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10/11/2003 Archived Entry: "Japanese Baseball News: Igawa Wins 20th; Giants Say No Agents"
Igawa Wins 20th in Cakewalk Over Hiroshima
Hanshin Tigers southpaw ace Kei Igawa became the first pitcher to win 20 games for that team in nearly a quarter of a century Friday, as he went six good enough innings in his squad's last tilt of the schedule before giving way to stellar relief from Jerrod Riggan and Jeff Williams in an 11-3 victory over the Hiroshima Carp at Koshien Stadium in front of a capacity crowd. In addition, Igawa has also locked up the ERA title.
Igawa was getting his pitches up in the early going and the Carp took advantage, as second baseman Takuya Kimura singled to left and went to second on a sac bunt. Centerfielder Koichi Ogata singled to right to send Kimura in for a 1-0 lead.
But Hanshin spun that around. Hiroshima starter Takaya Kawauchi buzzed a delivery by centerfielder Norihiro Akahoshi's head and grazed his helmet with one away, resulting in Kawauchi getting the gate from umpire Atsushi Kittaka for what is termed in Japanese rules as "a dangerous pitch." Ryuji Yokoyama was summoned from the bullpen and was greeted by leftfielder Tomoaki Kanemoto's single to right. First baseman Katsumi Hirosawa doubled up the leftcenter alley to convert Akahoshi. One out later, rightfielder Shinjiro Hiyama walked to load the bases. Catcher Akihiro Yano laced a shot up the rightcenterfield gap and cleared the decks to put the Tigers in control at 4-1.
They then tacked on another run in the third, as Hiyama singled to center with one out and Yano reached when reliever Masaki Hayashi fumbled his ground ball. Shortstop Atsushi Fujimoto singled to left to plate Hiyama and it was 5-1 Tigers.
And the hits kept on coming. In the fourth, reserve centerfielder Yutaka Nakamura whizzed a double down the rightfield line and Kanemoto singled to center to drive Nakamura in to widen it to 6-1.
Hiroshima third baseman Kenta Kurihara lambasted one into the centerfield stands leading off the fifth and the rally was on. Catcher Yoshikazu Kura flew to Nakamura, who dropped it. Pinch hitter Kojiro Machida torqued a double into the leftfield line and Kura huslted in to shrink the deficit to 6-3.
Hanshin then put it well out of reach in the top of the ninth, when Kanemoto singled to right and Koji Hirashita, pinch hitting for Riggan, singled to center. Third baseman George Arias carromed a shot off the leftfield wall for a two RBI double. Hiyama walked. Substitute catcher Toshihiro Noguchi doubled to rightcenter and Arias scampered in. Backup shortstop Teruyoshi Kuji flied out to center and Hiyama tagged up and crossed. Reserve third baseman Yoshinori Okihara singled to right to bring Noguchi in and it was 11-3 Tigers.
Williams came on for the ninth and retired the Carp lineup in order to put it in the books.
Hiroshima will finish fifth for the second straight year. It is the first time in 40 years that Hanshin has won 19 against the Carp.
The last Hanshin pitcher to win 20 was Shigeru Kobayashi in 1979.
Igawa was clocked at 91mph while Riggan hit 92mph on the radar gun.
It will be the first time in 30 years that two 20 game winners will face each other in a Japan Series game when Igawa confronts Kazumi Saito in the fall Japanese classic.
Hanshin drew a record 3.3 million in 2003.
For Hiroshima, shortstop Andy Sheets was 1-4 and is at .313.
For Hanshin, Arias was 1-5 with two RBIs and two strikeouts and is at .265.
Pitching Lines:
Hiroshima:
Kawauchi IP 0.1 BF 2 PC 9 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 1 ER 1 ERA 4.19
Yokoyama (L, 0-2) IP 1.2 BF 11 PC 53 H 3 HR 0 K 4 BB 3 R 3 ER 3 ERA 6.33
Masaki Hayashi IP 2.0 BF 12 PC 40 H 4 HR 0 K 0 BB 1 R 2 ER 1 ERA 3.55
Kikuchihara IP 2.0 BF 7 PC 24 H 1 HR 0 K 2 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 3.12
Sawazaki IP 2.0 BF 15 PC 61 H 6 HR 0 K 1 BB 3 R 5 ER 5 ERA 4.43
Hanshin:
Igawa (W, 20-5) IP 6.0 BF 26 PC 103 H 6 HR 1 K 8 BB 2 R 3 ER 2 ERA 2.80
Riggan IP 2.0 BF 8 PC 26 H 1 HR 0 K 0 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 1.51
Williams IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 7 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 1.54
E: Hayashi, Y. Nakamura
SB: Akahoshi
2B: Hirosawa, A. Yano, Y. Nakamura, Machida, Sheets, Arias, T. Noguchi
HR: Kurihara (1)
RBI: Ogata, Kurihara, Machida, Kanemoto, Hirosawa, Arias 2, A. Yano 3, T. Noguchi, Fujimoto, Kuji, Okihara
SF: Kuji
WP: Yokoyama, Kikuchihara
HBP: Akahoshi (Kawauchi)
LOB: Hiroshima 7, Hanshin 12
Season Series: Hiroshima 9, Hanshin 19
Game Time: 3:33
Attendance: 53,000
Umpires: Kittaka (HP), Manabe (1B), Watamari (2B), Tomoyose (3B)
Lotte a Juggernaut Right Now 11-2
Lotte starter Naoyuki Shimizu and Nippon Ham moundsman Itsuki Shoda found themselves on opposite seides of the fence after this one was over, as Shimizu notched his 15th win while Shoda was blamed for his 15th loss. Shimizu has taken his last six.
There is no game log for this one, but we can say this: Nippon Ham has lost a season worst six in a row. Righfielder Saburo Omura set a new team record with the club's 277th double this year in the fourth.
Pitching Lines:
Nippon Ham:
Shoda (L, 5-15) IP 1.2 BF 13 PC 43 H 6 HR 0 K 0 BB 3 R 5 ER 5 ERA 5.78
Kamakura IP 1.2 BF 12 PC 47 H 5 HR 0 K 3 BB 1 R 3 ER 3 ERA 9.00
Yoshizaki IP 1.2 BF 8 PC 35 H 2 HR 1 K 1 BB 1 R 1 ER 1 ERA 4.37
Y. Sakurai IP 2.0 BF 8 PC 29 H 1 HR 1 K 2 BB 0 R 2 ER 2 ERA 6.82
Tat. Kato IP 1.0 BF 6 PC 33 H 0 HR 0 K 2 BB 3 R 0 ER 0 ERA 2.00
Lotte:
N. Shimizu (15-10) IP 9.0 BF 33 PC 114 H 6 HR 1 K 10 BB 1 R 2 ER 2 ERA 3.13
SB: Daita
2B: Satozaki, Y. Ueda, S. Omura, Nishiura
HR: M. Ogasawara (31), Fukuura 2 (21)
RBI: M. Ogasawara, Y. Tanaka, Daita, Fukuura 3, Hori 2, S. Omura 2, Satozaki 3
SF: Satozaki
HBP: Hori (Kamakura), S. Omura (Y. Sakurai), Daita (Y. Sakurai)
GIDP: Satozaki (5-4-3)
LOB: Nippon Ham 4, Lotte 12
Season Series: Nippon Ham 14, Lotte 13
Game Time: 3:05
Attendance: 15,000
Umpires: Yamamoto (HP), Kawaguchi (1B), Sakaemura (2B), Tsugawa (3B)
Team Reports
Yomiuri The Giants front office has informed its players that it will not negotiate with them through agents. We'll have to see how ace Koji Uehara reacts to that. Owner Tsuneo Watanabe has in the past threatened to release any players who try to use an agent in negotiations. Hmmmm.....New skipper Tsuneo Horiuchi has tentatively penciled Yuya Kubo in as the team's closer next season if the erratic (or this season, totally useless) Junichi Kawahara fails again. Is that his way of telling Julio Santana sayonara?....Horiuchi also called on second baseman Toshihisa Nishi, whose numbers have gone down the tubes the last two years, to get more focused and snap back to his old form. He would like to use Nishi in the one hole, which is funny considering that they want to move him to Lotte as part of a deal for Masahide Kobayashi.
Yakult Saying that they want fans to turn out to cheer leftfielder Alex Ramirez' drive to take the homer title away from Yokohama's Tyrone Woods, anyone who catches a Ramirez homer ball during the last two games of the schedule will be given two season seats. Ramirez expressed surprise and delight with the promotion.
Chunichi New manager Hiromitsu Ochiai is treating his players like adults, as he will allow them to determine what they do in their offtime away from the ballpark or the practice field. Ochiai also said that rather than focus on trying to turn everyone into a five tool player, that what the team should focus on is helping players extend the skills they already do well and make them into specialists....The Dragons are thought to be interested in acquiring Tuffy Rhodes. Rhodes says he wants a two year deal from Kintetsu for more than $4 million a season. "He's somebody we'd really like to have," said a team spokesman.
Yokohama Reliever Susumu Nakanowatari has been released. He hopes to cadge a jon with another club.
Daiei Rookie fireballer Nagisa Arakaki threw 30 pitches in the bullpen Friday and manager Sadaharu Oh was impressed by what he saw. Arakaki will make an instructional league start and if he looks ready, he will be put on the Japan Series roster....Another rookie, Tsuyoshi Wada threw 46 pitches in his workout.
Nippon Ham The Fighters are reportedly looking into the availablity of 29 year old Yomiuri minor league outfielder Ichiro Horita, a graduate of Hokkaido High School. Horita won the Eastern League batting title this season with a .362 average. He was a number six draft choice in 1996. Nippon Ham is trying to get their hands on players who are from Hokkaido for public relations purposes.
Orix Both Makoto Suzuki and Masato Yoshii will be back with the Blue Wave in 2004. Suzuki has pitched much better the last three weeks than he did the rest of the season, so the pitching desperate Kobe nine are apparently going to cross their fingers and hope for the best. Suzuki says he may play in a carribean winter league this offseason....Four coaches resigned, with two of them heading off to work for other teams.
Miscellaneous If you remember back to the Koshien Tournament and a third baseman who played with a prosthetic foot, well, he intends to continue his playing career at Ryukoku University. Kenta Sogabe passed the entrance exam and will be admitted to the Kansai Big Six University League school.
Today's Picture
Kei Igawa Racking Up Number 20
