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08/28/2003 Archived Entry: "Japanese Baseball News: Ramirez Within Sight of Triple Crown; Cabrera Son Future Lions Shortstop?"
Kamada Tosses First Pro Shutout 9-0
Yakult Swallows leftfielder Alex Ramirez blasted a pair of homers to take over the Central League lead in that department and exceeded the 100 RBI standard with five more Tuesday to back the finest outing of Yuya Kamada's short career, a 9-0 five hit whitewash of the Chunichi Dragons at Meiji Jingu Stadium.
Masafumi Hirai started for the Dragons and was throttled by the Swallows lineup for seven runs in four innings to accept his fifth defeat.
Yakult pulled out to an early lead in the second, when Ramirez singled to center and third baseman Ken Suzuki picked on a first pitch fastball that was tailing away from him andtattooed it into umbrella oendan in right to make it 2-0.
Then in the third, Akinori Iwamura, making a rare start in centerfield, singled to center with one gone and Ramirez put a charge into a 90mph fastball, torching a cruise missile into the leftfield seats to double the Yakult advantage to 4-0.
Kamada was toying with the Dragons to the point to where none of their baserunners reached second until the ninth, allowing the Yakult batters to relax and just tee off. And in the fifth, they did just that to bring Hirai's night to an end. Rightfielder Mitsuru Manaka singled to right and went to second when shortstop Shinya Miyamoto reached on an infield hit. Iwamura walked to load the bases. Masataka Endo was summoned from the pen and Ramirez clocked a single to center for two RBIs, Iwamura hustling to third. Suzuki flied out to center and Iwamura tagged up and crossed and the Swallows were cruising at 7-0.
Next time Yakult was up, Manaka went yard to left to expand his team's lead to 8-0.
Ramirez then topped off the scoring in the seventh when he punished a slider from Endo into the leftfield bleachers for what would be the final margin of victory.
Kamada had only a small threat to his shutout in the ninth when Takayuki Onishi doubled down the leftfield line to open the frame. But third baseman Kazuyoshi Tatsunami struckout, rightfielder Kosuke Fukudome, who had been 5-7 coming into this game for his career against Kamada, flied out to his opposite number and centerfielder Alex Ochoa grounded out to short and that was that.
For Yakult, Ramirez was 4-4 with four RBIs and is at .334, third in the CL. Is there a Triple Crown in the former Indian's future? First baseman Todd Betts was 0-3 with a walk and is at .285.
For Chunichi, Ochoa was 1-4 and is at .279. First baseman Ivan Cruz struckout in his only at bat and is at .226.
Pitching Lines:
Chunichi:
Hirai (L, 7-5) IP 4.0 BF 21 PC 62 H 7 HR 2 K 0 BB 3 R 7 ER 7 ERA 3.90
Endo IP 3.0 BF 12 PC 35 H 3 HR 2 K 3 BB 0 R 2 ER 2 ERA 2.48
Hisamoto IP 1.0 BF 5 PC 25 H 1 HR 0 K 2 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 4.10
Yakult:
Kamada (W, 4-6) IP 9.0 BF 32 PC 128 H 5 HR 0 K 8 BB 3 R 0 ER 0 ERA 3.21
E: Ochoa, H.Y. Watanabe
SB: Manaka, S. Miyamoto
2B: Onishi
HR: K. Suzuki (17), Ramirez 2 (30), Manaka (5)
RBI: Manaka, Ramirez 5, K. Suzuki 3
SF: K. Suzuki
HBP: Dobashi (Hirai), Betts (Hisamoto)
GIDP: S. Miyamoto (4-6-3), Furuta (6-4-3), Tanishige (5-4-3), Ibata (4-6-3)
LOB: Chunichi 5, Yakult 5
Season Series: Chunichi 12, Yakult 9
Game Time: 2:47
Attendance: 16,000
Umpires: Shikita (HP), Kittaka (1B), Honda (2B), Yoshimoto (3B)
Matoyama, Yoshioka Drive in Three Apiece in Kintetsu Rout of Lotte
Kintetsu Buffaloes catcher Tetsuya Matoyama slugged a three run homer and first baseman Yuji Yoshioka continues to be the team's Mr. Second Half," as he sent three runners scurrying across the dish, to obliterate the Chiba Lotte Marines Tuesday at Chiba Marine Stadium 14-4. Righthander Jeremy Powell evened his record at 11-11 with a solid seven inning stint in which he gave up three runs on five hits.
Yasuhiko Yabuta started for Lotte and was yanked after two innings in which he was slapped around for a total of four runs on six hits to drop to 3-4.
After not making anything of a minor scoring opportunity in the first, Kintetsu really hurt Yabuta in the second when shortstop Masahiro Abe singled to left, third baseman Osamu Hoshino singled to center and Matsuyama got a pitch on the inner half of the plate and drilled it deep into the leftfield stands just inside the foul pole to pull the Buffs into a 3-0 lead. Centerfielder Naoyuki Omura laced a shot up the rightcenter gap and sprinted around to third. Second baseman Eiji Mizuguchi singled to center to plate Omura and it was 4-0.
In the bottom half, Lotte got off the shnide when leftfielder Rick Short played some hammertime to left to make it 4-1 Kintetsu.
In the fourth, the Buffs made this one a laugher against relievers Hiroshi Tobe and Takashi Kawai, as Matoyama beat out a roller toward third and Omura seared one into the rightfield corner for an RBI triple. Mizuguchi singled to right to redeem Omura. Kawai replaced Tobe and he walked the first two men he faced, leftfielder Tuffy Rhodes and DH Norihiro Nakamura, to juice the bags. Yoshioka singled to right to send Mizuguchi across. Rightfielder Koichi Isobe singled Rhodes in. Abe flew out to right and Nakamura tagged up and hobbled home. Matoyama singled to center for another RBI, Isobe beating a hasty path to third. With Omura at the plate, a Kawai pitch went through catcher Tomoya Satozaki for a passed ball as Isobe busted for home and it was 11-1 Kintetsu.
Lotte mounted a small rally in the home half, when first baseman Kazuya Fukuura walked and sped home on a double off the centerfield wall by third baseman Jose Fernandez. Second baseman Koichi Hori walked. Short bounced into a 5-4-3 double play, Fernandez checking into third. Satozaki singled to center for the RBI to make it 11-3 Kintetsu.
Rookie Ryohei Tanaka entered the fray for Lotte to make his pro debut in the seventh and he was rudely baptized. With one down, both Matoyama and Omura singled to right. Mizuguchi walked to jam the basepaths. One out later, Tanaka walked pinch hitter Kenshi Kawaguchi to force Matoyama in. Yoshioka snapped a single to left and Omura and Mizuguchi wheeled in to enlarge the Kintetsu advantage to 14-3.
2002 first round draft choice Kenta Abe took the mound for the first time in his pro career in the ninth for Kintetsu and he didn't have an easy time of it, either. With two outs, Short singled to right. Toshiaki Imae doubled into the rightfield corner and Short wheeled homeward to make it 14-4. Tasuku Hashimoto grounded out to first, though, and this one was a memory.
Powell said after the game that his fastball dispalyed good movement and that his breaking pitches were crisp.
Both Abe and Tanaka were clocked at 92mph.
For Kintetsu, Rhodes was 2-5 with a walk and is at .278.
For Lotte, Fernandez was 1-4 with an RBI and is at .267. Short was 2-4 with an RBI and is at .277.
Pitching Lines:
Kintetsu:
Powell (W, 11-11) IP 7.0 BF 27 PC 107 H 5 HR 1 K 2 BB 3 R 3 ER 3 ERA 4.44
H. Koike IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 13 H 0 HR 0 K 2 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 4.01
K. Abe IP 1.0 BF 5 PC 24 H 2 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 1 ER 1 ERA 9.00
Lotte:
Yabuta (L, 3-4) IP 2.0 BF 13 PC 62 H 6 HR 1 K 1 BB 1 R 4 ER 4 ERA 6.07
Tobe IP 1.1 BF 7 PC 29 H 3 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 3 ER 3 ERA 4.83
T. Kawai IP 2.2 BF 14 PC 66 H 4 HR 0 K 2 BB 2 R 4 ER 4 ERA 4.75
R. Tanaka IP 3.0 BF 15 PC 64 H 4 HR 0 K 1 BB 2 R 3 ER 3 ERA 9.00
SB: Isobe
2B: Rhodes 2, Fernandez, Imae
3B: N. Omura 2
HR: Matoyama (4), Short (8)
RBI: Matoyama 3, Yoshioka 3, Omura, Mizuguchi 2, K. Kawaguchi, Isobe, M. Abe,
O. Hoshino 2, Fernandez, Short, Satozaki, Imae
SF: M. Abe
PB: Satozaki
GIDP: Short 2 (5-4-3, 6-4-3)
LOB: Kintetsu 8, Lotte 4
Season Series: Kintetsu 11, Lotte 10 1 Tie
Game Time: 3:33
Attendance: 17,000
Umpires: Yamazaki (HP), Kodera (1B), Akimura (2B), Nakamura (3B)
Daiei Deals Big Loss to Seibu 8-3
The Seibu Lions took another step backward in the PL pennant chase Tuesday, when they were bopped on the nose by an 8-3 loss at the hands of the frontrunning Daiei Hawks. Akio Mizuta started for the Hawks and survived some dubious defense early to do a competent job spelling injured Nagisa Arakaki for first first 2003 victory.
Perhaps more importantly, the Hawks have brought 21 consecutive years of Lions domination to an end, as they will no finish no worse than even in the season series with this triumph.
Chang Chia-chiah, well, what happened to this guy? He looked like a future star last season, but the sophomore jinx has him by the throat, as he was pummeled for seven runs on 11 hits in just four innings to fatten his ERA to an ugly 4.71. Maybe he won't report badly out of shape next spring like he did this one. Ya think?
Seibu grabbed a lead in the first, as rightfielder Tatsuya Ozeki singled to right with one out and leftfielder Kazuhiro Wada walked. First baseman Alex Cabrera singled to center to cash Ozeki in. DH Hiroyuki Oshima grounded to shortstop Yusuke Torigoe, who threw it away and Wada crossed to make it 2-0 Lions.
Daiei let a bases loaded, one out situation slip through their fingers in the second when Torigoe and rightfielder Hiroshi Shibahara fanned to suffocate the fire.
While Mizuta was settling down, Chang got smoked in the fourth. Leftfielder Pedro Valdes commenced the stanza with a single to center. One out later, centerfielder Kazuyuki Takahashi singled to center. Torigoe bunted out in the front of the plate in what was supposed to be a sacrifice. Chang got to it in good shape and was hoping to force the runner at third, but Munenori Kawasaki wasn't home and by the time Chang then went to first, Torigoe had arrived at first base for a gift infield hit to pack the sacks. Shibahara singled to left to invite Valdes to the plate. One out later, second baseman Tadahito Iguchi singled to left on a changeup for a pair and a 3-2 Daiei lead. Chang got behind 3-0 to Matsunaka and the veteran first baseman then saw something he could handle and roped it into the rightcenter alley to drive in two more and the Hawks were circling for victory at 5-2.
Chang was back at the center of the diamond to begin the fifth and Valdes singled to center and DH Julio Zuleta backlegged one into the leftcenterfield stands to light up the scoreboard at 7-2 and depose Chang in favor fo Yoshihiro Doi.
Seibu had a little two out rally in the bottom of the inning when Wada doubled down the leftfield line and Cabrera forced one up the rightcenter alley to make it 7-3. That would be the last time the Tokorozawa outfit had more than one knock in a frame.
Daiei added another tally agaianst reliever Kazuyuki Hoashi in the eighth on an infield hit by Shibahara, a sac bunt, and an Iguchi double to rightcenter for an 8-3 lead. Takayuki Shinohara then kept Kazuo Matsui nailed to second base after his one out double to left in the bottom of the ninth to bring the curtain down.
That double by Iguchi was his 144th hit, matching his career best with more than a month still left in the season. The fact that he his hitting offspeed pitches with authority and back up the middle and to the opposite field now whereas he was a dead red fastball-oriented pull hitter his first few years portends big things for him. He is the new look Brett Boone with blazing speed.
For Daiei, Valdez was 3-3 and is at .304. 1-3 Zuleta was 1-3 with two walks and and two RBIs and is at .279.
For Seibu, Cabrera was3-4 with two RBIs and is at .329.
Pitching Lines:
Daiei:
Mizuta (W, 1-2) IP 5.1 BF 25 PC 91 H 6 HR 0 K 4 BB 2 R 3 ER 2 ERA 6.31
H.K. Watanabe IP 0.1 BF 1 PC 1 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 4.31
Yoshitake IP 2.1 BF 9 PC 42 H 1 HR 0 K 3 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 3.40
Shinohara IP 1.0 BF 4 PC 18 H 1 HR 0 K 2 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 2.11
Seibu:
Chang (L, 7-5) IP 4.0 BF 25 PC 114 H 11 HR 1 K 3 BB 3 R 7 ER 7 ERA 4.71
Y. Doi IP 2.0 BF 6 PC 25 H 0 HR 0 K 2 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 4.33
T. Shiozaki IP 1.0 BF 5 PC 20 H 1 HR 0 K 1 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 5.18
Hoashi IP 1.0 BF 5 PC 9 H 2 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 1 ER 1 ERA 4.38
K. Maeda IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 11 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 4.58
E: Torigoe
2B: Matsunaka, K. Wada, Cabrera, Iguchi, Hirao, K. Matsui
HR: Zuleta (11)
RBI: Shibahara, Iguchi 3, Matsunaka 2, Zuleta 2, Cabrera 2
HBP: Zuleta 2 (Chang and T. Shiozaki)
LOB: Daiei 9, Seibu 9
Season Series: Daiei 14, Seibu 10
Game Time: 3:53
Attendance: 34,000
Umpires: Higashi (HP), Tsugawa (1B), Sakaemura (2B), Kawaguchi (3B)
Brock Wins Sixth Against Chunichi 9-5
Chris Brock allowed eight runners to get on base during his five innings Tuesday at Yokohama Stadium, but he was able to minimize the damage and emerged with the shiroboshi when the Hiroshima Carp order posted three runs in the first and fourth and two in the sixth in eventually walking off with a 9-5 win. Brock is now back to .500 at 6-6 for his freshman Japanese campaign.
Takeo Kawamura started for Yokohama after a little over a month on the disabled list and, as could be expected, he wasn't sharp and so had his ears pinned back in the maelstrom of runners circling the bases against him.
Carp rightfielder Shigeru Morikasa leadoff the game with a single to center and skated around on a double up the leftcenter alley by second baseman Takuya Kimura for an instant 1-0 advantage. One out later, shortstop Andy Sheets (I keep wanting to call him Larry) doubled to leftcenter to take Kimura home. Leftfielder Tomonori Maeda singled to left. First baseman Takahiro Arai, who appears to be finding his stroke again, whizzed one down the leftfield line to drive Sheets in and Hiroshima had the upper hand at 3-0. That was Arai's first non-homer RBI hit in 91 at bats going back to July 20th.
Yokohama had a man on third with one out, but the next two men whiffed. They did, though, push a man across in the second. Second baseman Seiichi Uchikawa singled to left with one out and, one out later, catcher Ryoji Aikawa pinged one off thecenterfield fence for an RBI triple to make it 3-1 Hiroshima.
The Carp when shoved more stuffing in their cushion in the fourth, as third baseman Kenjiro Nomura doubled down the leftfield line and went to third on a sacrifice. Kawamura committed the cardinal sin when he walked Brock. Morikasa also accepted free entrance to first base. Kimura singled to right and Nomura scored. Reliever Masahiro Tazaki took the ball from Kawamura. Centerfielder Koichi Ogata looked for a grand old time, but had to be satisfied with a two run double off the centerfield fence and a 6-1 lead.
The Stars put two more on in the third and then finally gave himself a break with a perfect fourth. He was throwing alot of pitches and he was dented once more in the fifth, as Aikawa doubled off the rightfield wall and, one out later, centerfielder Tatsuhiko Kinjo singled to right. Shortstop Takuro Ishii singled to left to usher Aikawa in. But a Hirotsohi Tamura 4-6-3 ground ball liquidated the comeback endeavor.
Hiroshima buzzbomed Yokohama for two more in the sixth when Morikasa doubled down into the rightfield corner and went to third on a sacrifice. Ogata singled to right to send Morikasa across. Sheets walked. One out later, Arai singled to center to get Ogata in from second and now the Carp were ahead by six at 8-2.
Yokohama had men on first and third with one out and didn't get anything in the home segment, so, in the seventh, they used the longball. With two outs, Ishii outran a bleeder on the infield and Tamura buried one in the leftcenterfield seats to make it 8-4 Hiroshima.
The best friend of all hitters everywhere, Masao Morinaka, climbed the hill in the top of the ninth with predictable results. With one down, he plunked pinch hitter Jun Hirose. Catcher Kazuyoshi Kimura doubled into the leftfield corner and Hirose made like a bat out of hell for the promised land and it was 9-4.
Rookie closer Katsuhiro Nagakawa was tilted for a big fly to centerfield leading off the bottom of the ninth, but then induced a pair of popouts and a flyout to wrap it up.
For Hiroshima, Sheets was 1-4 with a walk, an RBI and two strikeouts and is at .319.
For Yokohama, first baseman Tyrone Woods was 2-4 and is at .255.
Pitching Lines:
Hiroshima:
Brock (W, 6-6) IP 5.0 BF 21 PC 86 H 7 HR 0 K 5 BB 1 R 2 ER 2 ERA 4.42
Sawazaki IP 1.0 BF 5 PC 21 H 2 HR 0 K 2 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 3.98
Shigeo Tamaki IP 1.2 BF 7 PC 33 H 2 HR 1 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 4.41
Nishikawa IP 0.1 BF 2 PC 4 H 1 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 6.35
Nagakawa IP 1.0 BF 4 PC 11 H 1 HR 1 K 0 BB 0 R 1 ER 1 ERA 3.22
Yokohama:
R. Kawamura (L, 3-7) IP 3.1 BF 20 PC 85 H 7 HR 0 K 2 BB 3 R 6 ER 5 ERA 5.70
Tazaki IP 1.2 BF 7 PC 33 H 1 HR 0 K 3 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 3.23
Tomioka IP 2.0 BF 11 PC 42 H 3 HR 0 K 0 BB 1 R 2 ER 2 ERA 4.80
Fukumori IP 1.0 BF 4 PC 10 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 5.32
Morinaka IP 1.0 BF 6 PC 28 H 2 HR 0 K 1 BB 2 R 1 ER 1 ERA 7.20
E: Kinjo, K.A. Furuki 2
SB: Fukuchi, Kinjo, T. Ishii, Uchikawa
2B: T. Kimura, Sheets, T. Arai, Kinjo, K. Nomura, Ogata, Ryoji Aikawa, Morikasa,
Woods, K. Kimura
3B: Ryoji Aikawa
HR: Tamura (11), T.N. Suzuki (15)
RBI: T. Kimura, Ogata 3, Sheets, K. Kimura, T. Arai 2, T. Ishii, Tamura, Woods
HBP: J. Hirose (Morinaka)
GIDP: Tamura (6-3)
LOB: Hiroshima 12, Yokohama 7
Season Series: Hiroshima 12, Yokohama 7
Game Time: 3:45
Attendance: 13,000
Umpires: Nako (HP), Ino (1B), Suginaga (2B), Fukatani (3B)
Team Reports
Hanshin Third baseman Atsushi Kataoka will be brought back up Wednesday after recorvering from an oblique muscle strain.... Team officials are talking about perhaps using Osamu Hamanaka as a DH during the Japan Series. Interesting idea, but unless he gets in some pinch hit appearances during September, it's going to be tough for him to suddenly dig in against the likes of Kazumi Saito, Tsuyoshi Wada and Toshiya Sugiuchi. They might be better off using Hiroshi Yagi and let Hamanaka fully recover from his shoulder dislocation. Hamanaka is reportedly at about 70% right now and has been doing some light hitting off of a tee lately ...The erratic Shinobu Fukuhara, who may have the best pure stuff on the team, has been brought back up since having season ending shoulder surgery last year.
Miscellaneous According to the Kyodo News Service, Hall of Fame inductee and former Yakult and Hanshin manager Katsuya Nomura and his harridan wife Sachiyo were awarded 3.3 million yen (about $30,000) by a court in a suit against Shinchosha for violating the couple's privacy when one of their magazines said that the couple would divorce in 1999 due to infidelity. They are still together and, in fact, a tax evasion scandal surrounding Sachiyo lead to Katsuya helped lose his post with Hanshin. Things can't be all that ducky between them. Katsuya Nomura put out a book recently called, My Wife is a Doberman....Joe Torre kept Hideki Matsui's consecutive games streak alive after leaving him out of the starting lineup Tuesday by inserting him as a pinch runner in the ninth. Matsui, who Torre believes is tired, will be sat down for another couple of games, but will enter later in those contests to keep the skein going, according to the Newark Star Ledger....Waseda University shortstop Takashi Toritani has put off his decision for a while, but his coach is saying that the attention Toritani is receiving right now is affecting his concentration at the plate. He better get used to it, since reporters are going to be in his face up through at least Opening Day, 2004....In a 14 inning 3-2 loss in a high school tournament that is currently under way, Eiko Gakuen High School ace Yoshiyuki Kato, a junior who has a deformed left hand and wears a prosthesis on his right leg, went all the way, throwing 222 pitches. He has drawn comparisons to Jim Abbott in the Japanese press. But holy moly, somebody has to do something about the way high school coaches abuse their young pitchers. Gotta like the kid's determination, though.
In the News
Ramon Cabrera Next Seibu Shortstop?
Well, maybe in a few years. And I think Jim means 800 million yen, not 8 million (about $70,000). See story at:
Yomiuri Shimbun Article
Hanshin Lunacy
Senichi Hoshino is Korean? That's the first I've heard of it. See story at: Time Asia Article
10,000 Seniors Vie for Hanshin Tickets
See story at: Mainichi Shimbun Article
Taiwanese Baseball Fans Lose in Public Policy Decision
See story at: Taipei Times Article
Aussie Women Beat Americans at Their Own Game
See story at: ABC Article
Today's Pictures
Yoshiyuki Kato in Tuesday's Game
Tadahito Iguchi Smacks a Two Run Single
Replies: 2 comments
Pretty common knowledge about Hoshino being of Korean lineage. If you do some digging, you will find that he has surrounded himself with some players of that same background. Just another reason for people oputside of Osaka to hate the Tigers!!!
Posted by Tyler @ 08/29/2003 11:29 AM EST
I have heard rumors for years from my Korean-Japanese friends about Hoshino being Korean. They can't confirm it, but in the Korean-Japanese community it has been mentioned more than a few times.
Another famous person who is Korean though, is Giants first sacker Kazuhiro Kiyohara. His grandfather is Korean which makes him a quarter Korean. This rumor is pretty much confirmed by everyone of Korean descent that I have talked to.
Posted by Ken @ 08/28/2003 09:00 PM EST
