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10/23/2003 Archived Entry: "Japanese Baseball News: Sayonara Victory Puts Hanshin Back in Japan Series"
Hanshin Gets First Series Win on Sayonara Sac Fly
The Hanshin Tigers held on to their Japan Series championship hopes Wednesday at Koshien Stadium, as shortstop Atsushi Fujimoto launched a deep fly ball to center in the bottom of the ninth with one out and the bases loaded for a historic sacrifice fly and a 2-1 victory by the Osaka favorite sons over the Daiei Hawks. Daiei, though, still leads the series 2-1.
Trey Moore started for Hanshin and after a rocky first inning, was absolute nails, a gutty performance that typifies the former Brave's competitiveness. It was unfortunate, then, that he didn't merge with credit for the win. That went to reliever Makoto Yoshino, who tossed three sparkling shutout innings for his first ever series shiroboshi.
Rookie southpaw Tsuyoshi Wada, with ten relatives and friends in the stands looking on, started for the Hawks and, despite the fact that his velocity was off, sliced and diced his way through the Hanshin order like the second coming of Kimiyasu Kudoh many predicted he would be after leaving a record setting career at Waseda university. He made just one mistake and that ended up costing him, though he deserved a better fate.
Moore fanned rightfielder Hiroshi Shibahara to begin the game, but the next man, third baseman Munenori Kawasaki, banged a single to center. Second baseman Tadahito Iguchi, who has had a rough post season so far, wacked one to the opposite field for a knock. That brought up Nobuhiko Matsunaka, who had been an RBI machine the past two months but quiet in the series up to this point, and he hooked a Moore delivery to right for a single, the speedy Kawasaki galloping around third and heading home to make it 1-0 birds of prey while Iguchi turned on the afterburners and slid into third safely. Catcher Kenji Johjima, who had homered in each of the first two series contests, then pulled one to third baseman George Arias. Iguchi was off for the dish on contact, but Arias' peg nailed him for the second out. Leftfielder Pedro Valdes then went down on strikes and from then on, Moore had the Daiei bats hermetically sealed.
Moore would collect the first Tigers hit with a single to left with two gone in the third, but became little more than a glorified spectator when second baseman Makoto Imaoka grounded out.
But Hanshin finally got off the floor in the fourth, as leftfielder Tomoaki Kanemoto stepped up and laid the smack down on a one out 2-1 fastball that Wada was trying to get down and in but left out over the plate, rocketing it through the ocean breeze swirling around the ballpark and well into the centerfield bleachers to knot it at one all. First baseman Hiroshi Yagi walked. Now Arias was up with a chance to put his contingent in the driver's seat. However, he bounced to shortstop Yusuke Torigoe, who flipped to Iguchi, who whipped it to Matsunaka and the inning was over.
Moore would get himself in some trouble in the seventh, though the plate umpire may have helped. With one out, Valdes walked. Centerfielder Arihito Muramatsu then took his turn and Moore buzzed a heater by Muramatsu's elbow. The umpire ruled that the ball had grazed Muramatsu. Hanshin manager Senichi Hoshino vaulted out of the dugout and really gave it to the arbiter verbally, insisting that Muramatsu had swung at it, finishing off with, "what the hell were you looking at? What a retard!" as he stalked back to the dugout. Why Hoshino wasn't ejected is a mystery, but it was good show business anyway. The runners were advanced on a sac bunt by the light hitting Torigoe. Moore, though, put the boot in and the dangerous Noriyoshi Omichi, who was pinch hitting for Wada, grounded out weakly to Imaoka and the deadlock remained in force.
Katsunori Okamoto fashioned two brilliant frames of one hit relief for the Hawks, striking out three, to match what Yoshino was twirling out there and this one quietly moved into the tenth inning, when Takayuki Shinohara, the game one victor, ascended the hill. With one away, Arias walked. Rightfielder Shinjiro Hiyama clocked a single to right, Arias making like a bat out of hell for third. Hanshin catcher Akihiro Yano was having a career year, boasting a .365 average with runners in scoring position,, so Hawks boss Sadaharu Oh didn't want any part of that and Yano was intentionally walked to load the bases. Shortstop Atsushi Fujimoto, whose RISP mark was a wan .212 in 2003, was on the on deck circle having his shoulders rubbed by Hoshino, reminding his charged to keep his front shoulder closed. "Now go home to your new wife looking cool," Hoshino encouraged the young infielder, as Fujimoto walked up to the plate. Shinohara made it easy for Fujimoto, as he hung a first pitch slider on the inner half of the plate and Fujimoto drove it deep to center. Muramatsu had to turn his back to the plate in order to flag it down, so in no way could he get off a strong throw to the plate and Arias tagged up and crossed without a play as the very loud and boisterous Tigers faithful ratcheted up the volume an extra notch in celebrating the sayonara victory. That was the first Japan Series game ever to be won on a walkoff sac fly.
Fujimoto's dad Kazuyuki and mom Hiroko were in the stands. Wife Yuki watched it on tv at home
It was Hanshin's first sayonara victory in a Japan Series since game one, 1962, and their second overall. They are now 2-2 in series matches ended on a sayonara hit. The Tigers are 2-2-1 in Japan Series extra inning tilts.
The last time a Hanshin lefty registered a Japan Series victory was 1985 by reliever Osamu Fukuma in game five against Seibu. In addition, Pete Burnside did it in 1964 against Nankai , Daiei's old owner, in game five.
The previous extra inning Hanshin games in the series were all against the Toei Flyers (now Nippon Ham) in 1962, with one of those being a sayonara win.
It's been 38 years since the Hawks had suffered a sayonara loss in the series (1965 against Yomiuri in game five). They are 4-2 in sayonara games in the Japan Series. This was the the club's first extra inning Japan series faceoff in 30 years, since the Giants beat them in the 11th inning of game two in 1973.
Based on previous history, a team only has about a 4-1 chance to charge back to win it all after going down 2-1 in a series.
For Hanshin, Arias was 0-3 with a walk and is at .222. Moore was 1-2 and is at .500.
For Daiei, Valdes was 0-3 with a walk and two strikeouts and is at .454.
Pitching Lines:
Daiei:
T. Wada IP 6.0 BF 20 PC 76 H 2 HR 1 K 1 BB 1 R 1 ER 1 ERA 1.50
K. Okamoto IP 2.1 BF 8 PC 33 H 1 HR 0 K 3 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
Shinohara (L, 1-1) IP 1.1 BF 7 PC 32 H 1 HR 0 K 2 BB 2 R 1 ER 1 ERA 5.40
Hanshin:
Moore IP 7.0 BF 27 PC 107 H 4 HR 0 K 4 BB 3 R 1 ER 1 ERA 1.29
Yoshino (W, 1-0) IP 3.0 BF 9 PC 36 H 1 HR 0 K 3 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
HR: Kanemoto (1)
RBI: Kanemoto, Fujimoto, Matsunaka
SF: Fujimoto
IBB: A. Yano (Shinohara)
HBP: Johjima (Moore), Muramatsu (Moore)
GIDP: Arias (6-4-3), P. Valdes (4-6-3)
LOB: Daiei 5, Hanshin 4
Series Status: Daiei 2, Hanshin 1
Game Time: 3:20
Attendance: 47,722
Umpires: Kakigizono (HP), Tani (1B), Higashi (2B), Kasahara (3B)
Team Reports
Yakult Pitcher Tony Mounce has signed his contract with the Swallows. He will make about $350,000 a year for two seasons. According to Sankei Sports, Mounce also dabbles in real estate in the offseason.
Chunichi Kenta Asakura threw 30 pitches in the bullpen Wednesday. He will make an instructional league start Thursday.
Miscellaneous Wednesday was Ichiro Suzuki's birthday....Wednesday's workout by the Japan team that will face its Asian neighbors in an olympic qualifying tournament yielded a pleasant surprise for reporters: Kazuo Matsui in the bullpen hitting 93mph on the radar gun. Matsui maxed out at 90mph as a hurler in high school, but his arm obviously has gotten stronger. As a comparison, that is right around Ichiro territory. The Lions superstar infielder threw 50 pitches during the session and coaches were ecstatic with what they saw. While it is improbable, if the Japan squad gets into a long extra inning game, Matsui could take the mound. Wouldn't that be something?....Daisuke Matsuzaka threw 40 pitches in the bullpen. He is tentatively scheduled to start against Taiwan in the second game of the tournament. During a qualifying tourney for the Sydney Olympics, Matsuzaka tossed a complete game three hitter against the island nation's nine....The Sporting News gave its American League Rookie of the Year Award to Jody Gerrut, who hit .279 with 22 homers and 75 RBIs for Cleveland....Masao Kida has returned to Japan. The Dodgers have asked him back for another season. iguchi thrown out at the plate on johjima's grounder to third....The Rangers have signed former Phillies and Yomiuri pitcher John Wasdin....Chris Singleton was released by Oakland. Is Japan in his future?
In the News
Matsui New Yankees "Mr. October"?
See story at: NY Post Article
See related story at: Associated Press Article
It May be A's Who Face Mariners in Japan, Not Angels
See story at: Seattle Times Article
Daiei to Hold Japan Series Sales
See story at: Japan Today Article
Today's Pictures
Tsuyoshi Wada Prepares to Throw Another Pitch
Hideki Matsui Drills Shot Through Left Side to Dissolve 1-1 Tie
Hideki Matsui on Cover of Chunichi Sports After World Series Game Three Heroics
