[Previous entry: "Phillies Journal - 2003"] [Main Index] [Next entry: "Japanese Baseball News: Yamada Gets His Walking Papers; Echevarria Takes Five"]
09/13/2003 Archived Entry: "Japanese Baseball News: Arias Slams Yokohama; Matsuzaka Masterful"
Arias Slam, Another Terrific Fukuhara Outing Makes More Magic for Hanshin 8-3
First baseman George Arias belted a fifth inning grand slam homer and Shinobu Fukuhara worked six shutout innings Sunday at Koshien Stadium before a capacity house to set a new team record with an 8-3 thumping of the Yokohama Bay Stars. This was the Tigers 22nd victory this season against the Stars, the most games the Osaka nine has ever taken against a single opponent in one campaign.
Yuji Yoshimi went from being his team's number one starter due to the injury to ace Daisuke Miura to a minor leaguer after really getting abused earlier this season and, well, things don't seem to have rectified themselves for the second year man, as he was hurt for five runs on nine hits in five innings to accept his tenth loss.
Yoshimi was tooling along through their first four, allowing at least one man on in each frame, but none of them crossed the plate. Then the roof fell in during the fifth. With one out, second baseman Yoshinori Okihara singled to center and centerfielder Norihiro Akahoshi walked. Leftfielder Tomoaki Kanemoto spanked an 86mph third pitch fastball for a single to left to redeem Okihara. Third baseman Atsushi Kataoka walked to load the bases. Arias got a first pitch slider on the outer half of the plate and rocketed it into the leftfield bleachers and, just like that, it was 5-0 Tigers. They then had two more men on, but any further damage was inhibited by shortstop Atsushi Fujimoto grounding into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.
Fukuhara, who seems to have found better command now throwing at 89mph than he had while registering up to 94mph on the radar gun, barely broke a sweat during his stint before manager Senichi Hoshino decided to go to the pen for Jerrod Riggan in the seventh. And to ensure that this one was indeed out of reach, the Tigers mauled Ryuichi Kawahara in that frame. Kanemoto, who sprained his ankle the night before going back to first on a pickoff play and had to load up on painkillers to play in this game, laced a breaking ball into the rightcenter alley and up against the wall and he managed to not to show he was hobbling while hustling for a triple. One out later, Arias walked. Hiyama singled to right to plate Kanemoto. Catcher Akihiro Yano pinged a ball off the leftfield fence to recall Arias. Fujimoto grounded to Shuichi Murata at third and he booted it to permit Hiyama to cross and make it 8-0.
Hiroshi Ishige, who has had his career rejuvenated this season since being released by Yomiuri, came on in the ninth and coughed up a one out dinger to leftcenter by rightfielder Hitoshi Tamura, a single to center by shortstop Takuro Ishii and another bomb by Murata into the leftfield seats to make it respectable at 8-3. Ishige then put the boot in and struckout pinch hitter Takahiro Saeki and induced a flyout from leftfielder Katsuaki Furuki to put it in the books. Hanshin had now tied a 1964 team record for wins with their 80th and reduced their magic number to five.
After exerting himself, Kanemoto could barely walk when this one was over. But he nevertheless extended his every inning of every game mark to 593 straight.
The granny was the third of Arias' Japanese career, the last one coming April 26, 2002 against Hanada of Yakult. It was the second slam by a Hanshin player this season.
For Yokohama, First baseman Tyrone Woods was 0-4 and is at .250.
For Hanshin, Arias was 1-2 with two walks and two RBIs and is at .270.
Pitching Lines:
Yokohama:
Yoshimi (L, 2-10)IP 5.0 BF 26 PC 88 H 9 HR 1 K 6 BB 4 R 5 ER 5 ERA 9.42
Fukumori IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 8 H 1 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 4.80
R. Kawahara IP 0.1 BF 4 PC 19 H 2 HR 0 K 1 BB 1 R 3 ER 3 ERA 8.27
Tazaki IP 0.2 BF 3 PC 14 H 1 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 3.76
Tomioka IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 15 H 0 HR 0 K 3 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 4.66
Hanshin:
Fukuhara (W, 2-0) IP 6.0 BF 23 PC 94 H 2 HR 0 K 7 BB 3 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
Riggan IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 16 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 1.73
Ando IP 1.0 BF 4 PC 18 H 1 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 1.38
Ishige IP 1.0 BF 6 PC 25 H 3 HR 2 K 1 BB 0 R 3 ER 3 ERA 2.70
E: S. Murata 2, Kataoka
SB: Tamura
2B: Yoshimi, Fujimoto, A. Yano
3B: Kanemoto
HR: Arias (32), Tamura (13), S. Murata (18)
RBI: Tamura, S. Murata 2, Kanemoto, Arias 4, Hiyama, A. Yano, Fujimoto
GIDP: Fukuhara (1-6-3), Fujimoto (4-6-3), Akahoshi (4-6-3)
LOB: Yokohama 6, Hanshin 7
Season Series: Yokohama 6, Hanshin 22
Game Time: 3:00
Attendance: 53,000
Umpires: T. Kobayashi (HP), Kittaka (1B), Ino (2B), Kasahara (3B)
Matsuzaka Sends Daiei Reeling With Two Hit Shutout
This may have been the best game of Seibu Lions righthander Daisuke Matsuzaka's career to date, as he seemed to shake off a developing reputation for not being able to win the big games with a performance worthy of his nickname, "The Monster," Sunday against the Daiei Hawks at a packed Fukuoka Dome. The Yokohama High grad permitted just two hits, struckout 14 and was clocked at 96mph in a 9-0 victory to reduce the gap between the Lions and the Hawks to 3.5 games in the Pacific League pennant race.
The Lions drew first blood in the second, as Hiroyuki Oshima got aboard when he swung and missed for strike three and then made it to first when the ball went through catcher Kenji Johjima for a passed ball and Hiroyuki Nakajima steamed a double up the leftcenterfield alley, Oshima sprinting around the bases to make it 1-0.
Daiei starter Akio Mizuta was keeping pace with Matsuzaka in holding the opposition at bay until the sixth, when he tired and his control went south. Second baseman Hiroyuki Takagi walked and went to second on a sacrifice. Takagi then advanced to third on a groundout. Leftfielder Kazuhiro Wada walked. First baseman Alex Cabrera destroyed a hanging forkball, putting it right on the sweet spot, and crushed it into the leftcenterfield bleachers to widen it to 4-0 Seibu.
Matsuzaka struckout the side in the eighth and then was aided by more run support. Wada singled to right off of Hayato Terahara, Cabrera singled to left and Oshima singled to right to juice the bags. Hiroaki Ueda singled to center to usher Wada and Cabrera in. Third baseman Scott McClain singled to left to conduct Oshima to the plate. Terahara was replaced by Shinji Kurano and told to get on the bus for the minors. Catcher Kosuke Noda singed a double to rightcenter and another pair crossed and it was 9-0 Lions.
Matsuzaka retired the first man he faced in the ninth on a groundout to second, but third baseman Munenori Kawasaki singled to center. Second baseman Tadahito Iguchi took a pass at a 92mph fastball and grounded into a 6-4-3 twin killing to bring the curtain down and give him his first ever complete game shutout against Daiei.
This 16th shiroboshi ties a personal best for Matsuzaka. He leads the league in strikeouts and era. It was also his tenth double figure strikeout game and the 23rd of his career. Hideo Nomo has the record for single season mark for double digit strikeouts with 21.
Seibu shortstop Kazuo Matsui set a record when he singled in the third inning, he set a new record with his seventh consecutive season with 150 hits or more, breaking the old standard of six held by Shigeo Nagashima (1958-1963) and five others. And he did it with Dodgers scout Pat Kelly in the stands.
Daiei's team batting average went below .300 for the first time in two months.
Pitching Lines:
Seibu:
Matsuzaka (W, 16-6) IP 9.0 BF 30 PC 135 H 2 HR 0 K 14 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 2.41
Daiei:
A. Mizuta (L, 1-3) IP 6.0 BF 23 PC 84 H 3 HR 1 K 4 BB 2 R 4 ER 3 ERA 5.97
M. Sato IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 13 H 0 HR 0 K 2 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 3.07
H.K. Watanabe IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 8 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 4.81
Terahara IP 0.0 BF 5 PC 15 H 5 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 5 ER 5 ERA 5.18
Kurano IP 1.0 BF 5 PC 26 H 1 HR 0 K 1 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 4.22
E: H.Y. Nakajima
2B: H.Y. Nakajima, Matsunaka, Noda
HR: Cabrera (41)
RBI: Cabrera 3, H.Y. Nakajima, H.A. Ueda 2, McClain, Noda 2
PB: Johjima
GIDP: Iguchi (6-4-3)
LOB: Seibu 3, Daiei 3
Season Series: Seibu 12, Daiei 15
Game Time: 3:13
Attendance: 48,000
Umpires: Kakigizono (HP), Yamamura (1B), Nagami (2B), Higashi (3B)
Goto Two Run Triple in Ninth Ends Kintetsu Pennant Drive 4-3
A triple to rightcenter in the bottom of the ninth by Orix Blue Wave shortstop Mitsutaka Goto drove in catcher Takeshi Hidaka and rightfielder Ikuro Katsuragi to provide the Kobe bunch with a 4-3 sayonara triumph Sunday over the Kintetsu Buffaloes at Kobe Green Stadium. It also effectively eliminated the Buffs ambitions of overtaking Daiei in the PL pennant race. Only a huge collapse by both the teams ahead of them in the standings would allow the Osaka contingent to make a post season appearance.
Makoto Suzuki started for Orix and made a bit of news by not getting trampled underfoot as he had in all of his previous outings over the last two months, going seven solid innings of four hit, three run ball, though he didn't receive a decision.
That was because Buffs rookie Kenta Abe was outstanding again, going seven strong innings on seven hits and run while striking out seven and walking one, punctuating his night by striking out the side in the seventh.
Kintetsu pulled ahead in the third when shortstop Masahiro Abe homered to left to make it 1-0.
Abe pitched out of a two on, two out pinch in the fourth and would cruise until the sixth. In the meantime, Kintetsu seized another tally in the fifth when Abe singled to center and Suzuki nailed third baseman Osamu Hoshino with a pitch. In the course of the following two at bats, Suzuki let two wild pitches go and Abe beat it for the plate to lend the Buffs a 2-0 advantage.
In the sixth, second baseman Eiji Mizuguchi creamed one over the leftfield fence to enlarge the Kintetsu lead to 3-0.
Orix then rose up for the first time against Abe in the home segment, as centerfielder Yoshitomo Tani singled to center with two outs and leftfielder Roosevelt Brown singled to right. First baseman Kazuhiko Shiotani singled to center and Tani crossed to make it 3-1.
Kintetsu then endeavored to reclaim that run in the eighth, as leftfielder Tuffy Rhodes singled to right with two gone and reliever Daisuke Kato walked both DH Norihiro Nakamura and rightfielder Koichi Isobe to load the bases. But first baseman Yuji Yoshioka struckout to pass up a critical opportunity.
In the ninth and with Hiroshi Takamura on the mound looking to secure the victory, DH Takeshi Yamasaki doubled to leftcenter with one out. He was pinch run for by Daisuke Hayakawa. Hidaka walked. Katsuragi singled to left and Yamasaki headed for the promised land. Goto rifled a shot up the rightcenter gap for his first ever sayonara hit to win it 4-3.
The winning pitcher was Shuichi Iwashita, who was diagnosed two years ago with leukemia, for which he is still taking treatments. It wasonly his second pro shiroboshi.
For Kintetsu, Rhodes was 1-4 with two strikeouts and is at .272.
For Orix, Brown was 1-3 with a walk and is at .312. Second baseman Jose Ortiz was 0-3 with a walk and is at .253.
Pitching Lines:
Kintetsu:
K. Abe IP 7.0 BF 27 PC 113 H 7 HR 0 K 7 BB 1 R 1 ER 1 ERA 1.84
T. Yoshida IP 1.0 BF 5 PC 16 H 1 HR 0 K 0 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 1.94
Takamura (L, 6-4) IP 0.1 BF 5 PC 14 H 3 HR 0 K 0 BB 1 R 3 ER 3 ERA 3.82
Orix:
M. Suzuki IP 7.0 BF 27 PC 105 H 4 HR 2 K 8 BB 3 R 3 ER 3 ERA 7.93
D. Kato IP 1.2 BF 9 PC 50 H 1 HR 0 K 2 BB 3 R 0 ER 0 ERA 3.83
Iwashita (W, 1-0) IP 0.1 BF 1 PC 7 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 6.23
2B: Tani, T. Yamasaki
3B: M.T. Goto
HR: Mizuguchi (5), M. Abe (6)
RBI: Mizuguchi, M. Abe, M.T. Goto 2, Shiotani, Katsuragi
WP: M. Suzuki 2
HBP: O. Hoshino (M. Suzuki)
LOB: Kintetsu 7, Orix 8
Season Series: Kintetsu 15, Orix 11
Game Time: 3:13
Attendance: 21,000
Umpires: Yoshikawa (HP), Maeda (1B), Tamba (2B), Iizuka (3B)
Kubo Upstaged by Kawauchi in Carp Defeat of Giants
Yomiuri Giants righthander Yuya Kubo rebounded from a bad outing last time out to toss eight solid innings of three run baseball on three hits, but Hiroshima Carp starter Takaya Kawauchi held the Giants to two runs in five hits over the same period in a 4-2 Carp victory Sunday at Tokyo Dome.
Both pitchers had the opposition by the goolies until the fourth, when Itsuki Asai registered the first hit of the match, a poke into the rightfield seats, for a 1-0 Carp lead.
Kawauchi had permitted only one hit through six before they tied the game up in the seventh when first baseman Kazuhiro Kiyohara socked a slider into the leftcenterfield stands, a towering majestic shot, with one out to even it at 1-1.
However, Hiroshima centerfielder Koichi Ogata leadoff the eighth with a double to rightcenter and Kenjiro Nomura also doubled on a 2-0 87mph fastball and they were back on top 2-1. Following a sac bunt that advanced Nomura to third, Kawauchi hit a little ground ball that Kubo could only go to first on as Nomura crossed to make it 3-1.
Yomiuri countered in the home half when Shunsuke Hara singled to right and, one out later, second baseman Toshihisa Nishi whistled a shot down the leftfield line, providing enough cover for Hara to put it in fourth for the plate and reduce the deficit to 3-2.
Again, Hiroshima would answer, as, now with Julio Santana on the mound, Takuya Kimura singled to left and Asai singled to right, Kimura racing to third. Shortstop Andy Sheets grounded into a 6-4-3 double play while Kimura toed the dish to stretch its advantage back to two at 4-2.
Shinji Sasaoka was entrusted with the lead in a rare closing role and he got a couple of groundouts before Koji Goto legged out an infield hit. Takayuki Saito singled to center. Leftfielder Takayuki Shimizu, though, whiffed and the Carp were a game over .500 for the first time in nearly four months.
Kiyohara is now all alone in ninth place with 475 homers. It was also his 14th RBI, tying Masahiro Doi for tenth on the all time list. It was Doi he passed for tenth on the all time homer list. He also needs only 36 more hits for 2000 in his career and induction into the Meikyukai.
Sasaoka needs two more saves to become the sixth man in history to 100 wins and 100 saves.
For Yomiuri, centerfielder Chris Latham was 0-4 with three strikeouts and is at .238.
For Hiroshima, Sheets was 0-4 and is at .315.
Pitching Lines:
Hiroshima:
Kawauchi (W, 2-0) IP 8.0 BF 31 PC 121 H 5 HR 1 K 8 BB 2 R 2 ER 2 ERA 3.60
Sasaoka (S, 1) IP 1.0 BF 5 PC 22 H 2 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 5.25
Yomiuri:
Kubo (L, 6-6) IP 8.0 BF 28 PC 99 H 3 HR 1 K 4 BB 1 R 3 ER 3 ERA 3.77
Santana IP 1.0 BF 4 PC 19 H 2 HR 0 K 0 BB 1 R 1 ER 1 ERA 4.43
SB: Etoh
2B: Ogata, K. Nomura, Nishi
HR: I. Asai (6), Kiyohara (21)
RBI: I. Asai, K. Nomura, Kawauchi, Y. Takahashi, Kiyohara
HBP: Y. Murata (Kawauchi), J. Hirose (Santana)
GIDP: Sheets (6-4-3)
LOB: Hiroshima 1, Yomiuri 7
Season Series: Hiroshima 12, Yomiuri 13
Game Time: 2:48
Attendance: 55,000
Umpires: Nishimoto (HP), Watada (1B), Tomoyose (2B), Kiuchi (3B)
Ishido Gets First Pro Win for Yakult 5-3
With a pitching staff that has been decimated by injury (Shugo Fujii, Jason Beverlin both out for the season) and substandard campaigns (Kevin Hodges, Yataro Sakamoto), manager Tsutomu Wakamatsu resorted to calling up rookie Katsutoshi Ishido, a 1998 number one draft choice shoe career has been hindered by injuries, including a 2001 shoulder surgery himself. And Ishido seized the day in his first pro start, as he went five hard, but ultimately positive innings to pick up his initial lifetime victory in a 5-3 decision over the Chunichi Dragons Sunday at Nagoya Dome.
Kazuhiro Hiramatsu started for Chunichi and was pulled after just 1.1 innings that saw him be targeted for three runs on six hits to get hung with the defeat and inflate his ERA to 3.92.
Yakult immediately charged out to a 1-0 lead in the first, as centerfielder Tetsuya Iida opened the game with a double to leftcenter, shortstop Shinya Miyamoto singled to center and third baseman Akinori Iwamura flied out to right, Iida tagging up and scoring. Leftfielder Alex Ramirez singled to left. But first baseman Ken Suzuki grounded into a 4-6-3 double play and it stayed 1-0.
Ishido was obviously nervous, as he walked shortstop Hirokazu Ibata commencing the bottom of the first and he plunked leftfielder Takayuki Onishi. However, he got the next three men on a pair of flyouts and a groundout to squirm out of the jam.
Yakult then posted another run in the second when catcher Atsuya Furuta played jai lai with the centerfield wall and skated in on a single to center by rightfielder Ryuji Miyade and it was 2-0 Swallows. Second baseman Noriyuki Shiroishi singled to right and
Miyade sped to third. One out later, manager Tsutomu Wakamtasu called for the squeeze and Iida got it down to make it 3-0.
The Dragons kicked back a run in their ups, as Masahiko Morino wingled to center and, one out later, was out in a force play on a 4-6 groundout by second baseman Masahiro Araki. Reliever Shinya Okamoto walked. Ibata singled to center and Araki was home, Yakult 3, Dragons 1 after two complete.
The Swallows dented Okamoto in the third, as Miyamoto doubled off the leftfield fence, Iwamura outran a ground ball to short, and, one out later, Suzuki flamed a double to rightcenter to cash Miyamoto in. Furuta was intentionally walked to set up a double play situation and to get to Miyade. On a two strike count, Miyade checked his swing and the pitch was called a ball. Dragons skipper Hisashi Yamada came out to protest that Miyade had gone too far and got himself tossed, which proved to be much ado about nothing, as Miyade eventually fanned anyway. Shiroishi grounded out and thus it was 4-1 Yakult.
In the fourth, Chunichi catcher Motonobu Tanishige tripled to rightcenter and crossed on a groundout to short by Araki to shorten it to 4-2 Yakult.
Iwamura catalayzed another momentary Swallows rally in the fifth when he singled to left and Ramirez walked. Suzuki singled to center and it was 5-2 Yakult.
The Dragons had the bases loaded with one out in the sixth, but Onishi bounced into a double play and weren't heard from again until two were out in the ninth, when third baseman Kazuyoshi Tatsunami doubled down the leftfield line and centerfielder Alex Ochoa lined a double into the rightfield corner for an RBI double against Hirotoshi Ishii. Omar Linares, pinch hitting for Morino, however, went down on strikes to frustrate the comeback and have this one go in as a 5-3 Swallows triumph.
The Dragons are now a season worst two games under .500.
Ishido had an 8-4 record with a 2.76 era in the Eastern League in 20 games. He had his car stolen, probably by an international car theft ring, in Apri, as if he needed more bad luck.
For Chunichi, Ochoa was 1-5 with one RBI and is at .279. Linares was 0-1 and is at .229.
For Yakult, Ramirez was 1-3 with two walks and is at .323.
Pitching Lines:
Yakult:
Ishido (W, 1-0) IP 5.0 BF 24 PC 99 H 5 HR 0 K 2 BB 4 R 2 ER 2 ERA 3.60
Narimoto IP 1.0 BF 5 PC 10 H 2 HR 0 K 0 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 5.87
Yamabe IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 14 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 1.19
Ryo. Igarashi IP 1.0 BF 5 PC 24 H 1 HR 0 K 3 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 3.17
H. Ishii (S, 1) IP 1.0 BF 5 PC 20 H 2 HR 0 K 2 BB 0 R 1 ER 1 ERA 2.73
Chunichi:
Hiramatsu (L, 4-3) IP 1.1 BF 9 PC 30 H 6 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 3 ER 3 ERA 3.92
S. Okamoto IP 2.2 BF 11 PC 44 H 3 HR 0 K 2 BB 1 R 1 ER 1 ERA 3.56
Yamakita IP 0.0 BF 3 PC 10 H 2 HR 0 K 0 BB 1 R 1 ER 1 ERA 3.25
M. Valdes IP 2.0 BF 7 PC 24 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 4.66
Ochiai IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 14 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 1.90
Shotsu IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 15 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 10.38
Hisamoto IP 1.0 BF 5 PC 16 H 2 HR 0 K 1 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 3.93
SB: Shiroishi
2B: Iida, Furuta, S. Miyamoto, K. Suzuki, Tatsunami, Ochoa
3B: Tanishige
RBI: Iida, Iwamura, K. Suzuki 2, Miyade, Ibata, Ochoa, M. Araki
SF: Iwamura
IBB: Furuta (S. Okamoto)
HBP: Onishi (Ishido), Shiroishi (M. Valdes)
GIDP: K. Suzuki (4-6-3), Onishi (6-3), Iwamura (4-6-3)
LOB: Yakult 9, Chunichi 12
Season Series: Yakult 13, Chunichi 13
Game Time: 3:44
Attendance: 32,000
Umpires: Suginaga (HP), Shikita (1B), Mori (2B), Nemoto (3B)
Satozaki's Three RBIs Leads Lotte Over Nippon Ham 8-2
Chiba Lotte Marines starter Yasuhiko Yabuta tied a personal best with his fifth win this season and extended the team's winning streak to four in a row and lengthened the Nippon Ham losing skein to five, its longest of the year, by an 8-2 margin. Hayato Nakamura, making his first start in a long time, got the hook after four innings and three runs on seven hits to absorb the loss.
The Fighters initially had an edge, as centerfielder Tsutomu Ishimoto singled to right with one out in the second and third baseman Michihiro Ogasawara cleaned and jerked one into the rightcenterfield seats for a 2-0 lead.
But Nakamura wouldn't be able to hold the line in the fourth, as Jun Inoue doubled to left and DH Koichi Hori walked. One out later, leftfielder Rick Short singled to center and Inoue scampered in. Rightfielder Saburo Omura walked to load the bases. Catcher Tomoya Satozaki bopped a forkball to center for a two run single and it was 3-2 Lotte.
Lotte then broke it open in the eighth, as Short singled to left and Omura doubled down the leftfield line. Satozaki flied out to left and Short tagged up and crossed. Kazuya Harai doubled to leftcenter to plate Omura. Shortstop Makoto Kosaka walked to fill the bases. First baseman Kazuya Fukuura hit a ground ball that went through the wickets of first baseman Kuniyuki Kimoto to score another pair. Kiyoshi Hatsushiba doubled off the centerfield wall for another and it was 8-2. Reliever Takashi Kawai then worked a one hit ninth to make this one a memory.
Satozaki drove in a total of seven runs during this three game series.
For Nippon Ham, DH Angel Echevarria was 0-3 with a walk and is at .269.
For Lotte, third baseman Jose Fernandez was 0-4 with two strikeouts and is at .285. Short was 3-4 with an RBI and is at .304. He is hittting .519 with four homers and 15 RBIs since August 23rd. Lotte is 10-4 during that time.
Pitching Lines:
Nippon Ham:
H. Nakamura (L, 0-2) IP 4.0 BF 19 PC 80 H 7 HR 0 K 3 BB 2 R 3 ER 3 ERA 6.75
Tat. Kato IP 1.0 BF 4 PC 13 H 1 HR 0 K 2 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
Tateishi IP 2.2 BF 13 PC 42 H 5 HR 0 K 2 BB 1 R 3 ER 2 ERA 4.33
A. Shimizu IP 0.1 BF 4 PC 16 H 1 HR 0 K 0 BB 1 R 2 ER 0 ERA 2.91
Lotte:
Yabuta (W, 5-4) IP 7.1 BF 27 PC 118 H 3 HR 1 K 6 BB 2 R 2 ER 2 ERA 5.43
S. Fujita IP 0.1 BF 1 PC 7 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 5.11
Sikorsky IP 0.1 BF 1 PC 6 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 3.27
T. Kawai IP 1.0 BF 4 PC 17 H 1 HR 0 K 2 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 4.48
E: Kimoto, Kensuke Tanaka, Kaneko, Kosaka
2B: J. Inoue, S. Omura, Harai, Hatsushiba
HR: M. Ogasawara (28)
RBI: M. Ogasawara 2, Hatsushiba, Short, Satozaki 3, Harai
SF: Satozaki
GIDP: Echevarria (5-4-3), J. Inoue (4-6-3)
LOB: Chunichi 4, Lotte 8
Season Series: Nippon Ham 13, Lotte 9
Game Time: 3:13
Attendance: 20,000
Umpires: Tsugawa (HP), Tachibana (1B), Yanagita (2B), Nakamura (3B)
Team Reports
Yakult Kevin Hodges will be lot go after the season ends, according to Hochi Sports. Whether it was him tipping his pitches or if his pitch selection was too predictable, or if it was his command is hard to say, but after winning 17 games last season to tie for the lead league with Koji Uehara, he sunk to 5-9 as the team's number one starter. Here's to hoping that Kevin finds a good job with a team somewhere.
Kintetsu Number Two starter Hisashi Iwakuma has been taken off the roster due to fatigue. He will have to sit out at least ten days. Considering that the Buffs have always been and continue to be pitching thin, this could be construed as throwing in the towel since they are still 7.5 games with only about three weeks left in the season.
Orix Reliever Kazuo Yamaguchi, who was clocked at 98mph before going on the disabled list early last season due to rotator cuff surgery, made his first rehab appearance after the procedure and showed that he won't be back until next spring, as he was measured at barely 90mph and gave up two hits and a run in a one inning stint. However, Manager Leon Lee said that he was just glad to see the fireballer throwing again.
Miscellaneous Leon Lee's son Derrick, who plays first base for the Florida Marlins, became just the fourth man in history to slug the same number of homers as his age on his birthday Saturday when he took Tomo Ohka of the Montreal Expos deep for
his 28th roundtripper of the year on his 28th birthday. The last man to do that was Boog Powell in 1970, when he went yard for the 29th time on his 29th birthday. Minnesota Twins hall of famer Harmon Killebrew, like Lee, registered his 28th homer of 1964 on his 28th birthday. The first man to do that? Zeke Bonura of the 1934 Chicago White Sox, who drilled his 26th on his 26th birthday.
