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09/15/2003 Archived Entry: "Japanese Baseball News: Iwamura a Grandee in Beating Hanshin; Matsui Mr. 5x5 in Defeat"
Five Lotte Homers Give Seibu Big Defeat 14-13
Five Seibu Lions hurlers were taken deep by the Chiba Lotte Marines Tuesday at Seibu Dome, the Tokorozawa nine absorbing a dispiriting 14-13 defeat that further bogged down their quest to stay with the Daiei Hawks. Both starters were out of this one before the third inning and it devolved down to shich bullpen was going to suck less, Lotte's coming out just a bit better for the win.
Lotte pulled ahead in the first, as first baseman Kazuya Fukuura doubled off the centerfield fence and, one out later, DH Koichi Hori blooped a double to right and it was 1-0.
Seibu couterattacked right away when Kazuo Matsui walked and stole second. Lotte boss Koji Yamamoto went out and objected to the safe call and said the magic word and was ejected. Rightfielder Tatsuya Ozeki doubled into the rightfield corner to tie it up 1-1. One out later, first baseman Alex Cabrera mashed a shot into the centerfield bleachers to make it 3-1 Lions.
But in the second, Lotte leftfielder Rick Short singled to center and trotted home on a jack into the leftcenterfield seats by rightfielder Saburo Omura to level it at 3-3.. Catcher Tomoya Satozaki doubled to rightcenter and was sacrificed to third. Shortstop Makoto Kosaka flied out to left to enable Satozaki to tag up and cross and it was 4-3 Lotte.
Seibu would charge back once more, though, in the bottom of the frame, as catcher Toru Hosokawa walked, was sacrificed to second, and went to third on a single to center by Matsui. Ozeki flew out to left and Hosokawa tagged up and ran in for the 4-4 deadlock.
Lotte then cuffed rookie Shuichiro Osada around in the third when Short doubled to right with two outs. Omura lined to third baseman Hiroyuki Nakajima, who couldn't handle it and everbody was safe. Satozaki walked to pack the sacks. Second baseman Masato Watanabe mortared one into the leftfield bleachers for a grand slam and an 8-4
advantage.
An inning later, centerfielder Jun Inoue got real gone to right off of Koji Mitsui to make that 9-4.
Matsui got that one back when he went yard to left and it was 9-5 Lotte.
In the fifth, Lotte got busy when Short walked and was forced out at second on a grounder to third by Omura. Satozaki walked. Watanabe doubled off the rightfield wall to plate Omura. Kosaka singled to right for two RBIs and it was 12-5 Lotte.
But Lotte reliever Satoshi Funaki would get his clock cleaned in the home half, as Hiroyuki Oshima singled to left with one out and Nakajima doubled to left. Centerfielder Shogo Akada lined a double into the leftcenter alley to pick up a pair. Catcher Kosuke Noda was hit by a pitch. One out later, Matsui took a tour of the basepaths by exiting to right for a three run homer to make it 12-10 Lotte.
Lotte reacted with a run in the seventh, as Satozaki crashed one into the centerfield stands to up the Lotte advantage to 13-10.
Seiby responded with a run of its own in the bottom of the inning when Noda doubled to left with two outs and second baseman Hiroyuki Takagi walked. Matsui singled to center and it was 13-11 Lotte.
Inoue would bigtime one into the rightfield seats to reimpose a three run lead 14-11.
In the ninth, though, that almost evaporated. With two outs and closer Masahide Kobayashi on the mound, Takagi singled to right and Matsui and Ozeki each singled to center to jam the basepaths. Leftfielder Kazuhiro Wada singled to center to drive two of those runners in to make it 14-13 Lotte. Now with Cabrera at the plate with a chance to win it for the Lions, he popped out to right and now Seibu's pennant hopes are hanging by a thread, as they are 5.5 games behind the Hawks.
Lotte has won six in a row. The 17 hits they accumulated in this game was a season high.
This was Matsui's first 5-5 game in four years.
For Lotte, third baseman Jose Fernandez was 0-5 with three strikeouts and is at .279. Short was 3-4 with a walk and is at .308.
For Seibu, Cabrera was 1-6 with two RBIs and is at .325.
Pitching Lines:
Lotte:
R. Tanaka IP 2.0 BF 12 PC 34 H 4 HR 1 K 0 BB 2 R 4 ER 4 ERA 10.50
Funaki IP 2.2 BF 16 PC 52 H 6 HR 2 K 2 BB 0 R 6 ER 6 ERA 7.20
T. Kawai (W, 4-0) IP 2.1 BF 10 PC 36 H 2 HR 0 K 2 BB 1 R 1 ER 1 ERA 4.45
Sikorsky IP 1.0 BF 4 PC 13 H 1 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 3.30
M.H. Kobayashi (S, 27) IP 1.0 BF 7 PC 19 H 4 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 2 ER 2 ERA 2.75
Seibu:
Hsu IP 1.2 BF 10 PC 44 H 5 HR 1 K 2 BB 0 R 4 ER 4 ERA 5.08
Osada (L, 5-7) IP 1.1 BF 9 PC 32 H 3 HR 1 K 1 BB 1 R 4 ER 0 ERA 6.06
Mitsui IP 2.0 BF 11 PC 41 H 3 HR 1 K 1 BB 2 R 4 ER 4 ERA 5.76
T. Shiozaki IP 2.0 BF 8 PC 32 H 3 HR 1 K 2 BB 0 R 1 ER 1 ERA 4.82
S. Mori IP 1.0 BF 5 PC 15 H 3 HR 1 K 0 BB 0 R 1 ER 1 ERA 2.29
Y. Doi IP 1.0 BF 4 PC 11 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 3.86
E: Fernandez, H.Y. Nakajima
SB: Short, K. Matsui
2B: Fukuura 2, Hori, Ozeki, Satozaki, Short, M. Watanabe, H.Y. Nakajima, Akada, Noda
HR: Cabrera (42), S. Omura (5), M. Watanabe (4), J. Inoue 2 (4), K. Matsui 2 (29), Satozaki (6)
RBI: Kosaka 3, J. Inoue 2, Hori, S. Omura 2, Satozaki, M. Watanabe 5, K. Matsui 5, Ozeki 3, K. Wada, Cabrera 2, Akada
SF: Kosaka, Ozeki
WP: Funaki
HBP: Noda (Funaki)
PB: Noda
GIDP: Fernandez (1-4-3)
LOB: Lotte 6, Seibu 9
Season Series: Lotte 8, Seibu 16
Game Time: 4:00
Attendance: 16,000
Umpires: Sato (HP), Yamamoto (1B), Kawaguchi (2B), Akimura (3B)
Knight Barely Outpitches Powell in 3-2 Daiei Victory
Brandon Knight was hardly outstanding, being touched for ten hits and two walks in 6.2 innings, but he did keep the Kintetsu Buffaloes from producing the big hit and managed to sleaze by the Buffs despite a solid outing from Jeremy Powell. Powell allowed three runs on seven hits in seven innings, but his record is now even at 12-12 despite that.
The Hawks drew first blood in the second when catcher Kenji Johjima singled to left, leftfielder Pedro Valdes walked and DH Julio Zuleta singled to left to exploit Johjima for a 1-0 lead.
They then posted a second run in the third, as third baseman Munenori Kawasaki singled to left and second baseman Tadahito Iguchi walked. Kawasaki moved up on a groundout. Johjima walked to load the bases. Valdes flied out to left and Kawasaki tagged up and headed homeward to make it 2-0 Hawks.
In the fourth, Daiei centerfielder Kazuyuki Takahashi legged out a ground ball and was sacrificed to second by shortstop Yusuke Torigoe. Powell fielded the bunt and tagged Torigoe out, but Torigoe, who is not a little guy, felt that Powell had punched him and a staredown ensued. After order was restored and rightfielder Hiroshi Shibahara singled to center. Kawasaki singled to left to plate Takahashi and it was 3-0 Hawks.
Kintetsu would get back in this game, however, when shortstop Masahiro Abe leadoff the fifth with a double down the leftfield line and leftfielder Tuffy Rhodes jettisoned one into the rightfield seats to contract their disadvantage to 3-2.
The Buffs had two on and two out in the seventh, but Makoto Sato replaced Knight and got first baseman Yuji Yoshioka to groundout.
Shinohara came on in the ninth to eventually put it in the refrigerator, but not without some controversy. DH Norihiro Nakamura singled to center. Abe squared around to lay down a sac bunt and tapped it out in front of the plate. Johjima grabbed it and winged the ball to second for the force and then shortstop Yusuke Torigoe relayed it to first for a double play. Buffs field general Masataka Nashida came out and vociferously argued that the ball had hit Abe's bat twice in the batter's box, which would have been a foul ball. None of the other umpires saw the play clearly enough to want to reverse the call and it stood. Rhodes then popped out to short for the final out to reduce Daiei's magic number to 12. This was Knight's first win since August 16
Rhodes was luck he didn't get the gate, as he objected to a strike call early in the game and yelled, "this umpire is total crap!" in Japanese.
Torigoe had been zero for his last 20 coming into this game, one reason why he is likely to grab major pine time next season when he is replaced by Kawasaki there after Hiroki Kokubo comes back.
Daiei is 14-12 in one run games. In two run games, they are 11-14, according to Sankei Sports.
Kintetsu has now lost a season worst five in a row.
For Daiei, Valdes was 0-2 with a walk and is at .315. Zuleta was 1-3 with a walk and is at .266.
For Kintetsu, Rhodes was 3-4 with a walk and two RBIs and is at .275.
Pitching Lines:
Kintetsu:
Powell (L, 12-12) IP 7.0 BF 33 PC 129 H 7 HR 0 K 3 BB 7 R 3 ER 3 ERA 4.34
Takamura IP 0.2 BF 3 PC 12 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 3.79
T. Yoshida IP 0.1 BF 1 PC 4 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 1.93
Daiei:
Knight IP 6.2 BF 32 PC 124 H 10 HR 1 K 7 BB 2 R 2 ER 2 ERA 5.22
M. Sato IP 0.1 BF 1 PC 4 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 2.97
Shinohara (S, 8) IP 2.0 BF 6 PC 24 H 1 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 1.85
SB: Rhodes
2B: M. Abe
HR: Rhodes (45)
RBI: Rhodes 2, M. Kawasaki, P. Valdes, Torigoe
SF: P. Valdes
GIDP: Iguchi (6-4-3), P. Valdes (5-4-3), M. Abe (2-6-3)
LOB: Kintetsu 10, Daiei 10
Season Series: Kintetsu 9, Daiei 13 1 Tie
Game Time: 3:32
Attendance: 47,000
Umpires: Yamamura (HP), Hayashi (1B), Kakigizono (2B), Nagami (3B)
Iwamura Slams Hanshin into Defeat 10-3
Yakult Swallows third baseman Akinori Iwamura drilled a fifth inning grand slam that brought the birds back from a two run deficit and put them ahead to stay, as they thrashed Hanshin Tigers starter Hideki Irabu for eight runs in 4.2 innings Tuesday at Meiji Jingu Stadium to jaunt away with a 10-3 victory. Yakult has now taken its last five in a row against the Osaka contingent at home and are 7-2 against them overall in their Tokyo nest.
Hanshin went out to a 2-0 lead in the second, as third baseman George Arias walked and first baseman Shinjiro Hiyama got an 89mph fastball from Swallows starter Yuhei Takai that was up in the zone and crushed it beyond the centerfield wall.
Then in the fourth, Takai hit Hiyama with a pitch and catcher Akihiro Yano singled to center. Shortstop Atsushi Fujimoto also spanked one back through the middle and Hiyama crossed the plate again to widen it to 3-0 Tigers. The runners were sacrificed along, but Hideki Sato came in from the pen and worked his way out of the jam by inducing a flyout and a strikeout.
Yakult leftfielder Alex Ramirez got the team off the shnide in the fourth when he belted a hanging 0-2 forkball into the leftfield bleachers to make it 3-1. That was just a prelude to the main attraction, however.
In the fifth, second baseman Noriyuki Shiroishi singled to center with one away and, one out later, rightfielder Mitsuru Manaka singled to center as well. Irabu plunked shortstop Shinya Miyamoto to load the bases. Iwamura found something he liked from Irabu and blasted it into the leftfield stands to turn the game around and put it at 5-3 Swallows. Ramirez walked and stole second. First baseman Ken Suzuki singled to center to usher Ramirez in. Catcher Atsuya Furuta walked and Tigers shot caller Senichi Hoshino dialed local for Takehito Kanazawa. Ryuji Miyade cranked a double off the centerfield fence and both Furuta and Suzuki managed to lumber to the plate and the Swallows were now in control at 8-3.
Furuta improved his team's position in the seventh by launching one to the opposite field and into the umbrella oendan in right off of rookie Naohisa Sugiyama to make it 9-3 Yakult.
Sugiyama was victimized again in the eighth, when Shiroishi singled to left, Hiroki Hongo singled to right, Iida grounded out to move Shiroishi over to third and Miyamoto lifted a sacrifice fly to center to bring Shiroishi in and it was 10-3. Ryota Igarashi then struckout a pair and got a groundout in a 1-2-3 ninth to close it out.
This was the first time in two years that Yakult had scored in double figures against Hanshin. The seven runs in an inning is a season best for the Swallows.
Iwamura's roundtripper was his third career granny and his first since 2000, which was against Hiroshima off of Sawazaki. It was Yakult's third bases loaded longball of the season, the other two being by Ramirez.
Irabu is 3-4 since August. However, even with the defeat, the Tigers' magic number was reduced to four.
For Hanshin, Arias was 0-2 with two walks and is at .269.
For Yakult, Ramirez was 2-3 with a walk and an RBI and is at .325. Todd Betts was 0-2 and is at .286.
Pitching Lines:
Hanshin:
Irabu (L, 13-7) IP 4.2 BF 24 PC 101 H 7 HR 2 K 3 BB 2 R 8 ER 8 ERA 3.68
Kanazawa IP 0.1 BF 3 PC 12 H 1 HR 0 K 1 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 2.72
Yoshino IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 13 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 2.60
Sugiyama IP 2.0 BF 9 PC 31 H 3 HR 1 K 0 BB 0 R 2 ER 2 ERA 7.71
Yakult:
Takai IP 3.1 BF 18 PC 65 H 5 HR 1 K 3 BB 2 R 3 ER 3 ERA 4.52
H. Sato (W, 5-4) IP 1.2 BF 5 PC 19 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 4.13
Yamabe IP 2.0 BF 7 PC 35 H 1 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 1.11
Tatsuki Yamamoto IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 20 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 3.00
Ryo. Igarashi IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 18 H 0 HR 0 K 2 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 3.12
E: Takai
SB: Ramirez
2B: Miyade
HR: Hiyama (14), Ramirez (33), Iwamura (9), Furuta (20)
RBI: Hiyama 2, Fujimoto, S. Miyamoto, Iwamura 4, Ramirez, K. Suzuki, Furuta, Miyade 2
SF: S. Miyamoto
WP: Takai
HBP: Akahoshi (Takai), Hiyama (Takai), S. Miyamoto (Irabu)
GIDP: Hiyama (4-6-3)
LOB: Hanshin 6, Yakult 5
Season Series: Hanshin 15, Yakult 10
Game Time: 3:18
Attendance: 45,000
Umpires: Arisumi (HP), Sasaki (1B), Kittaka (2B), Ino (3B)
Kiyohara Error Opens Door to Four Run Seventh in Giants Defeat
Yomiuri Giants first baseman Kazuhiro Kiyohara's inability to flag down a routine ground ball in the seventh inning resulted in a four run spurt for the Yokohama Bay Stars, who finally got to starter Hiroshi Kisanuki for the first time this season in five tries in an 8-4 victory.
Takeo Kawamura started for Yokohama and wasn't offering much resistance, either, as he was done for four runs on four hits in five innings. Thus, credit for the triumph was ceded to reliever Tazaki, who went two perfect frames to earn his fourth win.
Yomiuri bombed its way to a first inning lead, as rightfielder Yoshinobu Takahashi doubled off the leftfield fence with two gone and then leftfielder Roberto Petagine atomized a Kawamura pitch into the leftfield bleachers to make it 2-0.
But Yokohama compromised that in the bottom of the stanza, as centerfielder Tatsuhiko Kinjo lambasted one into the rightcenterfield seats..One out later, rightfielder Hitoshi Tamura singled to center and then took off for second on a steal attempt. Catcher Yoshinori Murata pegged it wide of the bag and the speedster Tamura blazed around the bases with the tying run, 2-2 after one complete.
Yokohama then nosed in front in the third when first baseman Tyrone Woods hurtled a shot into the centerfield stands for a 3-2 Stars advantage.
Yomiuri, though, went back to the front of the line in the fourth, as Petagine bashed one off the rightfield fence and Kiyohara, noting that the wind was blowing out to right, inside outed a fastball up into the breeze and into the rightfield bleachers to make it 4-3 Giants.
Tamura, however, neutralized that in the sixth when he inspected, detected and rejected a Kisanuki delivery into the centerfield seats to level it at 4-4.
Despite already having given up a career worst three homers and was approaching 100 pitches, Yomiuri manager Tatsunori Hara had him come out for the seventh and Yokohama tore him up. With one down,.pinch hitter Hitoshi Taneda doubled down the leftfield line. Kinjo slapped a ground ball to Kiyohara, who did the ole thing and everybody was safe. Second baseman Seiichi Uchikawa singled to left to bring in Taneda. Tamura did the same to score Kinjo. Cory Bailey jogged in from the bullpen and struckout Woods. But third baseman Shichi Murata carromed a shot off the centerfield wall for two RBIs and it was 8-4 Stars.
Yomiuri's offense offered only a token objection in the final two innings and this one was over. The Giants have lost four in a row for the third time this season.
Kiyohara moved into sole possession of tenth place on the all time list with this 1401st and 1402nd lifetime RBIs.
The Giants set a new CL record for homers against one particular team with 54 against Yokohama this season. The pro yakyu record is 57 by Kintetsu against Daiei in 1990. Also, the two teams have amassed 92 homers total between each other in their games, a new CL mark, breaking the old one of 89 by Hanshin and Hiroshima in 1978
The eight runs surrendered is also a career worst for Kisanuki. Yokohama hitters told reporters after the game that they were sitting on the number one draft choice's fastball. But what made the game more embarrassing for Kisanuki was that a bunch of his college classmates had made the trip up to see him pitch against a club he had previously been 4-0 against.
For Yokohama, Woods was 1-3 with a walk and an RBI and is at .251.
For Yomiuri, Petagine was 2-4 with two RBIs and is at .316. Chris Latham struckout in a pinch hit appearance and is at .236.
Pitching Lines:
Yomiuri:
Kisanuki (L, 9-5) IP 6.1 BF 30 PC 113 H 9 HR 3 K 4 BB 3 R 8 ER 4 ERA 3.07
Bailey IP 0.2 BF 3 PC 18 H 1 HR 0 K 2 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 4.33
Kashiwada IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 8 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 3.78
Yokohama:
Kawamura IP 5.0 BF 19 PC 67 H 4 HR 2 K 2 BB 0 R 4 ER 4 ERA 5.70
Tazaki (W, 4-2) IP 2.0 BF 6 PC 18 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 3.62
T.H. Kato IP 1.0 BF 4 PC 16 H 1 HR 0 K 2 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 2.68
Tomori IP 1.0 BF 4 PC 14 H 1 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 3.43
E: Kiyohara, Y. Murata, Kawanaka
SB: Uchikawa, Tamura, T. Ishii
2B: Y. Takahashi, Taneda, S. Murata, T. Shimizu
HR: Petagine (29), Kinjo (16), Woods (32), Kiyohara (22), Tamura (14)
RBI: Petagine 2, Kiyohara 2, Kinjo, Uchikawa, Tamura 3, Woods, S. Murata 2
LOB: Yomiuri 2, Yokohama 4
Season Series: Yomiuri 18, Yokohama 9
Game Time: 2:42
Attendance: 23,000
Umpires: Honda (HP), Tani (1B), Mori (2B), Kasahara (3B)
Hirai Shuts Out Hiroshima 3-0
The same day as the ouster of Chunichi Dragons manager Hisashi Yamada, who was Masafumi Hirai's pitching coach at Orix when Hirai had his greatest campaign (15-5, 17 saves), he tossed a beauty of a three hitter at the Hiroshima Carp for his first ever pro shutout in a 3-0 victory. Hirai said that the least he could do was send Yamada, who had traded for Hirai this past offseason, off on a winning note even if it was actually Kyosuke Sasaki running the team during the contest.
Ken Takahashi started for Hiroshima and matched Hirai goose egg for goose egg until the fifth, when his fastball started coming up in the strike zone. Dragons centerfielder Alex Ochoa leadoff with a walk and catcher Motonobu Tanishige got a high fastball and deposited it in the centerfield stands to make it 2-0 Chunichi.
Then in the sixth, Takahashi left another heater up and rightfielder Kosuke Fukudome socked his 25th longball into the rightfield seats to stretch that to 3-0.
Hirai made the Carp lineup look like a bunch of high schoolers, as he held them to two hits over the last four inningsm nobody reaching second since the second, and finished with just 93 pitches.
Kanei Kobayashi, who had been absent from the Hiroshima bullpen this season due to offseason back surgery, made his season debut in the ninth, retiring two of three men he faced.
For Chunichi, Ochoa was 0-3 with a walk and is at .278.
For Hiroshima, shortstop Andy Sheets was 1-3 and is at .315.
Pitching Lines:
Chunichi:
Hirai (W, 8-6) IP 9.0 BF 30 PC 93 H 3 HR 0 K 9 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 3.50
Hiroshima:
K. Takahashi (L, 9-7) IP 6.0 BF 23 PC 78 H 5 HR 2 K 3 BB 1 R 3 ER 3 ERA 3.60
Tsuruta IP 2.0 BF 6 PC 27 H 0 HR 0 K 3 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 4.08
Kikuchihara IP 0.1 BF 2 PC 8 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 2.89
K. Kobayashi IP 0.2 BF 3 PC 6 H 1 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
E: Ishihara
2B: Tsutsui
HR: Tanishige (12), Fukudome (25)
RBI: Fukudome, Tanishige 2
GIDP: Tatsunami (5-4-3), T. Maeda (4-6-3)
LOB: Chunichi 4, Hiroshima 3
Season Series: Chunichi 10, Hiroshima 14
Game Time: 2:32
Attendance: 9,000
Umpires: Kiuchi (HP), Uemoto (1B), K. Kobayashi (2B), Tomoyose (3B).
Four Run Orix Eighth Does in Fighters 8-4
The Nippon Ham Fighters have really fallen on hard times recently and the Orix Blue Wave kept that going, as they defeated the Tokyo nine Tuesday at Tokyo Dome 8-4. Hisashi Ogura was given the win even though Masahiro Doi should have been the pitcher of record when Orix surged ahead to stay.
Itsuki Shoda started for Nippon Ham and is now tied for the league lead in losses with 12, as he made a bad fielding decision in the eighth to firm up the Orix lead.
Takashi Aiki, who had several strong performances the second half of last season but hasn't been able to get anybody out this season, started for Orix and went 4.1 long innings of two run ball, coming apart in the fifth and necessitating his being yanked.
Shoda was spinning a whitewash until the fifth, when Orix second baseman Jose Ortiz singled to left and DH Takeshi Yamasaki hammered one into the rightcenterfield seats for a 2-0 lead.
But Nippon Ham would see that, as catcher Shinji Takahashi singled to center and, one out later, shortstop Makoto Kaneko doubled up the leftcenter alley. Takahashi beat the relay home and Kaneko made for third. Catcher Daisuke Maeda's throw to third baseman Koichi Oshima was wild and Kaneko came home, too, to lock it up at 2-2. Centerfielder Tatsuya Ide singled to left. Manager Leon Lee went to the pen for Iwashita, who got rightfielder Tomochika Tsuboi to popup to second, but then walked third baseman Michihiro Ogasawara. Lee then called on Jun Hagiwara and his low to mid-90's heat and he struckout leftfielder Angel Echevarria to end the inning.
Each club didn't convert on their one other threat before the eighth, when Orix asserted themselves. Pinch hitter Tatsuya Shindo doubled down the rightfield line and first baseman Kazuhiko Shiotani laid down a sac bunt. Shoda picked it up and went to third, where Shindo was judged safe. Oshima singled to center for the lead. Centerfielder Yoshitomo Tani doubled up the rightcenter gap and Shiotani set the controls for the heart of home plate to make it 4-2 Orix. Leftfielder Roosevelt Brown walked to load the bases. Reliever Hiroshi Shibakusa plunked Ortiz to force Oshima in. Yamasaki flew out to center and Tani tagged up and crossed for a 6-2 advantage.
Daisuke Kato was a wild card for Orix and how, as he ascended the mound in the bottom of the stanza. With one down, leftfielder Yoshinori Ueda singled to right. One out later, Takahashi singled to right. Kato then struck pinch hitter Hiroshi Narahara to juice the bags. Pinch hitter Kazuteru Shimada walked to force Ueda in. Reserve centerfielder Tsutomu Ishimoto also walked to force in Takahashi and it was 6-4. Lee, who has to wonder when this nightmare is going to end, had to go for more pitching help and Ogura got Tsuboi to pop out to third.
Orix then went back up by four in the ninth on a walk to Shiotani, a single to right by Oshima and a walk to Tani that filled the bases. Chris Seelbach was replaced by Tatsuhiko Kato. Brown lined back to the mound for the first out. Ortiz popped out to short. But Yamasaki unleashed a screamer into the leftfield corner and Shiotani and Oshima busted for the plate, the scoreboard now reading 8-4 Orix. Ogura fashioned a perfect ninth and the Fighters were banished. I think that Lee and Nippon Ham pilot Trey Hillman would tell you that life is no fun in thelower reaches of the PL.
For Orix, Brown was 0-4 with a walk and is at .308. Ortiz was 1-4 with an HBP and an RBI and is at .255.
For Nippon Ham, Echevarria was 1-5 with two strikeouts and is at .275.
Pitching Lines:
Orix:
Aiki IP 4.1 BF 19 PC 86 H 8 HR 0 K 2 BB 1 R 2 ER 1 ERA 9.35
Iwashita IP 0.1 BF 2 PC 9 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 5.06
J. Hagiwara IP 2.0 BF 8 PC 37 H 2 HR 0 K 4 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 6.89
M. Doi IP 0.1 BF 1 PC 7 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 9.89
D. Kato IP 0.2 BF 7 PC 30 H 2 HR 0 K 2 BB 2 R 2 ER 2 ERA 4.11
H. Ogura (W, 4-11) IP 1.1 BF 4 PD 18 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 4.70
Nippon Ham:
Shoda (L, 5-12) IP 7.0 BF 28 PC 115 H 5 HR 1 K 5 BB 2 R 4 ER 4 ERA 5.31
A. Shimizu IP 0.0 BF 3 PC 11 H 2 HR 0 K 0 BB 1 R 2 ER 2 ERA 3.44
Shibakusa IP 1.0 BF 5 PC 19 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 3.69
Seelbach IP 0.0 BF 3 PC 16 H 1 HR 0 K 0 BB 2 R 2 ER 2 ERA 5.23
Tat. Kato IP 1.0 BF 4 PC 20 H 1 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
E: Maeda
SB: Kimoto, Kaneko
2B: Tani 2, Kanemoto, Shindo, T. Yamasaki
HR: T. Yamasaki (19)
RBI: K. Oshima, Tani, Ortiz, T. Yamasaki 5, Ishimoto, Kaneko, K. Shimada
SF: T. Yamasaki
WP: M. Doi
HBP: Ortiz (Shibakusa), Narahara (D. Kato)
GIDP: Tsuboi (4-6-3), Kimoto (6-4-3), Brown (3-6-3)
LOB: Orix 8, Nippon Ham 10
Season Series: Orix 10, Nippon Ham 13 2 Ties
Game Time: 4:03
Attendance: 9,000
Umpires: Sugimoto (HP), Tsugawa (1B), Tachibana (2B), Sakaemura (3B)
Team Reports
Hanshin In what could become a sore point with the Chunichi Dragons, the Tigers are reportedly going to pursue lefthanded Yugakukan High School hurler Tatsuya Kojima, who has said that he would play with Osaka Gas rather than turn pro at this point in his life, thus refusing an offer from Chunichi, who see him as the second coming of Shinji Imanaka. Hanshin has already set their hearts on Waseda University shortstop Takashi Toritani and want to use their second round pick for Aichi Gakuin University pitcher Kazuya Tsutsui. Consequently, that would leave Kojima in the number four slot at best since Hanshin has to skip a round if it uses the "gyaku shimei" system to sign its first two draft picks. That he would turn down first round money with Chunichi to go in the fourth for Hanshin stretches the bounds of credibility, but then again, Kojima hails from Osaka.
Chunichi Manager Hisashi Yamada has been put on leave until the end of the season as a prelude to his ouster. Head coach Kyosuke Sasaki will be the interim skipper until a new one can be hired this offseason. What makes this move especially galling for Yamada is that he found out about it not from club officials, but from reporters. He then called the front office to confirm the story. Former Dragons helmsman Morimichi Takagi is still thought to the the leading candidate to get the job, according to Sports Nippon. The same paper also indicated that there was some friction in the clubhouse between Yamada and his players and that the team's front office was angered by something that Yamada said during an August meeting that they took as criticism, resulting in a backlash against the former Hankyu submariner. In addition, Hiromitsu Ochiai's name has been raised as a possible successor, according to Sankei Sports. Hochi Sports thinks that Kazuhiko Ushijima, another former Dragons player, is the leading choice, positing that Ochiai won't get it due to his using free agency to move to Yomiuri while he was a player. In any event, nothing has been announced as to the status of the last year of Yamada's contract, which runs through 2004.
Seibu Can Chunichi Sports be right in insisting that manager Haruki Ihara is going to be fired after the season is over? Talk about what have you done for me lately! Ihara, who took his team to the pennant last year and still has an admittedly slim chance to catch Daiei this time, is apparently going to be replaced by catcher Tsutomu Itoh. Ihara reportedly told friends that he doesn't intend to stick around for four or five more years, but this would be going prematurely even given that. Chunichi Sports says that owner Yoshiaki Tsutsumi had some doubts about decisions Ihara made in the recent series with Daiei. Tsutsumi, who is actually more of a hockey fan, needs his head examined.
Nippon Ham The Fighters personnel folks are discussing drafting 5'10" 167 pound Sapporo Daiichi High School catcher Ryuichi Watabe in one of the upper rounds. Since they are moving to the Hokkaido capital next season, Nippon Ham would like to find a Hokkaido native to play for them as a marketing angle, though, ironically, Watabe was actually born in Kyoto. Watabe reportedly has a good arm and some speed. He played in a Koshien Tournament last year. His father Katsumi pitched in the Barcelona Olympics and is currently managing in the industrial leagues.
Orix Jason Phillips has returned to the U.S. to have his elbow looked at. No word on when or if he will return to Japan this season.
Miscellaneous Hiroshima shortstop Andy Sheets was named Player of the Month in the Central League for August while Daiei first baseman Nobuhiko Matsunaka was given the same accolade for the Pacific League. Sheets batted .351 with nine homers and 23 RBIs during that month while Matsunaka had 32 RBIs. Yomiuri righthander Koji Uehara, who registered firve stright complete game wins, was named CL Pitcher of the Month and Daiei youngster Toshiya Sugiuchi, who also racked up five victories, won that award for the PL.
