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10/07/2003 Archived Entry: "Japanese Baseball News: Hiyama Slam Outstrips Three Arai Shots; MLB Holding Japan Tryout"
Hiyama Slam in Eighth Tops Three Arai Homers in 10-7 Hanshin Win
Hiroshima Carp first baseman Takahiro Arai went yard three times, but Hanshin Tigers rightfielder Shinjiro Hiyama neutralized them with an eighth inning grand slam that dissolved a 6-6 deadlock and enabled the Osaka favorite sons to prevail 10-7. Tsuyoshi Shimoyanagi earned his tenth victory with two innings of two run relief after starter Hideki Irabu was shaken down for four runs in five innings.
Takaya Kawauchi started for Hiroshima and didn't fare well, either, as he was rocked for five runs, four earned, on seven hits in five innings to get a fortunate no decision. Thus, the defeat went to reliever Yukiya Yokoyama, who was victimized by Hiyama's slam.
Hanshin first baseman George Arias opened the game with a double to rightcenter and went to third on a groundout. Leftfielder Tomoaki Kanemoto walked and the pressure was on Kawauchi. Hiyama flew out to left for the second out. However, second baseman Kentaro Sekimoto walked to load the bases. But third baseman Atsushi Kataoka struckout and a big scoring opportunity went for nought.
In the second, Hiroshima marched out to a lead, as shortstop Andy Sheets got aboard on an infield hit and went to second on a groundout. He then took off for third on a 1-0 count and, since the pitch ended up being a slow curve, catcher Akihiro Yano didn't even bother to throw down. It was ultimately unnecessary, since Arai then blasted a fifth pitch fastball that was up and out over the plate into the rightfield bleachers to make it 2-0 Carp. They put two more men on, but Irabu wriggled out of it with no further damage.
Hanshin responded in the third, when Centerfielder Norihiro Akahoshi singled to left and stole second. Kanemoto walked. Hiyama singled to left to plate Akahoshi. Two strikeouts later, Yano insideouted a slider to deep leftcenter and Akahoshi and Kanemoto sprinted home on the double to put Hanshin in front 3-2. Shortstop Atsushi Fujimoto singled to center to redeem Yano and make it 4-2.
Arias upped that to a three run advantage when he lambasted a Kawauchi delivery into the leftcenterfield stands for a 5-2 Tigers lead. It also brought him alongside Yokohama's Tyrone Woods for the league lead in homers with 38.
But in the home half, Arai dialed long distance again, this time to left, and it was 5-3 Hanshin.
The Carp drew even closer in the fifth, as second baseman Takuya Kimura singled to center with one down and rode centerfielder Masafumi Suenaga's two bag gapper to the plate to make it 5-4 Tigers.
Hiroshima then overtook the Tigers in the sixth, as Arai walked with one out and third baseman Kenta Kurihara flared one near the rightfield line for a single. One out later, Kojiro Machida, pinch hitting for reliever Tsuyoshi Kikuchihara, lashed a shot down the leftfield line to score Arai. Kanemoto mishandled it, which gave time for Kurihara to cross on the error and the Carp had the upper hand at 6-5.
Kataoka, though, catalyzed a rally in the seventh for Hanshin when he singled to right with two outs and scored from first on a double off the leftfield wall from Yano and it was even at 6-6.
Yokoyama, who had permitted the tying run to cross in the seventh, also came out for the eighth and really got hurt. With one away, Arias, Akahoshi, and Kanemoto all walked to load the bases. Hiyama got good wood on one and propelled it beyond the centerfield wall for a grand slam and a 10-6 Hanshin lead.
Arai would homer again in the bottom of the frame for the first trifecta of his career, but that would be Hiroshima's last basehit to end it at 10-7.
Arai has homered in 17 games and his team has gone 4-12-1. He has seven circuit clouts in his last seven games.
Irabu, who was clocked at a high of 90mph, had allowed 33 steals in 27 games in 45 attempts. Daiei, which leads all of Japanese baseball in baggage theft, is going to love running on him. Furthermore, Irabu has just one win against Hiroshima with a 5.18 ERA this season.
For Hiroshima, Sheets was 1-4 and is at .313.
For Hanshin, Arias was 2-4 with two walks and an RBI and is at .271.
Pitching Lines:
Hanshin:
Irabu IP 5.0 BF 22 PC 63 H 7 HR 2 K 5 BB 0 R 4 ER 4 ERA 3.85
Shimoyanagi (W, 10-5) IP 2.0 BF 9 PC 31 H 3 HR 0 K 2 BB 1 R 2 ER 1 ERA 3.73
Fukuhara IP 2.0 BF 7 PC 21 H 1 HR 1 K 2 BB 0 R 1 ER 1 ERA 2.86
Hiroshima:
Kawauchi IP 5.0 BF 26 PC 99 H 7 HR 1 K 7 BB 3 R 5 ER 4 ERA 3.97
D. Sakai IP 0.2 BF 3 PC 11 H 1 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 5.87
Kikuchihara IP 0.1 BF 1 PC 4 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 3.07
Yokoyama (L, 0-1) IP 2.0 BF 13 PC 55 H 5 HR 1 K 1 BB 3 R 5 ER 5 ERA 5.49
Amano IP 1.0 BF 5 PC 27 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 3.26
E: Kanemoto, I. Asai, Sheets, T. Maeda
SB: Akahoshi, S. Tanaka, Sheets
2B: Arias, A. Yano 2, Suenaga, Machida
HR: T. Arai 3 (19), Arias (38), Hiyama (16)
RBI: Arias, Hiyama 5, A. Yano 3, Fujimoto, Seunaga, T. Arai 5, Machida
LOB: Hanshin 11, Hiroshima 4
Season Series: Hanshin 17, Hiroshima 9
Game Time: 3:20
Attendance: 12,000
Umpires: Tomoyose (HP), Shimada (1B), Kittaka (2B), Tani (3B)
Fernandez Homers Twice in Lotte Victory Over Seibu
Chiba Lotte Marines third baseman Jose Fernandez creamed two over the fence Saturday at Chiba Marine Stadium, as he reached the 30 homer plateau in a 8-6 decision over the Seibu Lions. Lotte starter Hiroyuki Kobayashi was dented early for five runs, but was still allowed to go eight innings, ultimately permitting six runs on eight hits, and ended up with a lucky tenth victory, his first double figure shiroboshi season ever.
Rookie Chikara Onodera started for the Lions and had a forgettable time, as he was pounded for seven hits and four runs in three innings. though it would be Kazuyuki Hoashi who would absorb the loss when he was cuffed around for three tallies in his two innings of work.
Lions shortstop Kazuo Matsui opened the game with a single to center and went to second when Lotte catcher Masaumi Shimizu clanked a Tatsuya Ozeki sac bunt. One out later, first baseman Takeya Nakamura got aboard on an infield hit to load the bases. Rightfielder Hiroyuki Oshima singled to right and Matsui and Ozeki hotrodded home for a 2-0 Seibu lead.
Lotte returned the favor in the home portion, as shortstop Makoto Kosaka walked, stole second, and scored on first baseman Kazuya Fukuura's single to center. One out later, DH Koichi Hori walked. Fernandez singled to center to pack the sacks. Rightfielder Saburo Omura flied out to center and Fukuura tagged up and crossed to knot it at two all.
But the Lions went back on the prowl, as catcher Kosuke Noda singled to left and went to second on a sac bunt. Matsui got all of a Kobayashi delivery and tucked it into the rightfield bleachers. Ozeki singled to center. Leftfielder Kazuhiro Wada slashed a shot down the leftfield line for a double and the speedy Ozeki toured the bases to make it 5-2 Seibu.
Fernandez, though, fired the first shot in his team's comeback when he cannonaded an Onodera offering into the rightcenterfield stands with one out in the third. Omura singled to left and went to second on a groundout. Shimizu singled to left to plate Omura and it was 5-4 Lions.
Fernandez then got off on Hoashi, leaving a selection in the centerfield seats to level it at 5-5 in the fifth.
The Lions, though, would edge ahead in the sixth, as Hiroyuki Nakajima conked one off the leftfield wall for a triple. Third baseman Scott McClain walked. One out later, second baseman Hiroyuki Takagi grounded out to Fukuura, who kicked it, and it was 6-5 Seibu. However, Lotte second baseman Masato Watanabe walked to leadoff the bottom of the inning and was sacrificed to second. One out later, pinch hitter Kiyoshi Hatsushiba jackhammered one into the leftfield bleachers to put Lotte up 7-6. It was also Hatsushiba's seventh straight knock in pinch hit duty.
In the seventh, Fernandez singled to left off of Hsu Ming-chieh and went to second on a wild pitch and to third on a groundout. While facing centerfielder Toshio Haru, Hsu unleashed another wild pitch and Fernandez crossed to make it 8-6 Lotte.
An inning later, Daisuke Matsuzaka ambled out of the pen in hopes that this appearance would firm up his bid for winning his first ERA title. Watanabe tripled up the rightcenter alley. One out later, Fukuura walked. Leftfielder Iyoda flew out to left and Watanabe tagged up and scurried home for a 9-6 advantage.
Lotte closer Masahide Kobayashi needed only nine pitches to dispense with the Lions and this one was a memory.
The putting Matsuzaka in tactic backfired, as, before this outing, the righthander's advantage on Daiei ace Kazumi Saito was such that Saito would have to pitched eight shutout innings to pass Matsuzaka. Now Saito only needs six.
Hatsushiba's seven consecutive pinch hits ties a 1980 record held by Taiyo Whales great Makoto Matsubara. This season, Hatsushiba is 14-33 (.424) with 14 RBIs as a pinch hitter.
For Seibu, McClain was 0-3 with a walk and two strikeouts and is at .227.
For Lotte, Fernandez was 4-4 with two RBIs and is at .306.
Pitching Lines:
Seibu:
Onodera IP 3.0 BF 18 PC 64 H 7 HR 1 K 1 BB 2 R 4 ER 4 ERA 10.80
Hoashi (L, 4-7) IP 3.0 BF 13 PC 57 H 3 HR 2 K 3 BB 2 R 3 ER 3 ERA 4.61
Hsu IP 1.0 BF 4 PC 20 H 1 HR 0 K 2 BB 0 R 1 ER 1 ERA 5.14
Matsuzaka IP 1.0 BF 5 PC 24 H 1 HR 0 K 1 BB 1 R 1 ER 1 ERA 2.83
Lotte:
H.Y. Kobayashi (W, 10-10) IP 8.0 BF 35 PC 142 H 8 HR 1 K 5 BB 2 R 6 ER 4 ERA 3.84
M.H. Kobayashi (S, 32) IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 9 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 2.93
E: Fukuura, M. Shimizu
SB: Kosaka
2B: K. Wada
3B: H.Y. Nakajima, M. Watanabe
HR: K. Matsui (33), Fernandez 2 (31), Hatsushiba (4)
RBI: Fukuura, Hatsushiba 2, Iyoda, Fernandez 2, S. Omura, M. Shimizu, K. Matsui 2, Wada, H.Y. Oshima 2
SF. Iyoda, S. Omura
WP: Hsu 2
HBP: H.Y. Nakajima (H.Y. Kobayashi)
LOB: Seibu 5, Lotte 7
Season Series: Seibu 17, Lotte 9 1 Tie
Game Time: 3:25
Attendance: 15,000
Umpires: Tachibana (HP), Yamamoto (1B), Kawaguchi (2B), Tsugawa (3B)
Yoshimura Two Run Homer Edges Dragons 3-1
A seventh inning two run homer by Yokohama Bay Stars rookie third baseman Yuki Yoshimura proved to be the game winner, as the Stars went on to down the Chunichi Dragons Saturday at Yokohama Stadium 3-1. Takeo Kawamura registered his fifth victory with eight phehomenal innings of one run, four hit ball while Chunichi starter Shigeki Noguchi failed to even his record despite an otherwise honorable effort.
The Dratgons struck first, as shortstop Masahiko Morino leadoff the game with a single to left and went to second on a sacrifice. After moving to third on a groundout, he loped home on third baseman Kazuyoshi Tatsunami's single to right for a 1-0 advantage.
Yokohama had two men on in the bottom of the frame, but two groundouts did that in.
Neither offense was getting a head of steam at all from then until the sixth, when the Stars restored equilibrium. Kawamura doubled to rightcenter and went to third on a sac bunt. Second baseman Hitoshi Taneda singled to center and it was a new ballgame at 1-1.
The Stars then nosed ahead in the seventh when Morino couldn't hang on to leftfielder Takanori Suzuki's liner for an error. Yoshimura then checked in and hurtled a slider off the leftfield foul pole for his first pro roundtripper and a 3-1 Yokohama lead. Chunichi was limited to a single over the final two innings by Kawamura and Takeharu Kato to leave with the W in pocket.
Yoshimura, 19, slugged 43 homers in high school and with the blast Saturday, became just the second Yokohama rookie right out of a schoolboy uniform ever to go the distance in his first pro season. The other was Motonobu Tanishige in 1989, who is now in the other dugout as a member of the Dragons.
The question is, with an array of promising youngsters, what is Yokohama going to do with them all? At third alone, you have Shuichi Murata, with 25 homers, the power packed but disappointing Katsuaki Furuki, and now Yoshimura.
For Chunichi, centerfielder Alex Ochoa was 0-3 and is at .288.
For Yokohama, Woods was 0-4 with two strikeouts and is at .266.
Pitching Lines:
Chunichi:
S. Noguchi (L, 9-11) IP 7.0 BF PC 101 H 5 HR 1 K 7 BB 0 R 3 ER 2 ERA 4.55
Hisamoto IP 1.0 BF 4 PC 17 H 1 HR 0 K 2 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 3.43
Yokohama:
Kawamura (W, 5-7) IP 8.0 BF 28 PC 103 H 4 HR 0 K 3 BB 1 R 1 ER 1 ERA 4.78
T.H. Kato (S, 5) IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 9 H 0 HR 0 K 2 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 2.47
E: Morino
SB: M. Araki
2B: Kawamura
HR: Yoshimura (1)
RBI: Tatsunami, Taneda, Yoshimura 2
GIDP: Morino (6-4-3)
LOB: Chunichi 3, Yokohama 4
Season Series: Chunichi 15, Yokohama 9 1 Tie
Game Time: 2:16
Attendance: 15,000
Umpires: Nishimoto (HP), Watada (1B), Uemoto (2B), Kiuchi (3B)
Team Reports
Yomiuri Another former Giants player, Kazunori Shinozuka, has resigned his coachintg position. Also, infield defense coach Yasutomo Suzuki is going to be kicked upstairs, so that makes it a clean sweep of the staff that now former manager Tatsunori Hara brought with him in 2002. Minor league skipper Kenji Awaguchi has been made the club's first team batting instructor. And Masahiro Kawai refused a suddenly repentant front office's overture to be a minor league coach and will attempt to find a job with another club.
Hanshin Second baseman Makoto Imaoka took regular batting practice for the first time since going down with a shoulder injury, taking 42 swings and clearing the outfield fence once. Outfielder Osamu Hamanaka also took some hacks, but he still can't throw as yet.
Yokohama Pitchers Masao Morinaka and Tomo Sugimoto will be released at season's end. The veteran Morinaka hasn't been effective at all the last couple of seasons and is probably headed into retirement at age 29. Sugimoto, 30, was originally a number one choce by Orix out of Tsukuba University in 1996 before being picked up by the Stars in 2001. He had two wins during his seven years in pro ball.
Kintetsu The Buffaloes are reportedly interested in Yokohama relievers Kazuo Fukumori and Atsushi Kizuka and are apparently offering Ken Kadokura in exchange.
Miscellaneous According to the Japan Times, MLB teams will be holding a tryout at Kobe Green Stadium on November 9th. Scouts from the Seattle Mariners and others will be observing the action. It is free to apply and you must have the application arrive at the address below by November 5th: For an application form and more information, call the organizer, Solid Promotion Ltd., at (03) 5979-3377, fax (03) 5979-3366, or e-mail: info@jenco.co.jp
In the News
Repeat Japanese Performance for Valentine?
The word is that Lotte is going to offer Bobby a three year deal at $2 million a season, according to Japanese press sources. See story at: New York Post Article
Authorities Scramble to Prevent Japan Series Ticket Scalping
See story at: Asahi Shimbun Article
See related story at: Mainichi Shimbun Article
Graczyk on Hara's Firing
See story at: Japan Times Article
Sandy Alderson on Baseball in the Olympics
See story at: MLB.com Article
Matsui Gets Taste of Yankees Jubilation
See story at: NY Post Article
Matsui Makes Presence Felt
See story at: MLB.com Article
Evans: Matsui Couldn't Play CF in Bigs
Evans was hardly alone in that observation (yeah, that's a mea culpa). Anyway, there is an interesting sidelight on this issue. See story at: Newark Star-Ledger Article Steinbrenner Predicts 35 Matsui Homers in 2004 See story at: Minneapolis Star-Tribune Article Today's Pictures Kazuo Matsui Slams One into Orbit
