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05/22/2003 Archived Entry: "Japan Baseball News: Tigers Win 5th Straight; Rhodes Suspended"
Japan Baseball News: Tigers Win 5th Straight; Rhodes Suspended
by Robert Kiyoshi Shadlow
Sources: Japan Times (May 23, 2003); Mainichi Daily News (May 23, 2003).
Hanshin Tigers 5 - Hiroshima Carp 4:
Key home runs by Tomoaki Kanemoto and George Arias slipped the Tigers past the Carp at Koshien Stadium. Kanemoto hit an eigth inning game winning two-run homer and George Arias also blasted a second inning two-run home run for Hanshin's fifth straight victory.
Koichi Ogata hit a fifth inning two-run homer for Hiroshima.
Shinji Taninaka pitched the eighth inning for the win and Jeff Williams got his 13th save for 2003.
Yomiuri Giants 3 - Yakult Swallows 1:
Takayuki Shimizu hit an eigth inning two RBI to lift the Giants over the Swallows in Fukuoka.
Yuya Kubo notched the win giving up only one run and seven hits in eight innings. Junichi Kawahara earned his fifth save.
Chunichi Dragons 6 - Yokohama BayStars 1:
Koichi Sekikawa helped crush the BayStars with a seventh inning three-run home run in Yokohama.
News:
Tuffy Rhodes was suspended for two games after shoving Seibu pitcher Hayato Aoki in Wednesday's game.
Rhodes made contact with Aoki after the Lions' pitcher hit Kintetesu player Norhiro Nakamura with a pitch.
Aoki is expected to be unable to play for one week with a sprained neck vertebrae.
Jim Allen writes in the May 23, 2003 Daily Yomiuri
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20030522wo53.htm
on the anticipated return of the Hawaiian Winter League in 2004.
Ichiro Suzuki, Kazuo Matsui, Jason Giambi, Brad Fullmer, Todd Helton, and Terrence Long are some of the alumni of the HWL.
Players from the Americas, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan participated in this league.
The HWL existed from 1993 to 1997 until MLB decided not to subsidize it like the other minor leagues.
(I had the pleasure to watch a game in Honolulu in 1996)
Current NPB All-Star Voting results can be found at:
http://allstar.sanyo.co.jp/result/index_e.html
Here is the site to vote for the Japanese All-Star Team:
http://allstar.sanyo.co.jp/vote/index_e.html
Nippon Professional Baseball
May 23, 2003
Central League
W L T Pct GB
30 14 1 .682 Hanshin Tigers
22 20 1 .524 7.0 Yomiuri Giants
23 22 0 .511 7.5 Chunichi Dragons
22 23 0 .489 8.5 Yakult Swallows
19 20 0 .487 8.5 Hiroshima Carp
13 30 0 .302 16.5 Yokohama BayStars
Pacific League
W L T Pct GB
27 16 1 .628 Fukuoka Daiei Hawks
25 18 0 .581 2.0 Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes
23 20 1 .535 4.0 Seibu Lions
19 23 0 .452 7.5 Chiba Lotte Marines
16 24 2 .400 9.5 Nippon Ham Fighters
14 23 2 .378 10.0 Orix BlueWave
