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08/17/2003 Archived Entry: "Japanese Baseball News: Uehara Tosses First Dome Shutout; Davey Dominates Yokohama"

Yankees Scout Watches Matsui Homer in 7-4 Seibu Victory

A nice crowd of 26,000 showed up at Kobe Green Stadium Friday to take in this faceoff between the Orix Blue Wave and the Seibu Lions and they saw plenty of fireworks, as six balls left the field of play in a 7-4 Lions victory. However, among that crowd were perhaps the only two people who really counted, Boston Assistant GM Craig Shipley and Yankees Pacific Rim scout John Cox, who watched Kazuo Matsui go yard for the 23rd time this season.

Chang Chia-chiah started for the Lions and got lit up for four runs on eight hits, including a trio of dingers, in 5.2 innings and ultimately had to leave it up to reliever Yoshihiro Doi to earn the shiroboshi.

Koo Dae-sung, though, has really been getting rocked lately and did so again, as he also surrendered four runs during his stint and then reliever Hisashi Ogura came on and was hung with the defeat.

Koo signaled that this would not be a good night for him in the first when he walked Matsui to open the game and Matsui went to second on a sacrifice. Leftfielder Kazuhiro Wada singled to left to convert his teammate, though he was out trying to go to second on the play. First baseman Alex Cabrera belted a slider into the leftfield seats and it was 2-0 Lions.

Orix then used the longball to charge back, as, in the second, DH Takeshi Yamasaki destroyed a Chang offering and buried it way back in the leftfield bleachers. Catcher Takeshi Hidaka legged out a dribbler up the first base line and third baseman Mitsutaka Goto launched a drive into the rightfield stands and the home folks were in front 3-2.

However, Matsui knotted it in the third when he drilled a shot beyond the centerfield wall with one away to make it 3-3.

Koo and Chang permitted runners to get on but they didn't complete the circuit as we go into the sixth, when second baseman Jose Ortiz creamed a Chang delivery into the leftfield seats to put Orix ahead 4-3.

Koo wouldn't hold it, though. With one out in the seventh, he walked rightfielder Tatsuya Ozeki. Fumikazu Takanami was sent in to pinch run for Ozeki. Manager Leon Lee dialed local for Ogura, who saw Wada nine iron one of his pitches into the leftfield bleachers to put the Lions in the lead 5-4. One out later, pinch hitter Hiroyuki Oshima singled to right. Centerfielder Tomoaki Sato whistled a liner up the rightcenterfield gap and all the way to the wall and while he was busting for a triple, Oshima crossed to make it 6-4 Seibu.

They then added on the in the eighth, as second baseman Hiroyuki Takagi singled to center and was sacrificed to second. Takanami singled back through the middle and Takagi sped around for a 7-4 Seibu advantage.

Orix put two more on in the ninth with one out against closer Kiyoshi Toyoda, but centerfielder Yoshitomo Tani flew out to right and leftfielder Roosevelt Brown popped out to short to put it in the books.

Yamasaki needs one more jack to reach 200 for his career.

Orix is a season worst 29 games under .500 with this loss.

For Seibu, Cabrera was 1-4 with an RBI, a walk and three strikeouts and is at .325. Third baseman Scott McClain was 0-2 with three walks and is at .233.

Pitching Lines:

Seibu:

Chang IP 5.2 BF 25 PC 104 H 8 HR 3 K 3 BB 2 R 4 ER 4 ERA 4.25
Y. Doi (W, 1-1) IP 0.2 BF 2 PC 8 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 4.74
Osada IP 0.1 BF 3 PC 14 H 1 HR 0 K 0 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 5.67
S. Mori IP 1.1 BF 5 PC 20 H 1 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 2.14
Toyoda (S, 29) IP 1.0 BF 5 PC 27 H 1 HR 0 K 1 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.41

Orix:

Koo IP 6.1 BF 29 PC 135 H 6 HR 2 K 4 BB 5 R 4 ER 4 ERA 5.15
H. Ogura (L, 2-10) IP 0.2 BF 6 PC 21 H 3 HR 1 K 1 BB 1 R 2 ER 2 ERA 5.12
J. Hagiwara IP 1.0 BF 6 PC 23 H 2 HR 0 K 1 BB 1 R 1 ER 1 ERA 6.98
M. Suzuki IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 15 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 7.25

E: R. Tsuji
SB: Katsuragi, Hirano
2B: Hidaka, R. Tsuji
3B: T. Sato
HR: Cabrera (38), T. Yamasaki (14), M.T. Goto (4), K. Matsui (23), Ortiz (19), K.
Wada (24)
RBI: K. Matsui, Takanami, K. Wada 3, Cabrera, T. Sato, Ortiz, T. Yamasaki, M.T.
Goto 2
Balk: Chang, H. Ogura
GIDP: Brown (6-4-3), T. Yamasaki (6-4-3)
LOB: Seibu 10, Orix 9

Season Series: Seibu 12, Orix 5 1 Tie

Game Time: 3:49
Attendance: 26,000
Umpires: Higashi (HP), Yoshikawa (1B), Maeda (2B), Sato (3B)

Uehara Throws Six Hit Shutout at Hanshin

As long as righthander Koji Uehara has been with Yomiuri now, he has never tossed a shutout at Tokyo Dome. Until now. Friday, he twirled a six hitter for his fifth straight complete game victory in a 3-0 triumph over the Hanshin Tigers. It was also the first time that the Giants ace has bested the Osaka nine since May of last year.

To add insult literally to injury for Hanshin, third baseman Atsushi Kataoka hurt his hamstring running the bases in the fourth inning and had to be taken out of the game. He is day to day, but he is now the third Tigers cleanup hitter to miss time due to an injury, joining Osamu Hamanaka and Shinjiro Hiyama, who are both out for the season, in that regard.

Hideki Irabu didn't do too badly, but he was victimized by second baseman Mototsugu Kawanaka in the first inning when he jerked an 88mph fastball on the inner half of the plate into the leftfield seats to put the kyojin in front 1-0.

In the third, catcher Yoshinori Murata, starting in place of the injured Shinnosuke Abe, thunked one off the leftfield fence for a double and was sacrificed to third. Shortstop Tomohiro Nioka singled to center to push him across. Nioka stole second and went to third on a groundout. Rightfielder Chris Latham wangled a walk out of Irabu. Leftfielder Roberto Petagine looped a single near the leftfield line to recall Nioka and it was 3-0 Giants.

Uehara only had to face one minor threat the whole night, when Kataoka singled to right on a forkball down in the zone with two outs in the fourth and first baseman George Arias singled to left. But rightfielder Taichiro Kamisaka grounded to Nioka and Uehara cruised the rest of the way, not allowing any runner to reach third, to wrap it up.

Uehara said that he was tiring as early as the fifth inning, but the Tigers hitters were doing a lot of swinging early in the count and, as Uehara put it, "it helped me out." In addition, his forkball wasn't tumbling very sharply, so he resorted more to his cutter from the middle innings on. He is the first Yomiuri hurler to rack up five complete game wins since Masaaki Saito in 1992.

Hanshin has endured six shutouts this season, but this was the first one where one pitcher went all the way in doing it.

Kazuhiro Kiyohara made his first start since August 5th and finished 0-3, including an infield popup he clanged off the roof that was caught for an out.

For Hanshin, Arias was 1-4 and is at .251.

For Yomiuri, Petagine was 1-3 with an RBI and is at .294. Latham was 0-3 with a walk and four strikeouts and is at .218.

Pitching Lines:

Hanshin:

Irabu (L, 11-5) IP 7.0 BF 27 PC 113 H 5 HR 1 K 7 BB 1 R 3 ER 3 ERA 2.99
Kanazawa IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 14 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 1.89

Yomiuri:

Uehara (W, 11-3) IP 9.0 BF 33 PC 128 H 6 HR 0 K 7 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 3.24

SB: Nioka 2
2B: Y. Murata, Kanemoto
HR: Kawanaka (2)
RBI: Nioka, Kawanaka, Petagine
GIDP: Fujimoto (6-3)
LOB: Hanshin 6, Yomiuri 3

Season Series: Hanshin 13, Yomiuri 5 1 Tie

Game Time: 2:22
Attendance: 55,000
Umpires: Manabe (HP), Shikita (1B), Kasahara (2B), Watada (3B)

Terahara Hammered for Third Time in a Row in Daiei Loss

Second year righthander Hayato Terahara won six in a row the first half of the season, but has now been beaten in three straight and those outings haven't been pretty, as DH Hirotoshi Kitagawa mashed a three run homer and drove in a total of four runs in front of the Kintetsu Buffaloes their first capacity crowd of the season in shooting down the Daiei Hawks 7-3. Jeremy Powell managed to stick around just long enough to grab his tenth win and even his record.

The Hawks soared to an early lead, as first baseman Nobuhiko Matsunaka singled to right to open the second and catcher Kenji Johjima was hit by a pitch. Leftfielder Pedro Valdes singled to left to send Matsunaka in. One out later, rightfielder Hiroshi Shibahara singled to left and Johjima put it in fourth for the plate and it was 2-0 Daiei.

However, Kintetsu flicked that problem away when Terahara walked both hurting third baseman Norihiro Nakamura and first baseman Yuji Yoshioka and they moved up on a groundout to first. Kitagawa got a hanging slider that was middle out and he deposited it in the rightfield seats just inside the foul pole to make it 3-2 Buffs.

Two innings later, Terahara was shaken down again, as rightfielder Daisuke Masuda singled to left with one away and Kitagawa singled to right. Shortstop Masahiro Abe singled to left for an RBI. One out later, centerfielder Naoyuki Omura singled to right and Kitagawa lumbered home and Kintetsu was in the catbird seat at 5-2.

Matsunaka shrunk the gap with a drive into the rightfield seats leading off the sixth and, one out later, two infield hits caused Kintetsu manager Masataka Nashida to go to the pen for Hideo Koike with the lead run stepping up to the plate in the form of Shibahara, who flied out to left. Hisashi Aikyo then jogged in from the bullpen and Noriyoshi Omichi singled to right to load the bases. Toyohiko Yoshida then ascended the hill Centerfielder Arihito Muramatsu grounded to short and the rally petered out.

Yoshida and Daiei reliever Shintaro Yoshitake put a wet blanket over the opposition's offense up through the seventh. But in the eighth, Katsunori Okamoto was inserted for Daiei and Masuda singled to right with one out. Kitagawa pounded a shot off the leftfield wall and Masuda ran like a bat out of hell around the bases to make it 6-3 Buffs while Kitagawa went into third on the relay. Abe flew out to right and Kitagawa tagged up and crossed to improve their position to 7-3. Hiroshi Takamura then retired three of the four men he faced in the ninth to keep it there and terminate the Hawks four game winning skein.

Since this was in important series, Nakamura started despite the pain in his knee, but had to leave after the sixth.

For Daiei, DH Julio Zuleta was 1-4 and is at .294. Valdes was 2-4 with an RBI and is at .304.

For Kintetsu, leftfielder Tuffy Rhodes was 0-4 with three strikeouts and is at .271.

Pitching Lines:

Daiei:

Terahara (L, 6-3) IP 5.0 BF 25 PC 103 H 7 HR 1 K 5 BB 3 R 5 ER 5 ERA 4.52
Yoshitake IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 18 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 3.35
S. Yoshida IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 13 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 4.08
K. Okamoto IP 1.0 BF 5 PC 20 H 2 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 2 ER 2 ERA 3.47

Kintetsu:

Powell (W, 10-10) IP 5.1 BF 25 PC 105 H 7 HR 1 K 5 BB 1 R 3 ER 3 ERA 4.48
H. Koike IP 0.1 BF 1 PC 4 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 4.05
Aikyo IP 0.0 BF 1 PC 2 H 1 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 4.12
T. Yoshida IP 1.2 BF 6 PC 26 H 0 HR 0 K 2 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 1.87
A. Okamoto IP 0.2 BF 2 PC 5 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 4.73
Takamura IP 1.0 BF 4 PC 16 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 3.52

SB: Iguchi 2
2B: N. Omura, Kitagawa
HR: Kitagawa (13), Matsunaka (19)
RBI: Matsunaka, P. Valdes, Shibahara, N. Omura, Kitagawa 4, M. Abe
SF: M. Abe
HBP: Johjima (Powell)
LOB: Daiei 9, Kintetsu 5

Season Series: Daiei 10, Kintetsu 9

Game Time: 3:41
Attendance: 48,000
Umpires: Hayashi (HP), Kakigizono (1B), Akimura (2B), Yamamura (3B)

Ochoa Two Run Homer Essential in Dragons Whipping Yakult 5-1

Chunichi Dragons centerfielder Alex Ochoa cleaned and jerked a two run homer in the fourth for two big insurance runs off of Yakult Swallows starter Yuya Kamada, as the Nagoya nine ankled the Tokyo side into fourth place with a 5-1 victory. Makoto Kito started for Chunichi and improved to 6-6 with five innings of one run, eight hit ball. The Swallows had plenty of scoring chances, but they couldn't deliver the big hits to make anything of them.

Yakult initially had the edge in this one, as leftfielder Alex Ramirez singled to left and catcher Atsuya Furuta beat out a bleeder toward to open the second. One out later, rightfielder Mitsuru Manaka walked to load the bases. Second baseman Katsuyuki Dobashi singled to right to plate Ramirez. But Kamada and number one hitter Akinori Iwamura both struckout and a potential big inning ended with a disappointing result.

In the fourth, Yakult attempted to run on leftfielder Koichi Sekikawa and aborted another rally in the process. Manaka started the inning with single to right. Second baseman Katsuyuki Dobashi hooked a double down the leftfield line. Manaka rounded third and made for home, but Sekikawa's relay was in time and catcher Motonobu Tanishige slapped on the tag for the out. Kamada then got Dobashi over to third on what should have been a scoring ground ball had Manaka held at third on the previous play. And now instead of one out, there were two. Iwamura walked. Shortstop Shinya Miyamoto grounded to his opposite number and that was that.

And that's when the Dragons came out breathing fire in the home half. With one out, rightfielder Kosuke Fukudome singled to left. Third baseman Kazuyoshi Tatsunami torched a shot into the leftfield corner that went for a game tying RBI triple before Ramirez got the ball back to the infield. First baseman Omar Linares singled to center and Chunichi was up 2-1. Ochoa got a slider and thundered it into the rightcenterfield stands and make it 4-1.

Yakult wasted another opportunity in the fifth when they had men on second and third with one out and couldn't get anyone across. But Chunichi, the next time they had a couple of men on, made it count. Ochoa and Tanishige both singled to left to bring it to a boil in the seventh. One out later, reliever Ryu Kawabata walked reliever Hitoki Iwase to pack the sacks. Sekikawa singled to left and Ochoa loped in for a 5-1 Dragons
advantage.

Iwase and closer Akinori Otsuka held Yakult to one hit in the last two innings to put this one to sleep quietly. Yakult has lost five straight at Nagoya Dome.

For Yakult, Ramirez was 2-5 and is at .333. First baseman Todd Betts was 0-4 and is at .295.

For Chunichi, Ochoa was 3-4 with two RBIs and is at .283. Linares was 1-3 with an RBI and is at .254.

Pitching Lines:

Yakult:

Kamada (L, 2-6) IP 5.0 BF 20 PC 78 H 5 HR 1 K 2 BB 0 R 4 ER 4 ERA 3.78
Tatsuki Yamamoto IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 14 H 0 HR 0 K 2 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 2.53
Kawabata IP 0.1 BF 5 PC 16 H 3 HR 0 K 0 BB 1 R 1 ER 1 ERA 3.13
Y. Sakamoto IP 0.2 BF 2 PC 11 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 6.75
H. Sato IP 1.0 BF 4 PC 12 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 4.21

Chunichi:

Kito (W, 6-6) IP 5.0 BF 25 PC 82 H 8 HR 0 K 3 BB 3 R 1 ER 1 ERA 4.57
M. Valdes IP 1.1 BF 7 PC 26 H 3 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 5.54
Iwase IP 1.2 BF 6 PC 24 H 1 HR 0 K 2 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 1.21
A.N. Otsuka IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 9 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 1.27

E: Iwamura
2B: Dobashi, Furuta 2
3B: Tatsunami
HR: Ochoa (13)
RBI: Dobashi, Sekikawa, Tatsunami, Linares, Ochoa 2
HBP: S. Miyamoto (Kito)
LOB: Yakult 13, Chunichi 5

Season Series: Yakult 7, Chunichi 11

Game Time: 3:14
Attendance: 37,000
Umpires: Kittaka (HP), Sasaki (1B), Tani (2B), Nako (3B)

Davey Dazzles Yokohama 3-1

Tom Davey fashioned his first ever pro complete game in a masterpiece for the Hiroshima Carp against the Yokohama Bay Stars at Hiroshima Municipal Stadium, as he allowed one run on four hits in a 3-1 triumph. Yuji Hata lost his second after his four inning, two run, eight hit stint.

Hiroshima broke a scoreless deadlock in the third when Kenta Ishihara singled to left and was forced at second on a ground ball off the bat of Davey. One out later, second baseman Takuya Kimura singled to left. Centerfielder Koichi Ogata then thwacked a single to left to hail Davey in with a 1-0 lead.

Hata was dented again in the fourth, as leftfielder Tomonori Maeda doubled down the rightfield line and went to third on a sacrifice. Third baseman Kenjiro Nomura outran a ground ball toward second to welcome Maeda home to make it 2-0.

Yokohama manager Daisuke Yamashita pulled Hata and put Masahiro Tazaki in, only to see Ogata howitzer one of Tazaki's pitches into the leftfield seats and it was 3-0 Carp.

Yokohama only had an infield hit and a walk to show from the second through the eighth inning, such was Davey's mastery of them. He retired the first two men in the ninth as well before Stars leftfielder Takanori Suzuki pumped one into the leftfield seats just inside the foul pole to end the shutout and to become the only man to get past first base. Hirofumi Ogawa grounded out to short and it was game over.

Ogata's homer gave him 20 or more in back to back campaigns for the first time in his injury plagued career.

Pitching Lines:

Yokohama:

Hata (L, 0-2) IP 4.0 BF 19 PC 62 H 8 HR 0 K 2 BB 0 R 2 ER 2 ERA 5.17
Tazaki IP 2.0 BF 7 PC 28 H 1 HR 1 K 3 BB 0 R 1 ER 1 ERA 3.61
H. Yamada IP 2.0 BF 6 PC 15 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 2.08

Hiroshima:

Davey (W, 2-0) IP 9.0 BF 31 PC 139 H 4 HR 1 K 5 BB 1 R 1 ER 1 ERA 1.61

E: Davey
2B: T. Maeda
HR: Ogata (20), T.N. Suzuki (14)
RBI: T.N. Suzuki, Ogata 2, K. Nomura
GIDP: T. Ishii (6-4-3), K, Nomura (3-6-3)
LOB: Yokohama 3, Hiroshima5

Season Series: Yokohama 6, Hiroshima 10

Game Time: 2:20
Attendance: 16,000
Umpires: Fukatani (HP), Ino (1B), Tomoyose (2B), Suginaga (3B)

Team Reports

YomiuriAccording to Sankei Sports, the Giants are on pace for 203 homers, more than last season's 186, but they are also on a pace to score 677 runs, 14 less than 2002. There's a lesson in there, no?....Yomiuri has also lost all five games in which Hanshin's Tsuyoshi Shimoyanagi has started against them.

Hanshin According to Sankei Sports, the team's attendance is up more than 13% over last season.

YokohamaTeam officials paid a visit to Waseda University shortstop Takashi Toritani, who reportedly has reduced who he will sign with to Hanshin, Yomiuri, Yokohama and Seibu. Yokohama is said to be his first choice, but he is obviously favorably disposed to all four teams. Some Yomiuri officials will visit him on the 20th.

Seibu Yankees Pacific Rim scout John Cox was at Friday's game and raised the possibility of putting Matsui at second in the Bronx while moving Alfonso Soriano to third or the outfield. Since the Yankees have Aaron Boone, it is likely that Soriano would be moved to either left or right if they hold on to the former Red. Boone could also be traded for more pitching, allowing the Yankees to get some outfield help on the free agent market. However, Matsui has never expressed any interest in either New York club and it is still thought that he will be Seattle's fourth Japanese player next season. A Red Sox official, Craig Shipley, was also at the game and it is hardly a secret that Boston wants to put him at second. This may also fuel rumors that they will trade an increasingly unhappy Nomar Garciappara should they acquire Matsui. When apprised of who was in the stands looking at him, Matsui brushed it off by saying that he only wants to think about catching Daiei and winning the PL pennant.

DaieiA couple of Fuji TV executives showed up at the ballpark to offer their apologies to manager Sadaharu Oh for how he was portrayed in one of their comedy programs. A Daiei executive hit the roof when he saw a tape of the sketch, insisting that a national hero such as Oh shouldn't have his name dragged through the mud like that. I haven't seen the problem segment in question and the detail in the sports papers are sketchy at best. But it eveidently involved bathroom humor.

Koshien TournamentOkinawa ShoGaku High School got a ten strikeout, no walk, five hit complete game shutout from righthanded ace Sieji Hirooka to eliminate Gifu Municipal Shogyo High School Friday 4-0. He was able to bore his fastball in on the hitters consistently in the early going and then went more to his slider in the middle innings to good effect. The team's cleanup hitter, whose name I can't make out, drove in three runs to spearhead his side's offense. Originally coming to Shogaku as an infielder, Hirooka was converted into a pitcher last fall when his team didn't have enough arms. He started slowly in that endeavor and acquired the slider this past winter while straightening out his mechanics. The game ball was given to head coach Takao Kinjo, who is retiring after the end of the tourney. A Yakult scout was impressed by Gifu Municipal sophomore first baseman Kyohei Kondo, a 5'9" 187 lefthand hitter who he thinks will eventually develop into a fearsome power hitter along the lines of Yokohama's Katsuaki Furuki. As a side note to this game, Gifu Municipal's starting pitcher and catcher, Hidenori and Katsunori Kano, are twins...Kiryu Number One High School edged Shonan High School Friday, as Toshiyuki Fujita came on in the sixth to quell a Shonan uprising that began when starter Takeshi Itoh lost his release point and walked a couple of hitters. Fujita then closed things out to secure the victory. Outfielder Norihiro Morita lead the Kiryu attack by ripping a fastball on the inner half of the plate for an RBI double to rightcenter in the fourth and then making a diving catch in the eighth that snuffed a Shonan scoring opportunity....Komatsushima High School trounced Asahikawa Dai High School Friday 9-1 in that school's first ever Koshien appearance and victory. Asahikawa Dai was no hit until two outs in the sixth inning and were struckout ten times in defeat.

In the News

Ugly Baseball Minority Politics in Cincinnati

See sad story at: New Jersey Star-Ledger

Taiwan Leagues Fight to Keep, Enlarge Fan Base

See story at:Taipei Times Article

Talent Not Taipei Team's Only Allure

See story at: Wichita Eagle Article

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