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10/15/2003 Archived Entry: "Japanese Baseball News: Clemens May Play in Japan; Uehara-Giants Relationship Worsening"
Clemens May Pitch in Japan Next Season
According to Sports Nippon, New York Yankees righthander Roger Clemens, who is retiring from MLB after this season, is seeking a way to keep himself in game shape so that he can pitch in the Athens Olympic Games. To that end, he has his agent talking to several unnamed Japanese teams and, much like Dave Nilsson did with the Chunichi Dragons a few years back, is using it as a way to stay active and still circumvent MLB rules that prohibit players on the 40 man roster from participating in the olympics in the middle of the schedule.
The big Texan will leave for Japan after the postseason is over and will be a special guest on a tv broadcast of the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament. Presumably, he will also use that opportunity to hold further discussions with Japanese NPB clubs about joining one of them for 2004.
Counterfeit Japan Series Tickets Being Sold on Internet
If you're looking for tickets to the Japan Series, be careful. According to Sankei Sports, there are counterfeit ones being flogged over the internet. They are mainly for the games at Koshien Stadium on October 21-23. The seat numbers on those tickets are non-existent in the ballpark.
Ramirez RBI Single in Eighth Edges Hiroshima 2-1
Hiroshima Carp starter Hiroki Kuroda had a disagreement with catcher Yoshiyuki Ishihara and paid for it, as Yakult Swallows leftfielder singled to center with two on in the eighth inning Wednesday at Meiji Jingu Stadium to break a 1-1 deadlock and give the home nine a shot at tying Yomiuri for third place by a 2-1 score.
Kuroda, who attained 200 innings in a season for the first time in his career, otherwise threw well enough to earn a win, as he went eight innings of eight hit ball, but was nonetheless hung with his ninth defeat.
Yuya Kamada started for Yakult and put together 6.2 strong innings of five hit ball, permitting just a run to end his season with a nice 3.21 ERA.
However, credit for that shirobosh went to reliever Hirotoshi Ishii, who struckout two of the three men he faced in the top of the eighth for his sixth triumph.
The Carp had two on with one out in the second, but Kamada tempted Ishihara into grounding to shortstop Shinya Miyamoto, who stepped on second and then rifled it to first for a twin killing to frustrate that effort.
The Swallows seized the first lead of the game in the fourth, as third baseman Akinori Iwamura crushed a fastball that was up and on the outer half of the plate and went to the opposite field and into the leftfield bleachers with it to make it 1-0.
Hiroshima, though, caught up with the Swallows in the sixth, as centerfielder Koichi Ogata walked with two outs and first baseman Takahiro Arai whistled a liner off the leftfield fence, the speedy Ogata blazing in from first, to level it at 1-1.
Yakult had two on and two out in the seventh, but Hirobumi Watarai, pinch hitting for reliever Futoshi Yamabe, slapped a comebacker to Kuroda, who went to first for the third out.
Following Ishii's sparkling relief stint, centerfielder Mitsuru Manaka drilled one off the leftfield wall for a leadoff double and was sacrificed to third. Iwamura walked. Ishihara signaled for a breaking ball, but Kuroda shook him off and ran a fastball up to the plate that Ramirez spanked back through the middle and Manaka loped in with the 2-1 Swallows advantage.
Closer Shingo Takatsu, in what may be his last ever action in Japan if he doesn't pitch on the final day of the season Thursday and goes to MLB, was touched for a single to center by Carp third baseman Kenta Kurihara, who was pinch run for by Fukuchi. Fukuchi took off for second, but was nailed by catcher Atsuya Furuta. Itsuki Asai, pinch hitting for Ishihara, walked. Pinch hitter Shima grounded to Miyamoto, who flipped to Noriyuki Shiroishi, who winged it to first and this baby was as over as Flock of Seagulls. Takatsu now has 260 career saves.
For Yakult, Ramirez was 1-4 with an RBI and is at .332.
Pitching Lines:
Hiroshima:
Kuroda (L, 13-9) IP 8.0 BF 32 PC 109 H 8 HR 1 K 1 BB 2 R 2 ER 2 ERA 3.11
Yakult:
Kamada IP 6.2 BF 27 PC 93 H 5 HR 0 K 1 BB 3 R 1 ER 1 ERA 3.21
Yamabe IP 0.2 BF 2 PC 9 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 1.05
H. Ishii (W, 6-1) IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 10 H 0 HR 0 K 2 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 2.03
Takatsu (S, 34) IP 1.0 BF 3 PC 14 H 1 HR 0 K 0 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 3.00
2B: Manaka 2, T. Arai
HR: Iwamura (12)
RBI: T. Arai, Iwamura, Ramirez
IBB: T. Maeda
HBP: Ishihara (Kamada)
GIDP: Ishihara (6-3), Kamada (1-6-4), K. Suzuki (4-6-3), Shima (6-4-3)
LOB: Hiroshima 7, Yakult 6
Season Series: Hiroshima 12, Yakult 14 1 Tie
Game Time: 2:37
Attendance: 8,000
Umpires: Arisumi (HP), Uemoto (1B), Honda (2B), Mori (3B)
Team Reports
Yomiuri Ace Koji Uehara said he was unhappy with the Giants' refusal to negotiate with players through agents. He hasn't as yet hired one, but revealed that he is moving on that. This lead to Sankei Sports speculating that Uehara, if things really get nasty between him and the team, may ask to be posted. A Yomiuri spokesman lamented that Uehara going to MLB would jeopardize Japan's gold medal hopes at Athens....The Giants have reportedly concluded a "friendship agreement" with the Peking Tigers of the Chinese pro league. The formal signing will be on the 17th in Peking and allows for Yomiuri sending retired players and coaches to help the Tigers improve their skills....First baseman Kazuhiro Kiyohara will have offseason right knee surgery.
Yakult Team president Tagiku says he thinks it's a good thing that closer Shingo Takatsu wants to go to the major leagues. He has also offered to put in a word for him to the Cleveland Indians, with whom the Swallows have a working agreement. Whether this is little more than an elevated game of chicken between the righthanded sidearmer and the Tokyo outfit is hard to discern, but Takatsu, Japan's all time saves leader, has made noises that time is short if he ultimately hopes to play stateside....The Swallows front office is also playng hardball with catcher Atsuya Furuta. Negotiations on his next contract are not going well at all and he is threatening to use his free agency rights, according to Chunichi Sports. At 38 and with bad knees, it is unlikely that any MLB team would want him, though he is highly regarded by big league scouts. But he wouldn't have any trouble finding a job with another Japanese team. Yakult, as recently as this past offseason, had made noises about canning current skipper Tsutomu Wakamatsu when his contract ends after the 2004 season and making Furuta a playing manager. The future hall of fame backstop is looking for a two year contract.
Hanshin While Makoto Imaoka, Norihiro Akahoshi and Tomoaki Kanemoto will be the top three in the order during the Japan Series, the cleanup spot will depend on the pitching matchups, with Katsumi Hirosawa, Atsushi Kataoka, Osamu Hamanaka and George Arias the main candidates to fill that role at least sometime during the Japanese fall classic.
Chunichi The team, on its own, approved the posting of closer Akinori Otsuka. Now it will be up to Otsuka to decide to ask to be put up for bid. Otsuka is taking a positive view of perhaps being picked up by San Diego, especially since they will be moving into a new ballpark. He says he wants to make a decision by November 5th, when the Dragons' fall camp in Okinawa starts...Over in an instructional league, Kenta Asakura, recovering from a broken elbow, is already cranking it up to 92mph, as he went two innings of scoreless one hit ball. This was his first game action since late May.
Yokohama The Stars concluded a working agreement with the Tientsin Lions of the Chinese pro league. The signing ceremony will be in China on the 21st.
Seibu Former Dragons outfielder Jiro Fujitate and ex-Yomiuri infielder Kazuaki Miyazaki passed a tryout with the Seibu Lions. Miyazaki, a Hose University grad who once played in a U.S. independent league, will be used as a utility player while Fujitate is seen as a pinch hitting specialist.
Daiei Sports Nippon, in conjunction with the Japan Battery Manufacturers Association have named Hanshin's Kei Igawa and Akihiro Yano and the Hawks Kazumi Saito and Kenji Johjima as Battery of the Year for their respective leagues. The winners received one million each (a little over $9,000)....Outfielder Arihito Muramatsu had a hit in a simulated game Wednesday. He also put in some time in the outfield. With only three more days to the Japan Series, they are hoping that somehow he can be ready to play, though that is still up in the air. It would be a remarkable recovery from a fractured shoulder joint if he does....Brandon Knight made an instructional league start as a series tuneup and permitted one run in six innings of work. He says that he was originally a position player when he entered MLB, so he thinks he can still handle the bat even though he didn't have a single plate appearance in the PL, where the DH rule is in force....Showing that he perhaps isn't ready to participate in the Japan Series was Nagisa Arakaki, who had everything he threw hit in that same simulated game.
Kintetsu Leftfielder Tuffy Rhodes is now taking offers from all comers, according to Hochi Sports. Boy, his loss would be devastating to the club.
Lotte Reserve outfielder Takenori Daita has been released. He hopes to catch on with another team.
Miscellaneous Belting five homers, including a grand slam by Takashi Yoshiura, who is with Nissan Motors' industrial league squad, the Japan pounded France into submission 18-0 in the International Amateur Baseball Federation world cup. It was called after the seventh inning due to the huge Japanese lead. A real evil empire gets it handed handed to it. Nice job, boys....Tsutomu Itoh, who just recently took over the managerial reigns with Seibu, will get to call the shots for the first time not with the Lions, but as the field boss of the eastern nine in the East-West pro all star game in Shizuoka on November ninth. Nippon Ham headman Trey Hillman will be working under Itoh as a coach. Daisuke Matsuzaka and Kazuo Matsui will both play for that side while the west team, skippered by Masataka Nashida, will feature Kenji Johjima, Kazumi Saito and Yoshitomo Tani. Sadaharu Oh will be a coach under Nashida.
In the News
Valentine to Japan Rumors Resurface
See story at: New York Daily News Article
Akahoshi Overhadows Deguchi
See story at: Yomiuri Shimbun Article
Koo Injures Knee, is Out of Olympic Qualifier
See story at: Japan Today Article
Hara Caught in Managerial Whirlwind
Jim Allen drags the Giants front office off the Hot Corner and into the woodshed at: Yomiuri Shimbun Article
Hawks Have Starting Pitching Edge
Graczyk: Johjima Should be MVP
Finally....
This article is dedicated to the guy who went after the foul ball down the leftfield line at Wrigley Field in game six of the NLCS. Talk about being swept into the Twilight Zone. Yeah, it was dumb. So what. He's not a pro ballplayer and doesn't think like one or read the flight of the ball like one. That could have been you, buddy boy.
So for you cretins who are vilifying and/or harrassing the poor guy, and to the media who gave out his home address and phone number, you earn the Morons of the Day Award as well as a a unidigital salute and a hardy "suck me." Are your lives so freaking empty that you're going to get exercised enough over a freaking ballgame to threaten somebody's life? Phone your former high school teacher, if he/she hasn't taken out an Order of Protection against you, and ask what the phrase, "sense of proportion" means.
Look, I'm rooting for the Cubs, too. But give the guy a break, will ya? This is not to insult Cubs fans in general, who have been nothing but classy the entire post season until Tuesday night. Two thirds of you think the fan should be left alone. Now would you pull the other third aside and talk some sense into them?
Replies: 1 Comment
Very well said! It is a sad commentary for our culture that such an event can change that young man's life to the extent it probably will. I pray that he can recover valiantly and keep this all in perspective.
Posted by Dave Beverlin @ 10/16/2003 09:43 AM EST
