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10/24/2003 Archived Entry: "Japanese Baseball News: Kanemoto Bomb Means Sayonara Again"
Kanemoto Sayonara Jack Evens Japan Series at Two All
Hanshin Tigers leftfielder Tomoaki Kanemoto slugged a pair of homers, including a historic game winning walkoff roundtripper in the bottom of the tenth inning, to pull his team even with the Daiei Hawks in the Japan Series Thursday at Koshien Stadium 2-2 by a 6-5 score. It is the first time in Japanese annals that the same club has won back to back series tilts sayonara style.
Brandon Knight started for Daiei and was around for only five innings, as he permitted three runs on three hits, though he ultimately didn't figure in the decision.
Kei Igawa started for the Tigers and was cruising along for six innings before running out of gas int he seventh, as the supposedly helpless against southpaws Hawks did him up for four runs on seven hits in 6.2 innings, though he did strikeout nine and walked none (he hit a batter, though).
Hanshin went up to what they must have thought was a comfortable early lead, as Knight issued a one out walk to centerfielder Norihiro Akahoshi. With Kanemoto at the dish, Akahoshi took off for second. Catcher Kenji Johjima's throw had Akahoshi beat, but the umpire ruled that he was safe. Hawks skipper Sadaharu Oh went out to object, but, as always, the call stood. A videotaped replay showed that Akahoshi was indeed a dead duck. NPB really must do something about the low standard of its umpiring. Knight then walked Kanemoto. Rightfielder Shinjiro Hiyama whistled a shot up the leftcenterfield alley and both runners steamed home for a 2-0 Tigers lead. First baseman George Arias struckout. Third baseman Atsushi Kataoka smacked a single to right to plate Hiyama and it became 3-0.
However, in the second, Daiei first baseman Nobuhiko Matsunaka ruthlessly hammered a first pitch hanging slow curve ball well beyond the centerfield wall to cut the Hanshin advantage to 3-1.
Knight and Igawa settled down to snuff the other team's offense until the sixth, when Kanemoto got ahold of a shuuto on the outer half of the plate from reliever Hirokazu Watanabe and crushed it deep into the centerfield stands to put his side back up by three at 4-1.
Unfortunately for the home team, though, Igawa tired in the seventh and squandered his lead. Matsunaka leadoff with a ringing double down the leftfield line and hobbled home on a single to left by Johjima. One out later, rightfielder Hiroshi Shibahara beat out a bouncer toward short. Shortstop Yusuke Torigoe cracked a single back through the middle and Johjima sped in. Third baseman Mitsuru Honma struckout looking, but centerfielder Arihito Muramatsu was plunked on the elbow to load the bases. Yuya Ando was summoned from the bullpen as part of a double switch, Yoshinori Okihara going to third to spell Kataoka, and walked Yudai Deguchi, pinch hitting for reliever Makoto Sato, to force Shibahara in to knot it at 4-4. Second baseman Tadahito Iguchi's horrible series then continued, as he whiffed to terminate the rally.
The Hawks then seized their initial lead of the night in the eighth when Matsunaka walked, only to be erased on a 6-4-3 double play. Valdes singled to left. Shibahara walked. Torigoe beat out a roller toward third to pack the sacks. Honma wacked a shot off of Ando's leg for an RBI and an infield single. Homare Inamine, pinch hitting for reliever Kazunori Okamoto, grounded to second and Daiei was in front 5-4 through seven and a half.
In perhaps a reflection of how unsettled the Hawks bullpen is, Nagisa Arakaki, who hasn't seen any action against live hitting since coming back from ankle surgery, was inserted in the bottom of the eighth to try to hold the Daiei edge. No dice. Kanemoto walked and, one out later and Arias at bat, stole second. The former Padre then redeemed Kanemoto with a knock to left to level it at 5-5. Koji Hirashita, pinch hitting for reliever Makoto Yoshino, flied out and catcher Akihiro Yano grounded out to keep it gridlocked.
Jerrod Riggan ascended the hill in the top of the ninth and was greeted by a single to left from Deguchi. Riggan balked and Deguchi trotted over to second. He was subsequently sacrificed to third. Lefthanded sidearmer Jeff Williams was called on by manager Senichi Hoshino to solve this predicament. Matsunaka was pitched around and walked. Johjima grounded to Okihara, who gunned it to the plate to nail Deguchi. Second baseman Makoto Imaoka, who has been a non-factor in this series, grounded out. Arakaki worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the frame and it went into extra innings.
Williams struckout two and induced a groundout for an easy top of the tenth. Arakaki then went back out and retired Akahoshi on a fly ball to left. But Kanemoto drilled a 2-1 slider that was on the outer half of the plate on a low line to right. Kanemoto, anticipating that the ball would be off the wall, put it into overdrive, but then slowed as the ball disappeared into the first couple of rows and it was pandemonium in Osaka on a 6-5 Tigers triumph. What a game!
Kanemoto is the 12th man in history with a sayonara homer in a Japan Series, but the first ever Tiger. He is the 21st with a two homer series game (it's been done 26 times). He is the third Hanshin batsman. The first two, Eiji Fujii and Kazuhiro Yamauchi, did it in games three and four respectively in 1964. And he is the fourth Tiger to have two games back to back with at least one homer. Bass is the all timer with three in a row in 1985.
Hoshino told reporters after it was over that he won't be using Katsumi Hirosawa the rest of the way. The former Swallows slugger will hang it up after striking out six times in seven series plate appearances. On what occurred in this contest, Hoshino enthused, "that you have this sort of thing go on for two consecutive games is like a dream."
Johjima blamed himself for the defeat, asserting that he didn't guide Arakaki properly during the lanky youngster's stint. Oh posited that Arakaki made a "great pitch" on the final Kanemoto blast.
Muramatsu, who was replaced by Deguchi, was taken to a local hospital for x rays on his elbow. They came back negative and he is expected to start game five.
Akahoshi's bunting problems are still in evidence. He popped up a drag bunt attempt in the fourth
For Hanshin, Arias was 1-3 with a walk, an RBI and two strikeouts and is at .250.
For Daiei, Valdes was 1-5 with four strikeouts and is at .375. Julio Zuleta was 0-1 in a pinch hit role and is at .500. Since this series is now guarenteed to return to Fukuoka, where Oh can use the DH, Zuleta could be the deciding factor as to whether the Hawks fly or fall.
Pitching Lines:
Daiei:
Knight IP 5.0 BF 20 PC 92 H 3 HR 0 K 4 BB 3 R 3 ER 3 ERA 5.40
H.K. Watanabe IP 0.1 BF 2 PC 12 H 1 HR 1 K 0 BB 0 R 1 ER 1 ERA 27.00
M. Sato IP 0.2 BF 3 PC 7 H 0 HR 0 K 1 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
K. Okamoto IP 1.0 BF 4 PC 15 H 1 HR 0 K 1 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
Arakaki (L, 0-1) IP 2.1 BF 10 PC 40 H 2 HR 1 K 1 BB 1 R 2 ER 2 ERA 5.40
Hanshin:
Igawa IP 6.2 BF 28 PC 119 H 7 HR 1 K 9 BB 1 R 4 ER 4 ERA 5.40
Ando IP 1.0 BF 8 PC 30 H 3 HR 0 K 1 BB 3 R 1 ER 1 ERA 4.91
Yoshino IP 0.1 BF 1 PC 3 H 0 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
Riggan IP 0.1 BF 2 PC 9 H 1 HR 0 K 0 BB 0 R 0 ER 0 ERA 6.75
Williams (W, 1-0) IP 1.2 BF 6 PC 24 H 0 HR 0 K 3 BB 1 R 0 ER 0 ERA 0.00
SB: Akahoshi, Kanemoto
2B: Hiyama, Matsunaka
HR: Matsunaka (1), Kanemoto 2 (3)
RBI: Deguchi, Matsunaka, Johjima, Torigoe, M. Honma, Kanemoto 2, Hiyama 2, Arias, Kataoka
HBP: Arias (M. Sato), Muramatsu (Igawa)
Balk: Riggan
GIDP: Imaoka (6-4-3), Johjima (6-4-3)
LOB: Daiei 10, Hanshin 5
Series Status: Daiei 2, Hanshin 2
Game Time: 4:10
Attendance: 47,746
Umpires: Kittaka (HP), Nakamura (1B), Tani (2B), Higashi (3B)
Team Reports
Yomiuri The Giants are looking at Takashi Kamoshida as a righthanded setup man, but Thursday, he was a light up man for Meiji Insurance's industrial league outfit in a practice game, surrendering four runs on five hits in four innings. He touched 91mph on the radar gun. Yomiuri nonetheless won that game, 11-4. Daisuke Kawamoto tossed three hitless innings and has been unscored upon in eight straight frames....Team scouts are focusing on Toyo University shortstop Manabu Iwatachi for this November's draft. Because the Giants intend to draft pitchers on the first two round and thereby then have to skip the third, Iwatachi, who is reportedly a sold hitter and a fine defender, will likely go in the fourth round.
Chunichi If infielder Masahiro Kawai fails in his extended tryout with the Dragons during the team's fall camp, he will retire, according to Sports Nippon.
Hiroshima The Carp front office is working on a "friendship agreement" with the Canton Leopards of the Chinese pro league. It is expected that negotiations will conclude Friday.
Seibu The Lions gave reliever Kazushi Hosomi his release. He had gone to Seibu earlier this past season from Yokohama. He hopes to catch on with another club.
Kintetsu The team is working out former Yakult hurler Nobuyuki Ebisu, ex-Seibu pitcher Jun Takeshita and erstwhile Yokohama moundsman Yu Sugimoto to see if they might be able to help his ballclub. All three were released this offseason by their respective teams. The Buffs also auditioned 13 others, but they didn't impress enough to keep them around for the next stage of workouts.
Nippon Ham The Fighters released pitcher Masaki Oikoma. He was drafted on the seventh round out of Hitachi Seisakusho's industrial league squad in 1997 and went 3-9 with four saves in 74 career games. He didn't appear with the top club at all in either 2002 or 2003.
Orix The team is allowing the grass to grow on its infield in order to slow balls down and help cut down on some of those pro yakyu worst 132 errors the Blue Wave made this year. The only thing, though, is that at least some of those miscues are on throws and no matter how long the grass is, that won't be helped.
Miscellaneous Shortstop Kazuo Matsui celebrated his 28th birthday Thursday by working out with other all star pro players as part of the Japanese olympic qualifying team. He took 31 swings from the left side in batting practice and slugged 13 over the fences....Righthander Hiroshi Kisanuki, also a part of that squad, threw 64 pitches in the bullpen, his first such session since October 7th. He was apaprently dropping his arm during his delivery, so he corrected that when it was pointed out to him....Lotte closer Masahide Kobayashi will be in that role for the Japanese nine....Asahi Television apologized to viewers, Hanshin and Daiei Thursday after interrupting an interview with Tigers boss Senichi Hoshino in order to run commercials. Network officials say that due to the extra inning game, their commercial timing had gotten backlogged and they were attempting to make it up right after the battle ended.
In the News
MLB Aims for Earlier Start to Japan Opener
See story at: Seattle Post-Intelligencer Article
Koshien Stadium Lost and Found Bursting at the Seams
See story at: Mainichi Shimbun Article
Japan Beats South Korea in Baseball World Cup
See story at: Japan Today Article
World Series a Reminder of Home to Expats
See story at: South Florida Sun-Sentinel Article
Matsui Showing Hints of Jeter
See story at: Greenwich Time Article
Torre: Matsui Low Maintenance
See story at: Seattle Post-Intelligencer Article
Matsui's Heroics Take MLB Global
This is a different piece from one similarly headlined Wednesday. See article at: Alameda Times-Star Article
Mariners Looking at Hiring Leon Lee
There's a factual mistake in this article. Daiei set a new all time batting average record in the PL. Orix wasn't even close to that. See story at: Seattle Times Article
Yoshii Headed to Dominican Winter Ball
See story at: New Orleans Times-Picayune
Today's Pictures
Jeff Williams Shutting Daiei Down
