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06/07/2003 Archived Entry: "Japan Baseball News: Hanshin 10 Game Lead; Hawks & Buffaloes Close Gap"
Japan Baseball News: Hanshin 10 Game Lead; Hawks & Buffaloes Close Gap
by Robert Kiyoshi Shadlow
Sources: Japan Times (2003, June 7); Japan Today (2003, June 7)
Nippon Ham Fighters 5 – Fukuoka Daiei Hawks 3:
Carlos Mirabal (7-4) got the victory over the Hawks while yielding only two runs in 6 1/3 innings at Tokyo Dome.
Seibu Lions 1 – Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes 0 (10 innings):
Hiroyuki Takagi's squeeze bunted the only run of the game in the 10th inning to beat the Buffaloes at Osaka Dome.
Shuichiro Osada (4-1) picked up the win in relief.
Hisashi Iwakuma (8-2) pitched the entire 10 innings for the loss.
Chiba Lotte Marines 11 - Orix BlueWave 4:
The Marines clobbered the BlueWave behind the 3-for-3 hitting of Koichi Hori and the three hits and four RBIs of Ryosuke Sawai at Yahoo BB Stadium.
Hanshin Tigers 7 – Yakult Swallows 4:
Shinjiro Hiyama hit an eighth-inning solo home run and a ninth-inning blast to defeat the Swallows at Jingu.
Yuya Ando (4-0) got the win in two innings of relief.
Yuya Kamada (0-2) suffered the loss for Yakult.
Yokohama BayStars 12 – Yomiuri Giants 7:
Takahiro Saeki launched two home runs and had four RBIs to downsize the Giants at Yokohama Stadium.
Chunichi Dragons 4 - Hiroshima Carp 3:
Masahiko Morino led an eighth-inning rally with a two RBI double to slip the Dragons past the Carp at Nagoya Dome.
News:
Rodney Pedraza will leave for the USA for treatment of his right shoulder injury. This season Pedraza (1-1) had an ERA of 12.00 in seven games for the Yomiuri Giants.
The Japan Today reported that the Yomiuri Giants are seeking the services of Julio Santana of the Phillies farm system. Santana had a 3-5 record with the Detroit Tigers in 2002.
Nippon Professional Baseball
June 7, 2003
Central League
W L T Pct GB
39 17 1 .696 Hanshin Tigers
28 26 1 .519 10.0 Yomiuri Giants
27 27 0 .500 11.0 Yakult Swallows
28 28 0 .500 11.0 Chunichi Dragons
22 27 0 .449 13.5 Hiroshima Carp
17 36 0 .321 20.5 Yokohama BayStars
Pacific League
W L T Pct GB
32 22 1 .593 Fukuoka Daiei Hawks
32 22 0 .582 0.5 Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes
29 25 1 .537 3.0 Seibu Lions
25 28 2 .472 6.5 Nippon Ham Fighters
24 28 0 .462 7.0 Chiba Lotte Marines
17 33 2 .340 13.0 Orix BlueWave
