. One out later, backup centerfielder Tetsuya Iida singled to center to invite Shiroishi back to the bench and widen it to 3-0.
The following inning, Betts singed a drive into the rightcenter alley for a double and was pinch run for by Hajime Miki, who then scored on a single to left from Ramirez for a 4-0 lead.
Yokohama responded in the bottom of the inning with a one out single to left by Shogo Kimura off of Manabu Hiramoto. Centerfielder Tsuyoshi Kinjo rolled to second baseman Noguchi, who booted it. Hirotsugu Maeda replaced Hiramoto. Shortstop Takuro Ishii grounded into a 1-4 force. Leftfielder Takanori Suzuki whizzed a shot into the rightfield corner for a double and Kimura trotted in to make it 4-1 Yakult.
Yokohama then got on Maeda's case again in the ninth, as Tyrone Woods walked with one out and was pinch run for by Makoto Fukumoto. Third baseman Katsuaki Furuki singled to right. Second baseman Shunichi Murata ripped a screamer into the rightfield corner to see Woods in and put the tying run on. Ryu Kawabata was summoned from the bullpen and struckout pinch hitter Hitoshi Tamura for the second out. Kinjo was next and he popped out to second and that was how it ended, a 4-2 Swallows triumph.
There are contradictory quotes on Cox' surgically repaired knee. One quotes him as saying that he is still experiencing some discomfort but will be back to 100% in a week to one that indicates that the knee feels fine. Choose your favorite.
Kevin Hodges' wife and two children is scheduled to arrive in Japan in mid-April, though the war situation makes that somewhat fluid. The big righty averred that, "if the planes are flying, I'd like them to come." On the game, he said that he was getting great location with his cutter and that he is in great shape. Pitching coach Akimitsu Itoh shook his head in admiration of what Hodges is cooking: "things are going so smoothly for him it's almost scary."
Swallows helmsman Tsutomu Wakamatsu was well chuffed with Betts, calling him "the ideal number three hitter." Betts is seeing the ball well right now. He is also playing host to his fiance Alexandra at present, as after she arrived in Tokyo, they headed out for a night in Omotesando, Aoyama. Alexandra, who is, like Betts, a native of Toronto, can reportedly speak five languages, including Spanish and Portuguese.
Saito was clocked at 89mph, about five mph slower than what he spin it up there at when he is at the top of his game.
For Yakult, Betts was 3-4 and is at .353. Ramirez was 1-4 with an RBI and three strikeouts and is at .205.
For Yokohama, Cox was 0-3 with two strikeouts and an HBP and is at .000. Woods was 0-3 with a walk and is at .306.
Pitching Lines:
Yakult:
Hodges (W, 2-0) IP 7.0 BF 24 PC 80 H 3 HR 0 K 4 BB 2 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.60
Hiramoto IP 0.1 BF 3 PC 14 H 1 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 1 ER 0 ERA 0.00
H. Maeda IP 1.0 BF 7 PC 28 H 3 HR 0 K 1 BB 1 R 1 ER 1 ERA 3.60
Kawabata (S, 2) IP 0.2 BF 2 PC 5 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 8.10
Yokohama:
Takashi Saito IP 4.0 BF 15 PC 61 H 2 HR 0 K 4 BB 3 R 0 ER 0 ERA 9.00
Kawamura (L, 0-1) IP 4.0 BF 19 PC 65 H 8 HR 1 K 6 BB 0 R 4 ER 4 ERA 7.20
Tomori IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 6 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
E: Y. Noguchi
SB: Y. Noguchi
2B: Betts 2, T. Ishii, Shiroishi, T. Suzuki, S. Murata
HR: Iwamura (3)
RBI: Iwamura, Iida, Ramirez, Shiroishi, T. Suzuki, S. Murata
HBP: S. Miyamoto (Takashi Saito), Cox (Hodges)
GIDP: Woods, S. Nakajima
LOB: Yakult 6, Yokohama 7
Season Series: Yakult 1, Yokohama 1
Game Time: 2:36
Attendance: 13,000
Umpires: Kuchi (HP), Mori (1B), Honda (2B), ? (3B)
Seelbach Has Strong Outing in 6-5 Victory Over Kintetsu
Chris Seelbach gave manager Trey Hillman a nice little performance Friday at Osaka Dome, as he contained the Kintetsu Buffaloes to two runs on five hits in six innings while his teammates piled up a bunch of two out RBIs and then held on for a 6-5 victory. Kevin Beirne started for Kintetsu and was clocked at 93mph on the radar gun, but ran up a lot of deep counts and ultimately was torn up for four runs on seven hits in four innings to accept the loss.
The Fighters went on the offensive from the get go, as centerfielder Hichori Morimoto fought with Beirne for ten pitches before taking ball four and walking. He was erased on a subsequent 4-6-3 double play, but first baseman Michihiro Ogasawara walked. DH Angel Echevarria, who seems to finally be recovering his stroke, singled to right and Ogasawara motored to third. Leftfielder D.T. Cromer singled to right to recall Ogasawara. Rightfielder Tomochika Tsuboi then did likewise to pick up Echevarria and it was 2-0 Nippon Ham.
Then in the second, catcher Shinji Takahashi propelled a Beirne offering beyond the rightfield wall and it was 3-0 Fighters.
Kintetsu got off the schnide in the home portion, as first baseman Yuji Yoshioka tattooed a shot off of the glove of shortstop Makoto Kaneko for a single. DH Kenshi Kawaguchi then lashed a ball up the leftcenter alley and all the way to the wall, Yoshioka hustling all the way home to make it 3-1 Fighters.
Nippon Ham got one of those back in the third, when Tsuboi singled to right with two gone and third baseman Takaya Hayashi torqued one off the leftfield wall, Tsuboi sprinting to the plate safely and it was 4-1 Fighters.
Seelbach walked a man and gave up a hit in the bottom half, but he struckout the side to extricate himself.
In the sixth, Kintetsu third baseman Norihiro Nakamura put some lightning into a hanging changeup and mortared it deep into the leftfield stands to cut the disparity to 4-2 Nippon Ham.
The Fighters then got some charity from the Buffs in the seventh. With two away, Tsuboi walked. Hayashi singled to left. He was pinch run for by Hiroshi Narahara. Pinch hitter Kazunari Sanematsu walked to load the bases. Reliever Katsunari Yoshikawa then unleashed a wild pitch for a run. Second baseman Kokichi Akune grounded to second baseman Yamazaki, who booted it and Narahara crossed to put Nippon Ham up by four at 6-2.
But Fighters' relievers Kosuke Yamaguchi and Masashi Date made a mess and it got real tense beginning in the eighth. Leftfielder Fumitoshi Takano leadoff by carroming a shot off the leftfield wall for a double. Hiroshi Yamazaki walked. Two outs later, Kawaguchi walked to pack the sacks. Hillman came out and got Yamaguchi, putting Date in his stead. Shortstop Yosuke Takasu singled to center and both Takano and Yamazaki toed the dish to reduce the margin to 6-4. Now with the tying run on first, pinch hitter Hirotoshi Kitagawa flied out to right to keep that Nippon Ham edge.
Date came back out for the ninth and saw Akihiyo Moritani whistle one off the centerfield wall and end up at third before the ball was back in the infield. Backup third baseman Yasuo Nagaike rolled out to second to send Moritani plateward and it turned into a one run affair at 6-5. Date then got the next two men on a popout and a groundout to seal it.
Hillman said after the game that he was satisfied with what he saw in this game, as what he was trying to inculcate into the team's hitters was realized in this contest.
For Kintetsu, leftfielder Tuffy Rhodes was 1-3 and is at .313.
For Nippon Ham, Echevarria was 1-3 with a walk and is at .138. Cromer was 1-4 with an RBI and is at .344.
Pitching Lines:
Nippon Ham:
Seelbach (W, 1-0) IP 6.0 BF 24 PC 90 H 5 HR 1 K 5 BB 1 R 2 ER 2 ERA 3.00
Y.H. Sakurai IP 1.0 BF 5 PC 26 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 2 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
Ko. Yamaguchi IP 0.2 BF 5 PC 19 H 1 HR 0 K 0 BB 2 R 2 ER 2 ERA 4.91
Date (S, 3) IP 1.1 BF 6 PC 21 H 2 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 1 ER 1 ERA 2.80
Kintetsu:
Beirne (L, 0-1) IP 4.0 BF 21 PC 92 H 7 HR 1 K 3 BB 3 R 4 ER 4 ERA 6.43
H. Ono IP 2.0 BF 9 PC 26 H 1 HR 0 K 1 BB 4 R 0 ER 0 ERA 3.86
Yoshikawa IP 2.0 BF 11 PC 50 H 2 HR 0 K 2 BB 2 R 2 ER 0 ERA 0.00
Matsumoto IP 1.0 BF 6 PC 24 H 1 HR 0 K 1 BB 2 R 0 ER 0 ERA 4.50
E: M. Ogasawara, H. Yamazaki
SB: Morimoto, Tsuboi
2B: K. Kawaguchi, T. Hayashi, Morimoto, Shimada, Takano
3B: Moritani
HR: S. Takahashi (1), N. Nakamura (2)
RBI: Cromer, Tsuboi, T. Hayashi, S. Takahashi, Nagaike, N. Nakamura, K.
Kawaguchi, Takasu 2
WP: Yoshikawa
HBP: Tsuboi (H. Ono), Akune (H. Ono)
GIDP: Kaneko, Cromer
LOB: Chunichi 14, Kintetsu 8
Season Series: Nippon Ham 1, Kintetsu 0
Game Time: 3:16
Attendance: 2000
Umpires: Sato (HP), Tamba (1B), Kaneko (2B), Nagami (3B)
The Curious Case of Kazuhito Tadano....or is It?
I don't want to cast aspersions, but Kazuhito Tadano, who was signed by Cleveland this week, was said to have been left undrafted last November by a Japanese league team due to suffering a shoulder problem. However, someone of Tadano's quality would have been worth taking at least a low round shot at, especially if you're pitching poor, as are the Kintetsu Buffaloes or Yokohama Bay Stars, the latter of which had originally intended to take Tadano as their first round choice. It is also curious how the Atlanta Braves suddenly bailed out of talks with him.
Now there was an incident a couple of years back where a collegiate hurler who was drawing strong pro interest was discovered to have filmed a gay porno video, resulting in Japanese teams dropping him like a hot potato. The name was never revealed, but Tadano's inability to find a job with somebody sure was curious. You know that the Indians gave him a thorough physical before they inked him, so he's apparently healthy. Hmmmmm. Anyway, Tadano will begin his big league career at Kingston of the Carolina League in A ball.
Team Reports
Yomiuri The Seattle Mariners made a run at rookie righthander Hiroshi Kisanuki, but the money that Yomiuri offered was more than what the M's were willing to proffer.... Roberto Petagine, who injured his shoulder chasing a deep fly ball in an exhibition game last month, will be back in the Giants lineup Saturday. He crushed 21 homers in 84 batting practice swings Friday....Gary Rath will start on the 21st against Seibu. He tossed a scoreless inning Thursday in relief....First baseman Kazuhiro Kiyohara came down with a cold and skipped Thursday's workout....Righthander Masumi Kuwata said that when he pitched against Hiroshima Thursday, he was looking for three things when he pitched to the Carp's Jimmy Hurst and Andy Sheets: could they handle balls on the inner part of the plate, can they hit offspeed stuff and what is their ball strike judgement like. So Kuwata stayed in with slow stuff and then went with heaters away. That was not a success. Sheets had a pair of singles off of the veteran two time ERA champ while Hurst had a knock and a walk, and each was instrumental in a fifth inning uprising that saw the Carp score two important runs to make it 3-0, which proved to be the final margin of victory....Manager Tatsunori Hara is going to test Hanshin righthander Hideki Irabu's mobility off the mound, disclosing that Irabu will see a good deal of bunting against him when the chunky righty starts against the kyojin on the 17th. In a previous outing against Yakult on the 12th, Irabu was late covering first base. So the Giants want to take advantage of any other fielding defects he has and get him frustrated....Hara did some private instruction with catcher Shinnosuke Abe, who is struggling with a .194 average right now. They worked on using his stride as a timing device....Yoshinobu Takahashi will be back in action Saturday.
Yakult Infielder Ken Suzuki hurt an oblique muscle Wednesday, but the injury is minor and he will be out two weeks, which means he will be able to heal by opening day.
Chunichi The Dragons have won five games in a row....18 year old rookie outfielder Yoshimi Sakurai laced a two run triple in Thursday's game against Seibu in a pinch hit appearance. He will begin the regular season in the minors, as the club's coaches embark on what they call a "1000 day plan" to turn the youngster into the next great Dragons cleanup man....Kenshin Kawakami, who has largely stunk this spring, will try to get untracked when he starts Saturday against Orix. Friday, he did some running and longtossing....Rightfielder Kosuke Fukudome hasn't just been hot the last three games, he has been atomic, going 8-10. On the spring, he is 15-34, a .441 clip.... Manager Hisashi Yamada announced that there will be no days off between Saturday and opening day.
Hanshin Head coach Ikuo Shimano said that Hideki Irabu may still end up as the closer, but that the team is still feeling its way on that issue. One thing about Irabu that may irritate some further is that he wants a tune by no talent gangsta rapper DMX used as his theme song. As Americaized as Japanese pop culture is increasingly becoming, do we have to export that garbage too? By the way, in case you're wondering what is on the old Garland tape deck right now as I'm writing this, it's the Finnish progressive heavy metal band Stratovarius. Yep, your humble scribe is a headbanger....Shimano also revealed that he has told Hanshin's batting order to try to go to right as often as possible when they face the Giants in order to exploit Petagine's reportedly less than competent defensive ability....The addition of Irabu and leftfielder Tomoaki Kanemoto as well as the team's overall imporving fortunes are being credited with the fact that all the billboard space at Koshien Stadium is now sold out. Because the Japanese economy is in the tank, billboards at ballparks all over both leagues are often going without ads. It should be noted, though, that Osaka citizens are rabid about Hanshin in the same way as Boston fans are about the Red Sox, so that gives the Tigers a head start already in advertising revenue.
Hiroshima Pitcher Tetsuto Tomabechi hurt his thumb in a bunting drill the other day and is scheduled for an MRI on Tuesday. He will probably not be on the roster opening day due to the injury....With his outstanding five inning scoreless performance Thursday in an exhibition game against Yomiuri, Allan Newman has won a rotation slot. Newman normally runs it up to the plate around 92-93mph, but was clocked in that game at 85mph. Nevertheless, he said that his cutter was especially effective and that he could have gone anothet two innings....Rookie hurler Katsuhiro Nagakawa is a little freaked out by his success so far, as he has racked up three stright saves. He says that before opening day, he wants to get lit up once. This isn't uncommon. Nippon Ham first baseman Michihiro Ogasawara is so superstitious about when he's going well that he chooses his words very carefully before the press in the belief that if he doesn't, his good luck will evaporate.
Yokohama Third baseman Katsuaki Furuki slammed a grand slam homer off of a hanging shuuto (though Hochi Sports says it was a slider) from Lotte's Kosuke Kato in the first inning Thursday to end a 3-17 slump. That was his fourth dinger of the spring in exhibition play and his first yardwork in 20 at bats. Furuki has also been given the nickname "bokon," for the sound the ball makes when it hits his bat. The buff Furuki used to be known as "Robo Cop" by his teammates, but has now gotten a new appellation....Chris Holt got a real whippin' from the Lotte lineup in that game in the third inning, as he was done for six runs, five of them earned, to absorb the loss. But in the other four innings, he was perfect except for an infield hit by Fukudome.
Seibu The Lions, with a humilating 13-3 defeat Thursday by the Chunichi Dragons, are now 0-7-2 in their last nine games. How the mighty have fallen. Kenichi Toriyabe, who surrendered seven of those Chunichi tallies, has been demoted to the minors....Leftfielder Kazuhiro Wada is now 0-16 this spring....Alex Cabrera will be back on the 18th. He was scheduled to make his first start this season on Saturday, but a cold and a fever he has contracted has put that off....Scott McClain pulled his oblique muscle and he will be rested for a few days. They will then decide what to do with him depending on what his physical condition is at that time.... Shuichiro Osada will start against Daiei on the 18th....Alex Cabrera spent the day Friday taking 150 hacks in the batting cage and says he feels great....Daisuke Matsuzaka may start Saturday against Yokohama.
Daiei Bryant Nelson homered to rightcenter off of a high fastball from Kazuhiro Sato against Kintetsu Thursday, his first in Japan. He is going to get a lot of playing time at third with the injury to incumbent Hiroki Kokubo....Hayato Terahara made an instructional league start Thursday and went seven innings of two run ball, but was touched for nine hits. Despite limiting the damage to two runs, he was leaving a lot of balls in the middle of the strike zone and therefore still needs to fine more consistency of command. The second year righthander attributed his problems in this game to dragging his arm behind his body when he delivered the ball. He was clocked at 91mph.....Catcher Kenji Johjima had a 13 pitch at bat against Katsuhiko Maekawa in the fourth, but ultimately struckout....The corporate parent of the Hawks said once more that while it is unloading the Seahawk Hotel and the Fukuoka Dome, it still has no intention of dishing off the pro baseball squad....Pitchers Katsunori Okamoto and Hirokazu Watanabe as well as outfielder Hiroshi Shibahara will miss the upcoming road trip due to injury. Shibahara has some discomfort in his oblique muscle, Okamoto has an achy hamstring and Watanabe's shoulder is sore.
Kintetsu Tuffy Rhodes homered upper tank stylee Thursday off of a middle of the plate 84mph fastball from the Hawks' Shinsuke Ogura in the seventh inning, his first longball of the spring. It was measured at 440 feet, causing Sports Nippon's Osaka edition to label it a "megaton arch." Rhodes also has to lost four pounds to get down to his ideal weight of 210, with the 200 swing special batting practice session he had Wednesday no doubt aiding him in the pound reduction....Norihiro Nakamura visited Nonaka Elementary School in Osaka, playing catch and basically having some fun with about 300 students. He graduated from that institution 18 years ago.
Nippon Ham Tsutomu Iwamoto made an educational league start Thursday and did well, going seven innings of two run ball on two hits....The Fighters are reportedly looking at washed up Takehito Nomura, who was released by Milwaukee after last season. Why?
Lotte Nate Minchey had his first outing Thursday and tossed two scoreless innings on one hit, getting six groundball outs....Derrick May pounded a 425 foot homer to center in the third inning Thursday, piggybacking on the two roundtrippers he clouted on Wednesday, each landing about 440 feet from home plate....Rick Short got himself some nice pub in Hochi Sports, which devoted a hundred words or so to taking a throw off his head from Yokohama second baseman Shuichi Murata, basically saying that Short angled himself running the basepaths so that the ball would make contact with him. Team management and the writers like Short's hardwork and serious attitude.
Orix Manager Hiromichi Ishige, a former shortstop, went ballistic on the team's front office, angrily telling them to do something about the state of the infield at Kobe Green Stadium. They recently replaced the black dirt with red brick since it looks better on television, but the way it is now it is so soft that players are having a hard time with ground balls. A hardening agent has been added and the grounds crew is saying that they are doing what they can....You gotta love the Japanese press in the breathless way they report things at times. In Saturday morning's (JST) Osaka edition of Sports Nippon, they refer to the three-four-five combination of Jose Ortiz, Roosevelt Brown and Scott Sheldon as "the black ship cleanup," a reference to the vessels that Commodore Perry used to open Japan after over 200 years of seclusion . Centerfielder Yoshitomo Tani will bat leadoff....Closer Masanobu Okubo underwent surgery Thursday and will be out for six months, according to Japan Today.
Hideki Matsui Call it another win for the evil empire, *lol. Matsui went 2-3 yesterday against Boston, including a fourth inning run scoring triple to rightcenter. He had an infield hit and bounced into a 6-4-3 twin killing in his other two times up. The three bagger came despite the fact that the Red Sox tried putting a Bonds-style shift on him. By the way, did Bobby Valentine really tell the Boston Globe that Matsui would attain 50 homers this season? Man, does the DEA know about Bobby's hallucinogen use (that's a joke, folks. I have no idea what Bobby likes to imbibe in his off hours)? He's gotta be smoking, snorting, or licking something to make a statement like that....Matsui then followed that performance with a 2-4 day Friday, both knocks singles to center. He grounded to second in the other at bats.
Miscellaneous Congratulations to Bob Uecker, who is being inducted into the announcer's wing of the Hall of Fame. As funny as Uecker has been on talk shows and as good as he is on tv, Ueck's finest work came in the original "Major League" movie, where he was an absolute scream....As anyone instantly realized the moment that Hideki Matsui signed with the Yankees, you will hear Blue Oyster Cult's "Godzilla" played over the loudspeakers as he comes to bat. However, according to Fran Fried of the New Haven Register, BOC lead singer/rhythm guitarist Eric Bloom is a Mets fan....Just to amplify remarks about the David Wells fine made by Jim Callis at Baseball America, they are basically punishing Wells for a thought crime. Yeah, he's a boorish idiot, but that is hardly a quality in short supply, even in team ownership suites....The Mets game was rained out Friday, so no action for Tsuyoshi Shinjo. He also sat out yesterday's game after cracking a pair of hits in each of his last two times out. He is hitting .343 and leads the Orange Julius Mets in hits....So Taguchi blasted his first homer ever in a Cardinals uniform Thursday against the Florida Marlins, a shot that exited to left. He also walked, finishing the day 1-4 in five plate appearances ....Hideo Nomo got hammered in a split squad game with St. Louis Thursday for three runs on nine hits in 4.2 innings, including a solo jack by Albert Pujols....Kevin Millar told Sankei Sports today that he wanted to come to Japan, but that his dad and his wife were opposed to the idea, leaving him "caught in the middle." Geez, has this guy been taking insincerity lessons from Alex Rodriguez? Just shut up about it already!....Japanese team owners are looking at a proposal to limit the compensation for aquiring a free agent from 1.5 times the player's new salary to 1.2 times. That there is any such requirement is a joke and is anti-market....Ichiro Suzuki went 3-4 Wednesday and then followed that up with another hit Thursday to boost his average to .395. It will be interesting to see the start he gets off to. He is looking not just confident and relaxed, but positively cocky. He even has enough confidence to be in a new Mariners tv commercial with a good sized english speaking part in it....The Japanese commissioner's office as well as the head of the Japanese amateur baseball federation expressed their objections to MLB Commissioner Bud Selig about MLB not being willing to interrupt its season to send its players to the Athens Olympic Games in 2004. Unfortunately, Selig has a point, for once, about it being logistically halting the long season to send dozens of players to the various national olympic teams. What bothers me, though, is the slow movement on the organization of a Baseball World Cup, which I would like to see happen every two years. Get it in gear, boys!
Replies: 1 Comment
Tadano will be assigned to Kinston, North Carolina, not Kingston.
Posted by Dave @ 03/17/2003 08:30 AM EST
