Archived Weblog Entry - 09/15/2003: "Japanese Baseball News: Arias as Firestarter; Hanshin Great Hospitalized"

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09/15/2003 Archived Entry: "Japanese Baseball News: Arias as Firestarter; Hanshin Great Hospitalized"

Igarashi, Sato Can't Control Themselves and Hanshin Ties it 7-7

Yakult relievers Ryota Igarashi and Hideki Sato walked three men between them in the eighth inning Thursday at Meiji Jingu Stadium, and they all scored to suture a 7-4 Swallows lead into a 7-7 deadlock. Nobody scored over the following four innings and thus it so ended to interrupt a seven game winning streak against Hanshin at home.

Starters Tsuyoshi Shimoyanagi, looking for his first ten win season since 1994, when he won 11 for Daiei, for Hanshin and Masanori Ishikawa for Yakult were ineffective, as the former was tagged for five runs, four earned, and the latter was shaken down for four tallies in five innings or less.

Yakult got on the board in the first, as centerfielder Munehiro Shida reached on an error by third baseman Atsushi Kataoka and went to second on a wild pitch. Shortstop Shinya Miyamoto singled to right and Shida held up at third. Third baseman Akinori Iwamura grounded out to short and Shida crossed to make it 1-0. Leftfielder Alex Ramirez then doubled down the leftfield line. But any further scoring was stymied when the next two batters flew out.

Hanshin saw that one and raised them one in the second when rightfielder Shinjiro Hiyama singled to right and Arias belted a 1-2 85mph cutter on the inner half of the plate into the leftfield bleachers for a 2-1 Tigers advantage.

That went away rather quickly, though, when second baseman Noriyuki Shiroishi creamed a Shimoyanagi delivery and deposited it in the leftfield stands to even it at 2-2.

In the fourth, Arias catalayzed another brief rally with an infield hit and went to third on a single to right by Kataoka. Catcher Akihiro Yano grounded into a 4-6-3 double play and Arias crossed to make it 3-2 Tigers.

Yakult then knocked Shimoyanagi out of business when Miyamoto singled to left and Iwamura outran a dribbler. Ramirez doubled into the rightcenter alley to plate Miyamoto. First baseman Ken Suzuki doubled into the rightfield corner and both Iwamura and Ramirez headed to the promised land for a 5-3 Swallows lead.

Again, Arias would be in the middle of Hanshin's next score, as he singled to center with one out and Kataoka walked. Yano singled to left for the RBI and it was 5-4 Yakult.

Iwamura put his side back up by two in the sixth, as he poleaxed a first pitch curve ball off of Jerrod Riggan into the rightfield seats to put it at 6-4.

Pinch hitter Todd Betts capped off Yakult's production on the night by getting lost to right in the seventh to make it 7-4 Swallows.

Unfortunately, in the eighth, Igarashi walked Arias and Kataoka walked and was taken out in favor of Sato. Yano walked to load the bases. Shortstop Atsushi Fujimoto flew out to center and Arias tagged up and hustled in. Kataoka and Fujimoto pulled the double steal successfully. One out later, second baseman Yoshinori Okihara looped a slider on the outside corner near the line in right for a two run single and it was seven all. Futoshi Yamabe replaced Sato and finished the inning and then struckout the side in the ninth, though not before seeing a couple of Tigers hitters reach base.

Hanshin had a man on second with one out and men on first and second with two outs and couldn't bring him home.

But it was Yakult that had the greatest chance of pocketing the W, as, in the 12th, Kosei Ono singled to left off of Jeff Williams and went to second on a passed ball. Furuta was then intentionally walked. Both runners were sacrificed up 90 feet. Shiroishi was intentionally walked to set up a force at every base. Hirobumi Watarai, pinch hitting for closer Shingo Takatsu, grounded to Shuta Tanaka at second, who gunned it to the plate for the out. Williams blew Shida away and it went as a tie. Hanshin's magic number is now two. It was also their longest game of the season.

Leftfielder Tomoaki Kanemoto is still limping around. And he may have been joined by centerfielder Norihiro Akahoshi, who was hit on the knee with a pitch in the tenth. The diminutive steals leader was 1-12 in this series.

For Hanshin, Arias was 3-5 with a walk, four runs scored, and two RBIs and is at .272.

For Yakult, Ramirez was 3-6 with an RBI and is at .325. Betts was 1-1 with an RBI and is at .287.

Pitching Lines:

Hanshin:

Shimoyanagi IP 4.0 BF 23 PC 69 H 10 HR 1 K 2 BB 1 R 5 ER 4 ERA 3.84
Yabu IP 1.0 BF 4 PC 13 H 1 HR 0 K 0 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 3.65
Riggan IP 1.0 BF 6 PC 30 H 2 HR 1 K 1 BB 1 R 1 ER 1 ERA 2.00
Ishige IP 1.0 BF 4 PC 15 H 1 HR 1 K 2 BB 0 R 1 ER 1 ERA 3.14
Ando IP 3.0 BF 9 PC 24 H 0 HR 0 K 3 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 1.45
Williams IP 2.0 BF 9 PC 37 H 1 HR 0 K 2 BB 2 R 0 ER 0 ERA 1.49

Yakult:

Masanori Ishikawa IP 5.1 BF 24 PC 74 H 8 HR 1 K 1 BB 1 R 4 ER 4 ERA 4.17
Narimoto IP 0.2 BF 3 PC 7 H 1 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 5.57
H. Ishii IP 1.0 BF 4 PC 15 H 1 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 2.48
R. Igarashi IP 0.0 BF 2 PC 13 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 2 R 2 ER 2 ERA 3.38
H. Sato IP 0.2 BF 4 PC 20 H 1 HR 0 K 1 BB 1 R 1 ER 1 ERA 4.23
Yamabe IP 2.1 BF 11 PC 47 H 2 HR 0 K 4 BB 2 R 0 ER 0 ERA 1.04
Tatsuki Yamamoto IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 15 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 2.89
Takatsu IP 1.0 BF 4 PC 13 H 1 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 2.70

E: Kataoka, S. Miyamoto
SB: Kataoka, A. Yano
2B: Ramirez 2, Shida, K. Suzuki, Okihara
HR: Arias (33), Shiroishi (4), Iwamura (11), Betts (15)
RBI: Okihara 2, Arias 2, A. Yano, Fujimoto, Iwamura 2, Ramirez, K. Suzuki 2,
Shiroishi, Betts
SF: Fujimoto
IBB: Furuta (Williams), Shiroishi (Williams)
WP: Shimoyanagi, Yamabe
HBP: S. Miyamoto (Shimoyanagi), Akahoshi (Yamabe)
PB: A. Yano
GIDP: Kanemoto (6-4-3), Furuta (6-4-3), A. Yano (4-6-3), Miyade (1-6-3)
LOB: Hanshin 12, Yakult 12

Season Series: Hanshin 15, Yakult 11 1 Tie

Game Time: 4:48
Attendance: 45,000
Umpires: Kittaka (HP), Arisumi (1B), T. Kobayashi (2B), Sasaki (3B)

Kimura Wins it for Hiroshima on Sayonara Sac Fly

Hiroshima Carp pinch hitter Kazuyoshi Kimura flew out to right with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the tenth inning Thursday at Hiroshima Municipal Stadium to beat the Chunichi Dragons 4-3.

Chris Brock started for Hiroshima and was outstanding, going eight innings of two run ball on six hits, though two of them flew away. Shinji Sasaoka, though, blew the save and then vultured the victory.

Yuichi Hisamoto, normally a middle reliever, started for Chunichi and went only 4.1 innings before being lifted and didn't do too badly, permitting a run on three hits and two walks.

Kosuke Fukudome gave the Dragons a 1-0 lead in the fourth, when he crushed a fastball into the rightfield seats.

But third baseman Kenjiro Nomura doubled to rightcenter for the Carp opening the fifth and, after advancing to third on a sac bunt, completed the circuit on a single to left from Brock to level it at 1-1. Shinya Okamoto supplanted Hisamoto at that point and struckout the last two men to dig in during the frame.

Hiroshima, however, went out to their first lead of the night in the sixth, as centerfielder Koichi Ogata singled to center and, one out later, leftfielder Tomonori Maeda singled to right. First baseman Takahiro Arai singled to left to plate Ogata and make it 2-1 Carp.

That evaporated almost as soon as Brock climbed the hill in the seventh, when he went yard to straightaway centerfield and it was even again at 2-2.

Ogata, though, put the Carp back on top in the eighth, jacking a shot into the leftcenterfield bleachers to make it 3-2.

That had a short shelf life, too, as catcher Motonobu Tanishige singled to right with one out and was pinch run for by Hidenori Kuramoto, who went to second on a groundout. Pinch hitter Takayuki Onishi wacked a shot off the glove of second baseman Takuya Kimura and Kuramoto never stopped running until he had arrived at home plate and it was 3-3.

Ultimately, Hiroshima would prevail, as rightfielder Toyo Asayama kicked off the tenth with a double down the leftfield line. Takuya Kimura was intentionally walked. Ogata grounded to short and the runners moved up. Shortstop Andy Sheets was intentionally walked to load the bases. Kazuyoshi Kimura launched a first pitch fastball deep enough to right to redeem Asayama for the sayonara sac fly, his first ever walkoff anything in pro ball.

This marks the first time in three years that Hiroshima has won its season series with Chunichi. This is the Dragons' sixth sayonara defeat of the campaign.

For Chunichi, Ochoa was 1-4 with an RBI and is at .279.

For Hiroshima, Sheets was 0-3 with two walks and two strikeouts and is at .313. Brock was 1-2 with a walk and an RBI and is at .342.

Pitching Lines:

Chunichi:

Hisamoto IP 4.1 BF 18 PC 64 H 3 HR 0 K 2 BB 2 R 1 ER 1 ERA 3.79
S. Okamoto IP 1.0 BF 6 PC 26 H 3 HR 0 K 3 BB 0 R 1 ER 1 ERA 3.63
Yamakita IP 0.0 BF 1 PC 4 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 3.25
Ochiai IP 0.2 BF 1 PC 5 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 1.87
M. Valdes IP 3.0 BF 10 PC 38 H 1 HR 1 K 2 BB 0 R 1 ER 1 ERA 4.50
Iwase (L, 4-2) IP 0.2 BF 5 PC 15 H 1 HR 0 K 0 BB 2 R 1 ER 1 ERA 1.16

Hiroshima:

Brock IP 8.0 BF 31 PC 135 H 6 HR 2 K 4 BB 1 R 2 ER 2 ERA 4.06
Sasaoka (W, 7-8) IP 2.0 BF 7 PC 25 H 3 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 1 ER 1 ERA 5.24

2B: Morino, Tanishige, K. Nomura, Fukudome, Asayama
HR: Fukudome (27), Ochoa (16), Ogata (27)
RBI: Fukudome, Ochoa, Onishi, Ogata, K. Kimura, T. Arai, Brock
SF: K. Kimura
IBB: T. Kimura (Iwase), Sheets (Iwase)
GIDP: I. Asai 6-4-3), Ibata (4-6-3)
LOB: Chunichi 5, Hiroshima 8

Season Series: Chunichi 11, Hiroshima 15

Game Time: 3:28
Attendance: 10,000
Umpires: K. Kobayashi (HP), Kiuchi (1B), Suginaga (2B), Uemoto (3B)

Team Reports

Yomiuri The Giants may send Yoshitaka Katori, who recently resigned as manager Tatsunori's head coach, may be sent to the Yankees minor league system to pick up some coaching techniques. Katori had done that previously in 2001, when he hung out with the Dodgers A ball club in Vero Beach. Yomiuri owner Tsuneo Watanabe said that Katori had done a lot for the Giants and that it wasn't fair to blame the team's 2003 troubles all on him.

Hanshin Bad news for fans of 69 year old former Tigers third baseman Hideshi Miyake. He is currently hospitalized with pneumonia and his chronic hepatitis has so weakened his liver that he will probably need a transplant, according to Sankei Sports. The Okayama Prefecture native played in 882 consecutive games, fifth all time. However, during a practice session before a game with the Taiyo Whales on September 6, 1962, a ball hit him right under an eyeball and diminished his vision to the point to where he had to retire after the season. Despite his illness, Miyake is taking great pleasure in Hanshin's recent good fortune and sent along his best wishes through the press.

Chunichi Closer Akinori Otsuka, who took a ball off the rightside of his body on a shot through the box by Hiroshima infielder Kenjiro Nomura Wednesday, is still hurting and is day to day. He has gone back to Nagoya to have the injury looked at.

Yokohama The Stars announced that Masakatsu Kotani will be their pitching coach next season. He had worked for Yokohama's previous incarnation, the Taiyo Whales, and the Yakult Swallows. This season, he was the club's minor league pitching instructor.

Daiei With the heat on the Hawks parent company to unload the baseball team to generate some cash for the big debt ridden supermarket chain, the prospect of one of three foreign investment firms, including Lehman Brothers, buying the team or using it as an investment vehicle has Yomiuri owner Tsuneo Watanabe and other league bigwigs talking contracting the Hawks after the sale and putting what would amount to an expansion team in Fukuoka to replace the Hawks. How this would work, though, on an international level hasn't really been spelled out in the Japanese sports press. Such a move would seem to be a violation of international trade agreements and one would think that it could see the Japan hauled before the WTO to answer for the league owners' actions. Anyone who has knowledge in this area please write in and let us know how you would see it. Directly suing NPB or maybe even Yomiuri over this in Japanese courts would be an unprofitable exercise since it can take up to 20 years before civil suits are finally resolved. In addition, Japanese judges are notoriously stingy in regard to settlement amounts.

Kintetsu In a no-brainer, Pitcher Jeremy Powell will be back for next season, but in a surprising development, so will Kevin Beirne, who has been erratic. Nelio Rodriguez, who has beeb lit up like the fourth of July, is almost certainly a goner, according to Sports Nippon while Marette, who had knee surgery in May, is on the bubble.....The Buffs, while negotiations have been difficult, are said to be likely to sign 21 year old righthander Ryota Katsuki as their top draft choice out of Toshiba's industrial league nine. He pitched in consecutive Koshien Tournaments as a senior at Yanagawa High School. Katsuki's fastball maxes out at 91mph and he accompanies it with a slider and curve. He is 5'11" 178 pounds and hails from Fukuoka.

Nippon Ham At the request of the Fighters, a change will be made to the Sapporo Dome's ground rules next season. If the ball hits the roof about 20 meters in front of the centerfield wall, it will be called a home run. Under present ground rules, if it hit the roof and fell into the field of play, it would still be a live ball and could be caught for an out. You probably won't see that happen too often, though. According to Hochi Sports, it would take the trajectory of a more than 550 foot shot to ping it off the ceiling in that part of the yard.

Miscellaneous Yankees manager Joe Torre put his stamp of approval on Hideki Matsui being named Rookie of the Year. After noting Godzilla's Japan experience that makes him different from the typical player who just came up from the minors, Torre offered that "any player in his first year in the big leagues falls under the rookie rules"....Because of the neverending economic recession in Japan, companies have been doing away with their industrial league teams and another will bite the dust after next season, Japan Tobacco. A spokesman for the concern, which is based in Sendai, said that they are re-prioritizing their advertising strategy and have decided to fold the baseball club....The Seattle Mariners will host the Chinese National Baseball Team at its Peoria, Arizona spring training site, according to ESPN (see further story below). "We are enthusiastic about this historic opportunity and welcome the Chinese national team to our facilities as they train for their Olympic bid," said Ted Heid, Seattle Mariners director of Pacific Rim Operations....You will not see Kazuo Matsui in an A's uniform, according to MLB.com. Citing economic reasons, GM Billy Beane said that rookie Bubba Crosby will get a shot at starting at shortstop next season.

In the News

Matsunaka Provides Leadership On and Off the Diamond

Jim Allen invites you to the Hot Corner to explain why the Daiei Hawks are positioned to win the Pacific League pennant at:
Yomiuri Shimbun Article

Matsui the Man Back in Japan

See story at: New York Daily News Article

Ichiro Needs to Learn to Pace Himself

See story at: Japan Times Article

Things Come to a Head for Matsui

You will have to scroll down to the end of the story for the relevant bit: MLB.com Article

Kuehnert to Hawks: Get Over It

See story at: Japan Times Article

Daiei Parent to Auction Fukuoka Operations