[Previous entry: "Korea Baseball News: Running of the Lions in Taegu"] [Main Index] [Next entry: "Japanese Baseball News: The Sound of Ichiro's Bat"]
04/08/2003 Archived Entry: "Japanese Baseball News: Gaillard Fastest to 100 Saves; Yankees Writers Already Booing Matsui?"
Hamanaka's Two Homers, Five RBIs Lead Hanshin to Drubbing of Yakult 12-5
Hanshin Tigers rightfielder Osamu Hamanaka clouted a pair of homers and drove in a career best five runs Saturday at Osaka Dome in front of a capacity house to pound the Yakult Swallows 12-5. Nobuyuki Ebisu lasted just 3.1 innings before getting the hook and the loss while lefthander Trey Moore threw brilliantly during his seven innings of one run baseball on five hits and displayed some of his trademark hustle on the basepaths for the shiroboshi, his second.
Moore opened the contes by striking out two men in a perfect first and then his teammates in the batting order went to work on Ebisu in the bottom half. Second baseman Makoto Imaoka whistled a double down the leftfield line and went to third on the sac bunt. Leftfielder Tomoaki Kanemoto flew out to left and Imaoka tagged up and crossed with the 1-0 lead. Ebisu then left an 85mph fastball in the middle of the plate and Hamanaka hammered it into the centerfield bleachers and it was 2-0 Tigers.
Yakult would chip one off of that disparity in the third when second baseman Katsuyuki Dobashi bonked a double off of the leftfield wall, went to third on a sac bunt and trotted home on a two out knock to center by shortstop Shinya Miyamoto to make it 2-1.
Hanshin reached by getting that run back in the home segment, as centerfielder Norihiro Akahoshi singled to center and stole second. He moved to third on a groundout and then romped in on a double into the leftfield corner by Hamanaka to go back up by two at 3-1.
In the fourth, Hanshin really went midieval on Ebisu. Catcher Akihiro Yano lined a double to right. Shortstop Atsushi Fujimoto laid down a sac bunt. Ebisu retrieved the ball and threw to first, striking Fujimoto in the back. It was ruled interference and Fujimoto was out and Yano was sent back to second. Moore singled to right for his second hit of the match. Imaoka spanked a slider to left for a single to bring in Yano. Hirotsugu Maeda replaced Ebisu. Akahoshi flew out to deep center, Moore tagging up and sprinting for third, going in headfirst to applause from the crowd. Kanemoto singled to right to plate Moore. Hamanaka then got all of a 2-0 fastball on the outer half of the plate and crushed deep into the centerfield seats for a three run homer and an 8-1 Hanshin advantage.
The Tigers tacked on two more against Shinji Matsuda in the seventh when Kanemoto singled to center, went to second on a walk to Hamanaka and, one out later, both rode home on a shot down the leftfield line by third baseman George Arias and it was 10-1 Hanshin.
Yasuhiro Nakamura was summoned from the bullpen to make is regular season pro debut in the eighth and a case of nerves did him in. He nailed Dobashi and walked Centerfielder Tetsuya Iida. Rightfielder Ryuji Miyade singled to left to load the bases. Miyamoto doubled to rightcenter to push in a pair. First baseman Todd Betts walked to reload the bases. Takehito Kanazawa jogged in from the bullpen to spell Nakamura. Leftfielder Alex Ramirez grounded out to short and Miyade was in. Kanazawa wild pitched Miyamoto in to make it 10-5. But he retired the next two men to finally end the inning.
Hanshin went back into attack mode in the bottom of the frame when pinch hitter Hiroshi Yagi doubled to left for his first hit of the year. Backup third baseman Atsushi Kataoka socked a 1-0 delivery into the rightcenterfield stands for the final margin of victory at 12-5.
Lou Pote closed it out by getting three of the four men he saw in the ninth.
After the game, Tigers skipper Senichi Hoshino slammed Nakamura to reporters, though considering that of the 17 pitches the youngster sent to the plate, only three ended up in the strike zone, the anger was understandable.
Of Moore's headlong dive into third, a writer for Nikkan Sports referred to it as "an example of Moore's fighting spirit." At the plate, Moore was 17-62 last season, a .274 average, with six RBIs. Of his 27 appearances in 2002, he had hits in 13 of them. With his two hits Saturday, he is at .500 in 2003.
Yakult has now dropped its first three series while Hanshin has scored 50 runs for the first time after eight games since their 1985 Japan Series championship season. One thing that has helped that production is that Kanemoto has yet to strikeout thus far. This was also the first time since 1999 that the Tigers have filled Osaka Dome.
Pitching Lines:
Yakult:
Ebisu (L, 1-1) IP 3.1 BF 19 PC 58 H 9 HR 1 K 0 BB 0 R 6 ER 6 ERA 5.79
H. Maeda IP 0.2 BF 4 PC 13 H 2 HR 1 K 0 BB 0 R 2 ER 2 ERA 9.82
Narimoto IP 2.0 BF 6 PC 20 H 1 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
S. Matsuda IP 2.0 BF 12 PC 39 H 4 HR 1 K 0 BB 2 R 4 ER 4 ERA 18.00
Hanshin:
Moore (W, 2-0) IP 7.0 BF 25 PC 86 H 5 HR 0 K 5 BB 0 R 1 ER 1 ERA 2.08
Y.H. Nakamura IP 0.0 BF 5 PC 17 H 2 HR 0 K 0 BB 2 R 4 ER 4 ERA infinity
Kanazawa IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 13 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 5.40
Pote IP 1.0 BF 4 PC 15 H 1 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
SB: Akahoshi
2B: Imaoka, Dobashi, Hamanaka, K. Suzuki, A. Yano, Arias, S. Miyamoto, Yagi
HR: Hamanaka 2 (3), Kataoka (1)
RBI: S. Miyamoto 3, Ramirez, Imaoka, Kataoka 2, Kanemoto 2, Hamanaka 5, Arias 2
SF: Kanemoto
WP: Kanazawa
HBP: Dobashi (Y.H. Nakamura)
GIDP: A. Yano
LOB: Yakult 5, Hanshin 5
Season Series:
Game Time: 2:49
Attendance: 48,000
Umpires: Tani (HP), Watada (1B), Sasaki (2B), Manabe (3B)
Knight Wins First 6-4 Against Nippon Ham
Daiei Hawks hurler Brandon Knight got behind 3-1 to the Nippon Ham Fighters Saturday at Tokyo Dome, but then his mates rallied for two to tie it in the sixth and three more in the seventh to scoop up his first official Japanese victory 6-3. Matt Skrmetta preserved it with his second save.
Satoru Kanemura went 5.2 decent innings for the Fighters, surrendering three runs, two earned, on four hits for a no decision. Instead, reliever Hiroshi Shibakusa was hung with the defeat when he was touched for the lead run during his 2/3 of an inning.
The Hawks had a mild threat going in the second, when catcher Kenji Johjima singled to left with one out and second baseman Tadahito Iguchi walked. However, DH Noriyoshi Omichi grounded into a 4-6-3 double play and that opportunity went by the wayside.
It remained scoreless until the fourth, when Johjima kinged one 475 feet into the upper level in left to put the birds of prey in front 1-0.
But Knight would then be victimized by the longball himself. With one away, first baseman D.T. Cromer walked. Leftfielder Angel Echevarria blasted one into the rightcenterfield seats and it was now 2-1 Fighters. DH Yukio Tanaka got a fastball and mortared it on a low line into the leftcenterfield bleachers to expand that advantage to 3-1. Rightfielder Tomochika Tsuboi tripled off the rightfield fence. Fortunately, Knight was able to gather himself and he induced a foul out and a groundout to stave off any further damage.
Kanemura then contributed to his downfall in the sixth. Centerfielder Arihito Muramatsu doubled down the rightfield line. Shortstop Munenori Kawasaki laid down a sac bunt, but Kanemura made a bad toss to first and everybody was safe. Muramatsu and Kawasaki worked the double steal successfully. Leftfielder Pedro Valdez grounded to first, Muramatsu toeing the dish. One out later, Kanemura was substituted for Shibakusa and Johjima seared the fifth pitch he saw for a double into the rightcenter alley to score Kawasaki with the equalizer to make it 3-3.
Shibakusa came out again for the seventh and, with one away, rightfielder Bryant Nelson doubled to leftcenter. Fighters manager Trey Hillman went to the pen for Kosuke Yamaguchi. Muramatsu walked. Kawasaki singled to center and Nelson was converted for the 4-3 lead, the runners moving up another base when Tsuboi had trouble finding the handle on the ball. Valdez singled to right to recall the runners and it was 6-3 Hawks.
Nippon Ham loaded the bases on an error, a walk and a knock, but a popup and a strikeout took care of that predicament. The first two men to step into the batter's box went down, too, before centerfielder Hichori Morimoto went yard to leftcenter to make it 6-4. Shortstop Makoto Kaneko sent a fly ball to right for what should have been the final out, but Nelson geeked it and now the 2002 batting champ, Michihiro Ogasawara, was up representing the tying run. He grounded out, however, and the Hawks had their 4000th all time win.
The only other teams to rack up that many triumphs were Yomiuri, Hanshin, Chunichi and Orix.
Johjima is so hot he is hitting a majestic .655 after yet another three hit performance Saturday. He says that he is concentrating on just swinging at strikes. He was 5-7 last season against Shibakusa, so his coming up with the big two bagger in this one is no surprise. Hillman, when asked about Johjima, averred, "Johjima is a good hitter. I know he hit 31 homers a couple of years ago. He's hitting with a lot of confidence. I don't know if we'll be ablt to handle him." An advance scout for Kintetsu evaluated that Johjima looks really smooth at the plate.
Knight had some trouble throwing his fastball for strikes in the early going, so he went more and more to his breaking pitches. His fiance Brook, described by Hochi Sports as "a beautiful blonde," is in country right now. Nippon Ham apparently had some interest in the former Yankee, especially since he had played for Hillman at Columbus, the Yankees' AAA farm team. When apprised of the Fighters interest during spring training by Hillman, Knight reportedly replied, "It's a little late to tell me that now." He also said that Hillman was good to him when he played under him.
For Daiei, Valdez was 1-4 with three RBIs and is at .226. Nelson was 1-4 and is at .192.
For Nippon Ham, Cromer was 1-3 with a walk and is at .091. Echevarria was 1-3 with a walk and two RBIs and is at .231.
Pitching Lines:
Daiei:
Knight (W, 1-1) IP 6.0 BF 24 PC 100 H 5 HR 2 K 6 BB 2 R 3 ER 3 ERA 2.77
K. Okamoto IP 1.1 BF 5 PC 27 H 1 HR 0 K 2 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 5.40
H.K. Watanabe IP 0.0 BF 2 PC 8 H 1 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA infinity
A. Yamada IP 0.2 BF 3 PC 16 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
Skrmetta (S, 2) IP 1.0 BF 5 PC 21 H 1 HR 1 K 0 BB 0 R 1 ER 1 ERA 3.00
Nippon Ham:
Kanemura IP 5.2 BF 22 PC 79 H 4 HR 1 K 1 BB 2 R 3 ER 3 ERA 4.66
Shibakusa (L, 0-1) IP 0.2 BF 4 PC 19 H 2 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 1 ER 1 ERA 8.10
Ko. Yamaguchi IP 0.1 BF 4 PC 17 H 2 HR 0 K 0 BB 1 R 2 ER 2 ERA 10.80
Sekine IP 1.1 BF 5 PC 14 H 1 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
Date IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 14 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 2.70
E: Matsunaka, Nelson, Torigoe, Tsuboi
SB: Honma, Muramatsu, M. Kawasaki
2B: Y. Tanaka, Muramatsu, Johjima, Nelson
3B: Tsuboi
HR: Johjima (2), Echevarria (2), Y. Tanaka (1), Morimoto (1)
RBI: M. Kawasaki, P. Valdez 3, Johjima 2, Morimoto, Echevarria 2, Y. Tanaka
GIDP: Omichi, Echevarria, Ueda
LOB: Daiei 5, Nippon Ham 8
Season Series: Daiei 2, Nippon Ham 0
Game Time: 3:27
Attendance: 24,000
Umpires: Shinya (HP), Yamamoto (1B), Akimura (2B), Nagami (3B)
May and Short Homer in 7-4 Defeat of Orix
Well, after 47 innings without one, the Chiba Lotte Marines finally got a hit with runners in scoring position and both DH Derrick May and third baseman Rick Short homered to buy themselves a 7-3 victory over the Orix Blue Wave Saturday at Kobe Green Stadium. This was also Lotte's first game of the season in which they registered double figures in hits.
Hiroshi Kobayashi started for the Blue Wave and lasted only two innings before he left due to pain from a line shot that was rapped off of a thigh. And Lotte starter Naoyuki Shimizu didn't have much to write home about, either, as he was hit up for four runs, three earned, in five innings. Despite the less than optimum numbers, he nonetheless pocketed his second win of the year.
Lotte broke out on top in the second when second baseman Koichi Hori singled to center and rightfielder Takashi Tachikawa singled to left. Short got a fastball and propelled it to the wall in left for an RBI double. Catcher Masaumi Shimizu then carromed a shot off of Kobayashi, the ball ricocheting to second baseman Keiichi Hirano, who went to first for the out, the runners holding. Shortstop Makoto Kosaka singled to right to drive Tachikawa in and make it 2-0.
Orix charged back to even it, though, in the bottom of the inning when rightfielder Ikuro Katsuragi singled to left, went to third on a single to right by leftfielder Kazuhiko Shiotani and crossed on a double play ball off the bat of third baseman Jose Ortiz, the first of two twin killings he would hit into during this game. Hirano singled to left. Catcher Takeshi Hidaka walked. Centerfielder Yoshitomo Tani singled to right to see Hirano in and it was 2-2.
Lotte would seize the upper hand again in the fourth, as Shimizu and Kosaka singled to left with two outs and centerfielder Saburo Omura singled to right to usher Shimizu in and make it 3-2.
In the fifth, Lotte first baseman Kazuya Fukuura grounded to Hirano, who booted it. May smoked one into the leftcenterfield seats and it became 5-2.
Orix would make it close once more, however, when DH Roosevelt Brown walked and Sheldon bigtimed a big fly into the centerfield stands to close it to within 5-4 in the bottom of the stanza.
Lotte was able to get a little more separation in the eighth, as Short leaned into one and piled it into the leftfield bleachers for a 6-4 edge.
They added an insurance tally in the ninth when Omura singled and was sacrificed to second and then scurried home on a double into the leftfield corner by Fukuura to make it 7-4.
Masahide Kobayashi put worked a perfect last of the ninth and it was see you later.
Jose Fernandez' addition is going to firce a roster move and while at first glance it might appear that either Short or May is on the hot seat, manager Koji Yamamoto may demote reliever Brian Sikorsky in order to gain more offense.
For Lotte, May was 1-5 with two RBIs and is at .130. Short was 2-4 with two RBIs and is at .250.
For Orix, Brown was 0-4 and is at .250. Sheldon was 1-4 with a walk and two RBIs and is at .259. Ortiz, who had been hitting fifth, was dropped to seventh in the order due to an anemic batting average. He was 0-4 and is at .120.
Pitching Lines:
Lotte:
N. Shimizu (W, 2-0) IP 5.0 BF 26 PC 106 H 10 HR 1 K 1 BB 3 R 4 ER 3 ERA 2.25
S. Fujita IP 0.1 BF 1 PC 1 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
H.Y. Kobayashi IP 1.2 BF 6 PC 23 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 1.50
Sikorsky IP 1.0 BF 4 PC 22 H 1 HR 0 K 3 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
M. Kobayashi (S, 2) IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 11 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
Orix:
H. Kobayashi IP 2.0 BF 11 PC 45 H 5 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 2 ER 2 ERA 7.04
M. Doi (L, 0-1) IP 6.0 BF 25 PC 99 H 6 HR 2 K 3 BB 0 R 4 ER 3 ERA 5.63
Makino IP 1.0 BF 5 PC 21 H 2 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 1 ER 1 ERA 3.86
E: Tachikawa, Short, Hirano
2B: Fukuura 2, Short, M. Shimizu
3B: Tani
HR: May (1), Sheldon (1), Short (2)
RBI: S. Omura, Fukuura, May 2, Short 2, Kosaka, Tani, Sheldon 2
GIDP: Ortiz 2
LOB: Lotte 7, Orix 9
Season Series: Lotte 1, Orix 0
Game Time: 3:22
Attendance: 14,000
Umpires: Sugimoto (HP), Higashi (1B), Maeda (2B), Kakigizono (3B)
Lions Bullpen Hammered in 10-2 Kintetsu Victory
Third baseman Norihiro Nakamura drove in three runs and both rightfielder Koichi Isobe and pinch hitter Hirotoshi Kitagawa each sent two men home, as the Kintetsu Buffaloes knocked the Seibu Lions around Saturday at Seibu Dome 10-2. First baseman Scott McClain slugged a two run homer for the only Seibu tallies.
Hisashi Iwakuma started for Kintetsu and went all the way, fighting off several jams during his ten hit, two run effort on 149 pitches against a club that employs his father in law as a batting instructor.
Lions starter Mitsutaka Goto was rudely received from the outset. In the first, Goto issued two out walks to leftfielder Tuffy Rhodes third baseman Norihiro Nakamura and rightfielder Koichi Isobe slammed an eighth pitch triple off the centerfield wall to welcome them home for a 2-0 Buffs lead.
Seibu would respond for its only time on the night in the bottom of the first when shortstop Kazuo Matsui doubled down the rightfield line and, two outs later, McClain got a hanging slider and creamed it into the leftfield bleachers to tie it up at 2-2.
Kintetsu nosed back in front in the second, as DH Kenshi Kawaguchi singled to right and shortstop Osamu Hoshino legged out a bleeder toward second. Both runners were advanced on a sac bunt. Centerfielder Naoyuki Omura singled to right to plate Kawaguchi and make it 3-2 Buffs.
They had men on second and third with nobody out in the third, but wasted that chance and then had to wait until Goto, who settled down to pitch three good innings from there on in, left in favor of Yoshihiro Doi. The change was agreeable to Kintetsu, as Rhodes walked for the third time in the game and Nakamura singled to right. They moved up on a groundout. With first base open, the Lions thought it wiser to walk the more powerful first baseman Yuji Yoshioka to get to Kawaguchi. But Fumitoshi Takano was sent up to pinch hit for Kawaguchi and he singled to left to bring Rhodes in. Hirotoshi Kitagawa was sent up to hit for Hoshino and he singled to center on a slider to deliver both Nakamura and Yoshioka and expand the Buffs lead to 6-2. Tadatoki Maeda was dispatched to pinch run for Kitagawa. One out later, Omura beat out a dribbler up the third base line. Second baseman Eiji Mizuguchi singled to right and Takano was back on the bench with another run to make it 7-2.
Kintetsu then feasted on what Lions reliever Kazuyuki Maeda was cooking in the ninth, as they fold, spindled and mutilated him for a double to left by backup shortstop Tadatoki Maeda, a walk by Omura, a single to right by pinch hitter Daisuke Masuda that packed the sacks, and, one out later, a bases clearing double to rightcenter by Nakamura to put this one well out of reach at 10-2.
Goto felt a twinge in his hamstring, but pitched through it and doesn't think it will have any impact on when he makes his next start.McClain hit a slider out.
The Lions could be accused of running themselves out of this ballgame. Kintetsu Catcher Tetsuya Matoyama dropped a bouncer in the dirt in the fourth with two outs. But Yoshito Ishii drifted too far off the third base bag and Matoyama gunned him down. In the fifth, Tatsuya Ozeki was picked off of first by Iwakuma. In the sixth, Kazuhiro Wada was throwin out trying to steal.
Isobe was 0-5 against Goto last season.
For Seibu, McClain was 1-3 with a walk and two RBIs and is at .250. Matsui was 2-4 and is at .355.
For Kintetsu, Rhodes was 0-3 with three walks and two strikeouts and is at .364. Nakamura was 3-5 with three RBIs and is at .333.
Pitching Lines:
Kintetsu:
Iwakuma (W, 2-0) IP 9.0 BF 36 PC 149 H 10 HR 1 K 8 BB 3 R 2 ER 2 ERA 2.70
Seibu:
M. Goto (L, 1-1) IP 6.0 BF 29 H 142 H 7 HR 0 K 3 BB 4 R 3 ER 3 ERA 3.00
Y. Doi IP 1.0 BF 10 H 36 H 5 HR 0 K 0 BB 2 R 4 ER 4 ERA 9.00
K.Y. Maeda IP 2.0 BF 11 H 51 H 3 HR 0 K 2 BB 2 R 3 ER 3 ERA 12.27
2B: K. Matsui, Yoshioka, T.T. Maeda, N. Nakamura
3B: Isobe
HR: McClain (2)
RBI: N. Omura, Mizuguchi, N. Nakamura 3, Isobe 2, Takano, Kitagawa 2, McClain 2
GIDP: H. Takagi
LOB: Kintetsu 13, Seibu 7
Season Series: Kintetsu 2, Seibu 0
Game Time: 4:03
Attendance: 16,000
Umpires: Tsugawa (HP), Kawaguchi (1B), Nakamura (2B), Sakaemura (3B)
Kudoh Bests Kuroda on Two Hit Shutout 1-0
If pitching is your thing, you should have either been at the ballpark or in front of the tv set for this one if you were living in Japan, as Yomiuri Giants southpaw Kimiyasu Kudoh, expertly spotting his fastball and slow curve, went into the seventh with a near perfect game, the only baserunner getting aboard on an Akira Etoh error in the fourth, before Hiroshima Carp shortstop Andy Sheets beat out beat out a lazy ground ball near short in that frame. Kudoh gave up a clean hit later on, finishing with a 13 strikeout two hitter to win it 1-0. Kudoh is working on a 16 inning scoreless streak.
Hiroki Kuroda started for the Carp and threw a dazzler as well, limiting the Giants to six hits and an unearned run that scored when he crossed up his catcher with Kudoh at the plate for a heartbreaking defeat. He was clocked at 92mph.
Neither man was in any trouble at any time until the fifth, when second baseman Daisuke Motoki ripped a shot down the leftfield line and moved over on a groundout. Kudoh, a terrible hitter who is about as adept at that art as Dean Chance (you young 'uns out there can ask your daddy who that is), came up and Nishiyama set a target for the outer half of the plate. But Kuroda threw a fastball off of the inside corner and the ball went off Nishiyama's glove and to the backstop to allow Motoki to cross for the game's sole run.
This was just one of those nights where an offense, facing an elite hurler, just has to stand there and take one for England and pinch hitters Kojiro Machida and Toyo Asayama each struckout for the final two outs of the contest to put an exclamation mark on Kudoh's masterpiece.
A former Daiei Hawk and Seibu Lion, Kudoh struckout at least one man in every inning for the fifth time in his career, tying hall of famer Masaichi Kaneda and the great Yutaka Enatsu for the all time mark in that department. It was his first shutout since last April 29th. He says he wants to prove a Japanese can play until thre age of 45. On the advice of Randy Johnson, Kudoh has ordered six kinds of workout apparatus for his home.
As a side note, Yomiuri centerfielder Yoshinobu Takahashi extended his hitting streak to six.
For Hiroshima, Sheets was 1-3 and is at .160. Rightfielder Jimmy Hurst struckout all three times he went to the plate and is at .154.
For Yomiuri, rightfielder Roberto Petagine was 0-4 with two strikeouts and is at .238.
Pitching Lines:
Yomiuri:
Kudoh (W, 2-0) IP 9.0 BF 28 PC 118 H 2 HR 0 K 13 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
Hiroshima:
Kuroda (L,1-1) IP 9.0 BF 33 PC 127 H 6 HR 0 K 8 BB 0 R 1 ER 0 ERA 0.50
E: Etoh
SB: Ogata
2B: Motoki
RBI: None
GIDP: Ogata
LOB: Yomiuri 5, Hiroshima 1
Season Series: Yomiuri 1, Hiroshima 0
Game Time: 2:34
Attendance: 20,000
Umpires: Arisumi (HP), T. Kobayashi (1B), Tomoyose (2B), Uemoto (3B)
Guzman Back on Form, But Loses 3-2
Yokohama Bay Stars righthander Domingo Guzman, after a terrible outing in his last start, rebounded with a tenacious showing Saturday at Nagoya Dome in a losing effort to the Chunichi Dragons 3-2. Shigeki Noguchi started for the Dragons and stifled the Stars on three hits and a run in six innings to claim his second victory.
Dragons closer Eddie Gaillard became the fastest to 100 saves in his 148 career appearance in Japan when he picked up his second of the season in this one.
Chunichi scored first in the third, as rightfielder Kosuke Fukudome walked and went to second on a what was supposed to be a sac bunt, but Guzman opted to attempt the force at second and the peg was late. Third baseman Kazuyoshi Tatsunami singled to center and Fukudome blazed in for the 1-0 lead.
In the fifth, Guzman's control really abandoned him, as he plunked Tatsunami with a curve ball that didn't break and nailed centerfielder Alex Ochoa with a fastball. Guzman then reportedly called Ochoa a "sh*thead" in Spanish and that angered the former Angel to the point where he went to charge the mound, causing both benches to empty. It devolved into another baseball fight, i.e., a lot of pusing and shoving and not much else before the game resumed. First baseman Ivan Cruz lined one up the middle, but it found Guzman's glove for the first out. Guzman threw inside on catcher Motonobu Tanishige, just missing hitting him in the chest with a second pitch 90mph fastball, which, Tanishige said after the game, pumped him up. He then pulled a heater between third and short and into left for the RBI to make it 2-0 Dragons.
Yokohama had its most concerted offensive foray in the seventh, when rightfielder Takahiro Saeki walked with one out and third baseman Katsuaki Furuki singled to right. Eiji Ochiai relieved Noguchi and second baseman Shuichi Murata singled to left to spur Saeki homeward to halve the deficit to 2-1. Catcher Takeshi Nakamura singled to left, but none of the Stars baserunners had much speed and Furuki held at third. Hitoshi Nakane, pinch hitting for Guzman, grounded into a 4-6-3 double play and the Dragons were holding on by a hair.
Chunichi would pick up what proved to be the winning run in the eighth thanks to a bloop single to center by leftfielder Koichi Sekikawa, who was subsequently erased on a 1-4 force off the bat off second baseman Masahiro Araki. Araki stole second. Pinch hitter Kazuki Inoue singled to center. Fukudome walked to load the bases. Shortstop
Hirokazu Ibata grounded to short, Takuro Ishii going to the plate hoping to cut down Araki, but it was tardy and Araki was safe with a 3-1 advantage.
Gaillard mosied in from the pen and struckout the first two men he faced. Murata took Gaillard deep to straightaway centerfield to make it 3-2, but Gaillard induced a groundout to second and that was all she wrote, Gaillard becoming the 13th man in Japanese baseball annals to 100 saves. That was also Yokohama's sixth consecutive defeat.
Gaillard, at a postgame press conference with daughters Payton and Dakota in tow, told reporters that he wants to end his career in Japan.
For Chunichi, Ochoa was 0-4 with an HBP and is at .419. Cruz was 0-4 and is at .273.
For Yokohama, first baseman Tyrone Woods was 0-3 and is at .125.
Pitching Lines:
Yokohama:
Guzman (L, 0-2) IP 6.0 BF 30 PC 111 H 8 HR 0 K 5 BB 2 R 2 ER 1 ERA 4.50
Fukumori IP 2.0 BF 10 PC 30 H 2 HR 0 K 2 BB 1 R 1 ER 1 ERA 4.50
Chunichi:
S. Noguchi (W, 1-0) IP 6.1 BF 24 PC 104 H 3 HR 0 K 7 BB 2 R 1 ER 1 ERA 4.66
Ochiai IP 0.2 BF 3 PC 10 H 2 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
Iwase IP 1.0 BF 4 PC 16 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 1.80
Gaillard (S, 2) IP 1.0 BF 4 PC 15 H 1 HR 1 K 2 BB 0 R 1 ER 1 ERA 6.00
E: Kinjo
SB: M. Araki
2B: Kinjo
HR: S. Murata (2)
RBI: S. Murata 2, Ibata, Tanishige
HBP: Tatsunami (Guzman), Ochoa (Guzman)
GIDP: Nakane
LOB: Yokohama 6, Chunichi 13
Season Series: Yokohama 0, Chunichi 2
Game Time: 3:08
Attendance: 34,500
Umpires: Shikita (HP), Mori (1B), Suginaga (2B), Ino (3B)
Team Reports
Yomiuri Yusaku Iriki experienced some discomfort in his shoulder Saturday and took the rest of the day off. He is recovering from a calf pull and it is thought that he has been favoring that leg, thus putting more stress on his shoulder....Second baseman Toshihisa Nishi has been sick since Thursday, as he ran a 102 degree fever. He was given the fourth off and then had a backache, so he didn't start Friday' s game. Saturday, he wore a gauze mask over his mouth and nose. Nishi also said that the SARS plague has crossed his mind.
Chunichi Akinori Otsuka's final tuneup in the minors before being moved up to the big club was postponed by a rainout. He is scheduled to work Sunday now.
Hanshin According to Sankei Sports, relievers Jeff Williams and Lou Pote are taking Japanese lessons during days the team doesn't play. "I just want to understand my teammates' jokes," said Pote. Williams was abit more studious: "we don't play on
Mondays, so I want to use the time productively." Williams' wife Sheila as well as Pote's wife are joining them in the study sessions. This is also a good thing for when they're no longer playing, as it will make it easier to get a job with either a Japanese or MLB team due to the globalization of baseball.
Hideki Matsui Bruce Jenkins at the San Francisco Chronicle noted in an article Saturday that Matsui probably wanted to "hit one 600 miles" after the tasteless ad the Blue Jays marketing department came up with, but he went to the opposite field for a single instead. The bottom line? Jenkins offers, "He'll be a fine Yankee....What the A's and Giants would rather not see." Matsui went 1-5 with a walk in six trips to the plate in a 12-2 jackhammering of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays Friday. And George King of the NY post came up with this interesting statistical tidbit: "It's the first time the Yankees (4-0) have won four straight games on the road to start the season since 1928." Strange, but true....In another article, Dan Graziano at the Newark Star-Ledger says that Japanese reporters expressed disappointment that Matsui didn't join the Yanks five homer parade in that game. But the Japanese may not have been alone. According to Hochi Sports, several Yankees beat writers actually booed Matsui in the press box after he grounded out in his last at bat. Matsui angrily responded when learning of the booing that hitting homers isn't so simple and that the homers will come if he just goes up there trying to hit the ball hard somewhere. One Yankees writer is quoted as saying that, "is this guy really worth $21 million? He's no different than Ichiro." Manager Joe Torre preached patience to the naysayers saying that Matsui is still learning about AL pitchers.
Replies: 1 Comment
Maybe Brandon Knight should worry about divorcing his beautful blonde WIFE before he brings out his blonde fiance! What a classy guy.
Posted by Matthew Marineau @ 04/12/2003 09:34 PM EST
