Good teams find a way to win, bad ones develop ways to lose.
The Hiroshima Carp showed why they are near the bottom of the Central League standings, turning a victory into a loss that will be nearly impossible to forget.
Two ninth-inning errors helped the first-place Yomiuri Giants plated two runs in a late 5-4 comeback win over the Carp at the Zoom on Wednesday.
Edgar Gonzalez doubled to open the inning, and an error on Yoshiyuki Kamei’s sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third with none out.
Hayato Sakamoto got the Giants even with a scoring flyball before Akihiro Higashide’s error plated the go-ahead run.
The Carp had their moments. After falling behind 2-0 on red-hot Shinnosuke Abe’s 26th homer in the fourth, a wild pitch from Giants starter Ken Nishimura gifted Hiroshima a run in the bottom of the frame.
In the fifth, Eishin Soyogi knocked in the tying run with a single and Masato Akamatsu doubled to give the Carp a 4-2 lead.
Dioni Soriano went seven sharp innings and left with the lead, but John Bale (0-2) was the victim of poor defense.
DRAGONS 2, TIGERS 1
Chen Wei-yin finally looked like the league ERA leader from last season, handcuffing Hanshin on seven hits over 7.2 innings, and Kazuhiro Wada knocked in both runs as Chunichi won at Koshien.
Chen (5-7) didn’t walk a batter and fanned three, and Wada blasted his 21st longball, a solo shot in the fourth, to lead the Dragons.
SWALLOWS 3, BAYSTARS 2
Norichika Aoki doubled in the tying run and Hiroyasu Tanaka followed with a run-scoring single in the fifth inning and visiting Yakult held off Yokohama.
Three Swallows relievers combined to work 3.1 scoreless innings to close it out.
PACIFIC LEAGUE
BUFFALOES 3, EAGLES 2
Takeshi Hidaka ripped a two-run walk-off homer in the ninth inning as Orix woke up in time to top visiting Rakuten.
The Eagles took the lead in the top of the inning on Takeshi Yamasaki’s RBI groundout, but closer Tsuyoshi Kawagishi (2-3) didn’t record an out.
FIGHTERS 7, LIONS 3, 11 innings
Eiichi Koyano keyed a four-run 11th inning with a bases-loaded, two-run single -- his third hit -- to break a tie, and visiting Nippon Ham topped Seibu.
It was the third hit for Koyano, who helped the Fighters stretch their winning streak to five games.
MARINES 7, HAWKS 4
KimTae Kyung double in two runs and Saburo Omura tripled in a pair in a five-run fifth inning that carried host Lotte past Softbank.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Bang, boom, bam …
Ramirez, Giants top night of the longball
It was the night of 1,000 runs, and Alex Ramirez and the Yomiuri Giants ran away.
Ramirez hit three longballs in one game for the first time in his 10-plus years in Japan, and the Giants tied a franchise record with eight homers in a 12-9 win over the Hiroshima Carp at the Zoom.
Ryota Wakiya cracked his third, Shinnosuke Abe hit his 25th, Edgar Gonzalez, with his parents visiting, smacked his third – his second in three games -- Hayato Sakamoto had his 15th, and rookie Hisayoshi Chono hit his 10th.
Ramirez, who moved into a tie for the Central League lead with his 26th homer, went 4-for-5 with a double and four RBIs.
The big scoring backed Shun Tono (10-2), who tied for the Central League lead with his career-best 10th win.
Tono wasn’t exactly sharp, allowing six hits and three walks with no strikeouts over five innings.
Marc Kroon closed it out, after the Carp scored four in the eighth inning, with a perfect ninth for his 13th save.
TIGERS 11, DRAGONS 5
Craig Brazell belted three homers in consecutive at-bats and added a single for a 4-for-4 night as Hanshin beat Chunichi senseless at Koshien Stadium.
Takahiro Arai hit his 10 th and and Kenji Jojima smacked his 12th to back Jason Standridge (4-1), who allowed a run in seven innings.
SWALLOWS 10, BAYSTARS 0
Hiroyasu Tanaka had three hits, including a triple, and three RBIs, and newcomer Josh Whitesell hit his second homer in three games as Yakult smothered host Yokohama.
Kyohei Tanaka (5-6) scattered seven hits and two walks, while punching out five over eight innings for the win.
PACIFIC LEAGUE
HAWKS 19, LOTTE 1
Satoru Morimoto went 4-for6 with a homer and a double to lead a 23-hit attack as Fukuoka drubbed scuffling Lotte at Chiba Marines Stadium.
Nobuhiro Matsuda had three hits, including his seventh homer, and four RBIs, to back lefty Toshiya Sugiuchi (10-3) as the Hawks sent the Marines to their season-high fourth straight loss.
The Hawks batted around in the fifth, scoring 10 runs on nine hits, including Jose Ortiz’s 18th shot.
BUFFALOES 3, EAGLES 0
Mitsutaka Goto ripped a three-run, first-inning shot, and Hiroshi Kisanuki (8-5) tossed a four-hitter for his first shutout in seven years as Orix blanked visiting Rakuten.
FIGHTERS 6, LIONS 4
Atsunori Inaba homered and drove in two as Nippon Ham took an early lead and held off host Saitama.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
’Starring role for import …
Bootcheck holds Giants in check
Chris Bootcheck might have turned his first start in Japan into a fulltime job.
The right-hander went 6.1 innings, holding the mighty Yomiuri Giants to two runs in his first start in at least four years.
The seven singles he scattered were harmless. The one double he surrendered cost him two runs, but three relievers and a two-inning save from closer Shun Yamaguchi preserved the victory.
Seiichi Uchikawa had three hits, including his fourth homer, and Kazuya Fujita drove in two runs with a clutch single in a three-run third to back Bootcheck.
The 31-year-old first-year import had a 6.00 ERA in 11 outings out of the bullpen, but he tossed six shutout innings against the Giants, fanning the Central League’s hottest hitter, Shinnosuke Abe, twice.
CARP 6, DRAGONS 4
Junpei Shinoda (2-1) held Chunichi to one run over seven innings, and Justin Huber hit a two-run homer and an RBI single to help visiting Hiroshima avoid a sweep.
SWALLOWS 8, TIGERS 4
Josh Whitesell’s two-run triple broke a 2-2 tie and Jamie D’Antona cracked his 11th homer and added a scoring flyball as Yakult won the last two of a three-game set.
PACIFIC LEAGUE
LIONS 4, BUFFALOES 2
Takuya Hara’s solo blast in the seventh was the difference as Seibu topped visiting Orix.
Brian Sikorski locked it down with a perfect ninth for his Japan-best 23 rd save.
FIGHTERS 10, MARINES 3
PL leading hitter Kensuke Tanaka collected four hits to back Bobby Keppel (10-1), who matched two others atop the PL with his 10th win.
HAWKS 1, EAGLES 1
Kensuke Uchimura’s RBI single in the seventh knotted up the score, and neither Rakuten nor SoftBank could score as the teams played to a 12-inning tie at the Kleenex Box.
Chris Bootcheck might have turned his first start in Japan into a fulltime job.
The right-hander went 6.1 innings, holding the mighty Yomiuri Giants to two runs in his first start in at least four years.
The seven singles he scattered were harmless. The one double he surrendered cost him two runs, but three relievers and a two-inning save from closer Shun Yamaguchi preserved the victory.
Seiichi Uchikawa had three hits, including his fourth homer, and Kazuya Fujita drove in two runs with a clutch single in a three-run third to back Bootcheck.
The 31-year-old first-year import had a 6.00 ERA in 11 outings out of the bullpen, but he tossed six shutout innings against the Giants, fanning the Central League’s hottest hitter, Shinnosuke Abe, twice.
CARP 6, DRAGONS 4
Junpei Shinoda (2-1) held Chunichi to one run over seven innings, and Justin Huber hit a two-run homer and an RBI single to help visiting Hiroshima avoid a sweep.
SWALLOWS 8, TIGERS 4
Josh Whitesell’s two-run triple broke a 2-2 tie and Jamie D’Antona cracked his 11th homer and added a scoring flyball as Yakult won the last two of a three-game set.
PACIFIC LEAGUE
LIONS 4, BUFFALOES 2
Takuya Hara’s solo blast in the seventh was the difference as Seibu topped visiting Orix.
Brian Sikorski locked it down with a perfect ninth for his Japan-best 23 rd save.
FIGHTERS 10, MARINES 3
PL leading hitter Kensuke Tanaka collected four hits to back Bobby Keppel (10-1), who matched two others atop the PL with his 10th win.
HAWKS 1, EAGLES 1
Kensuke Uchimura’s RBI single in the seventh knotted up the score, and neither Rakuten nor SoftBank could score as the teams played to a 12-inning tie at the Kleenex Box.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Out of the doghouse and in the spotlight ...
Ihara on the fast track to redemption
Yasushi Ihara had a recent base-running gaffe that put him in the doghouse. He was humble but living it up in the penthouse after hitting a two-run, eighth-inning home run on Saturday to help the Yakult Swallows top the Hanshin Tigers 4-2.
Ihara, who doubled in the tying run in the fifth inning, cracked his fourth longball off Ken Nishimura (4-1) to give the Swallows a 3-2 lead, and newcomer Josh Whitesell slugged his first homer in his debut in a win at Jingu Stadium.
The Swallows promoted the game in hopes of drawing a large crowd to make the world’s biggest toast. Of the 28,503 on hand, 27,126 were confirmed in the toast to set the record.
Ihara set fifth-place Yakult’s record one game in the right direction in the Central League.
After Hiroyasu Tanaka singed, he sent a fly toward right-center field that took off and carried over the wall.
The Swallows evened the three-game weekend series, which wraps up on Sunday.
Masanori Ishikawa was sharp over his 6.1 innings, but left after walking a man in the seventh. Tatsuyoshi Masubuchi, a one-time promising hurler turned reliever, allowed singles to the first two batters he faced to load the bases.
He fanned pinch-hitter Tomoaki Kanemoto, but held onto a fastball too long against pinch-hitter Shinjiro Hiyama for a wild pitch that sent home the go-ahead run for a 2-1 Hanshin lead.
Ihara erased that and made fans forget about his failure to touch up and score on a flyball in a June 20 game at Hiroshima, by blasting the Swallows into the lead.
DRAGONS 1, CARP 0
Kenichi Nakata (2-2) scattered four hits and three walks over 7.2 innings to beat Giancarlo Alvarado (1-4) in a pitching duel at Nagoya Dome.
The Dragons pushed home a run in the first, and escaped a two-on, none-out jam in the ninth to preserve the win.
GIANTS 11, BAYSTARS 2
Shinnosuke Abe homered twice -- giving him the CL lead with 24 -- and drove in four, and Edgar Gonzalez hit a three-run shot as two five-run innings helped lift front-running Yomiuri past visiting Yokohama and give skipper Tatsunori Hara his 517th win, fourth most in club history.
PACIFIC LEAGUE
FIGHTERS 7, MARINES 2
Yu Darvish (7-4) stopped Bill Murphy’s winning streak to start the season at six games, working seven innings of one-run ball to beat Lotte at Sapporo Dome.
Murphy (6-1) was trying to top Leo Kiely’s franchise record for foreign pitchers. Kiely went 6-0 in 1953 for the team when it was known as the Mainichi Orions.
HAWKS 2, EAGLES 1
Tsuyoshi Wada (10-4) became the PL’s second10-game winner with seven strong innings, and three relievers finished up with a perfect inning each at SoftBank edged Rakuten at the Kleenex Box.
Jose Ortiz and Hiroshi Shibahara each had RBIs in a two-run second inning in support of Wada.
BUFFALOES 7, LIONS 5
Takahiro “T.O.” Okada had three hits, including his 15th homer, and four RBIs, and Alex Cabrera went 2-for-4 as visiting Orix topped front-running Seibu.
Yasushi Ihara had a recent base-running gaffe that put him in the doghouse. He was humble but living it up in the penthouse after hitting a two-run, eighth-inning home run on Saturday to help the Yakult Swallows top the Hanshin Tigers 4-2.
Ihara, who doubled in the tying run in the fifth inning, cracked his fourth longball off Ken Nishimura (4-1) to give the Swallows a 3-2 lead, and newcomer Josh Whitesell slugged his first homer in his debut in a win at Jingu Stadium.
The Swallows promoted the game in hopes of drawing a large crowd to make the world’s biggest toast. Of the 28,503 on hand, 27,126 were confirmed in the toast to set the record.
Ihara set fifth-place Yakult’s record one game in the right direction in the Central League.
After Hiroyasu Tanaka singed, he sent a fly toward right-center field that took off and carried over the wall.
The Swallows evened the three-game weekend series, which wraps up on Sunday.
Masanori Ishikawa was sharp over his 6.1 innings, but left after walking a man in the seventh. Tatsuyoshi Masubuchi, a one-time promising hurler turned reliever, allowed singles to the first two batters he faced to load the bases.
He fanned pinch-hitter Tomoaki Kanemoto, but held onto a fastball too long against pinch-hitter Shinjiro Hiyama for a wild pitch that sent home the go-ahead run for a 2-1 Hanshin lead.
Ihara erased that and made fans forget about his failure to touch up and score on a flyball in a June 20 game at Hiroshima, by blasting the Swallows into the lead.
DRAGONS 1, CARP 0
Kenichi Nakata (2-2) scattered four hits and three walks over 7.2 innings to beat Giancarlo Alvarado (1-4) in a pitching duel at Nagoya Dome.
The Dragons pushed home a run in the first, and escaped a two-on, none-out jam in the ninth to preserve the win.
GIANTS 11, BAYSTARS 2
Shinnosuke Abe homered twice -- giving him the CL lead with 24 -- and drove in four, and Edgar Gonzalez hit a three-run shot as two five-run innings helped lift front-running Yomiuri past visiting Yokohama and give skipper Tatsunori Hara his 517th win, fourth most in club history.
PACIFIC LEAGUE
FIGHTERS 7, MARINES 2
Yu Darvish (7-4) stopped Bill Murphy’s winning streak to start the season at six games, working seven innings of one-run ball to beat Lotte at Sapporo Dome.
Murphy (6-1) was trying to top Leo Kiely’s franchise record for foreign pitchers. Kiely went 6-0 in 1953 for the team when it was known as the Mainichi Orions.
HAWKS 2, EAGLES 1
Tsuyoshi Wada (10-4) became the PL’s second10-game winner with seven strong innings, and three relievers finished up with a perfect inning each at SoftBank edged Rakuten at the Kleenex Box.
Jose Ortiz and Hiroshi Shibahara each had RBIs in a two-run second inning in support of Wada.
BUFFALOES 7, LIONS 5
Takahiro “T.O.” Okada had three hits, including his 15th homer, and four RBIs, and Alex Cabrera went 2-for-4 as visiting Orix topped front-running Seibu.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Big Al comes through in big spot ...
Ramirez blasts Giants past BayStars
Tomokazu Oka was back in Tokyo Dome, and Alex Ramirez was back to old tricks on Friday night.
Oka, who spent time in the States, pitched his heart out, holding the Yomiuri Giants to a run over 6.2 innings. But the bullpen let the game slip away, as Ramirez bopped his 23rd longball with a man in the eighth on in a 3-1 win.
The shot, which came off former Giants Hiroki Sanada (2-4), broke a 1-1 tie and moved Ramirez into a tie atop the Central League.
The front-running Giants moved a season-best 15 games over .500, and was their sixth straight win over Yokohama.
Hayato Sakamoto started off the game for the Giants with a homer, his third career first-inning leadoff longball.
Dicky Gonzalez made the start and pitched one his best games of the season, going 7.1 innings and holding the BayStars to a run on six hits and three walks, while fanning three.
Yuya Kubo (5-0) got the win by striking out two in the eighth to get Gonzalez out of a jam. Marc Kroon cleaned up with three punchouts in the ninth for his 12th save.
Oka scattered nine hits and a walk, while fanning five for the last-place BayStars.
DRAGONS 3, CARP 1
Kazuki Yoshimi (7-3) outdueled budding all-star Kenta Maeda (9-3), holding Hiroshima to a run on four hits, and Tony Blanco clubbed a two-run homer as Chunichi won at Nagoya Dome.
Closer Hitoki Iwase worked a scoreless ninth to tie former Lotte stopper Masahide Kobayashi by collecting at least 20 saves for seven straight seasons.
TIGERS 9, SWALLOWS 4
CL leading hitter Matt Murton had three hits and an RBI, and Craig Brazell drove in a pair as Hanshin topped Yakult at Jingu Stadium.
Swallows starter Tony Barnette (3-5) got roughed up, surrendering seven runs in 2.2 innings.
PACIFIC LEAGUE
FIGHTERS 7, MARINES 3
Red-hot Eiichi Koyano, who came into Friday’s action hitting .429 the past week, homered and added two more hits to drive in five as Nippon Ham manhandled Lotte at Sapporo Dome.
Yoshio Itoi had three hits and two RBIs and took over the PL lead in batting at .350.
LIONS 7, BUFFALOES 3
Hiroyuki Nakajima had three hits, including his 10th homer, and Dee Brown also went deep as Seibu topped Orix at Seibu Dome.
Hideaki Wakui (10-3) went the distance, firing 141 pitches and holding the Buffaloes to three runs on seven hits, two walks and two hit batters, while fanning nine.
HAWKS 6, EAGLES 2, 10 innings
Hidenori Tanoue’s two-run double in the 10th inning lifted SoftBank past host Rakuten.
Tomokazu Oka was back in Tokyo Dome, and Alex Ramirez was back to old tricks on Friday night.
Oka, who spent time in the States, pitched his heart out, holding the Yomiuri Giants to a run over 6.2 innings. But the bullpen let the game slip away, as Ramirez bopped his 23rd longball with a man in the eighth on in a 3-1 win.
The shot, which came off former Giants Hiroki Sanada (2-4), broke a 1-1 tie and moved Ramirez into a tie atop the Central League.
The front-running Giants moved a season-best 15 games over .500, and was their sixth straight win over Yokohama.
Hayato Sakamoto started off the game for the Giants with a homer, his third career first-inning leadoff longball.
Dicky Gonzalez made the start and pitched one his best games of the season, going 7.1 innings and holding the BayStars to a run on six hits and three walks, while fanning three.
Yuya Kubo (5-0) got the win by striking out two in the eighth to get Gonzalez out of a jam. Marc Kroon cleaned up with three punchouts in the ninth for his 12th save.
Oka scattered nine hits and a walk, while fanning five for the last-place BayStars.
DRAGONS 3, CARP 1
Kazuki Yoshimi (7-3) outdueled budding all-star Kenta Maeda (9-3), holding Hiroshima to a run on four hits, and Tony Blanco clubbed a two-run homer as Chunichi won at Nagoya Dome.
Closer Hitoki Iwase worked a scoreless ninth to tie former Lotte stopper Masahide Kobayashi by collecting at least 20 saves for seven straight seasons.
TIGERS 9, SWALLOWS 4
CL leading hitter Matt Murton had three hits and an RBI, and Craig Brazell drove in a pair as Hanshin topped Yakult at Jingu Stadium.
Swallows starter Tony Barnette (3-5) got roughed up, surrendering seven runs in 2.2 innings.
PACIFIC LEAGUE
FIGHTERS 7, MARINES 3
Red-hot Eiichi Koyano, who came into Friday’s action hitting .429 the past week, homered and added two more hits to drive in five as Nippon Ham manhandled Lotte at Sapporo Dome.
Yoshio Itoi had three hits and two RBIs and took over the PL lead in batting at .350.
LIONS 7, BUFFALOES 3
Hiroyuki Nakajima had three hits, including his 10th homer, and Dee Brown also went deep as Seibu topped Orix at Seibu Dome.
Hideaki Wakui (10-3) went the distance, firing 141 pitches and holding the Buffaloes to three runs on seven hits, two walks and two hit batters, while fanning nine.
HAWKS 6, EAGLES 2, 10 innings
Hidenori Tanoue’s two-run double in the 10th inning lifted SoftBank past host Rakuten.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Master Randolph ...
BayStars lefty tops Dragons again
A dynamic duo went medieval on the Chunichi Dragons on Thursday night at Nagoya Dome.
Terrmel Sledge played the role of batman, slamming a pair of homers, and southpaw Stephen Randolph was Robin went six strong innings in a 5-2 Central League win. Randolph ate up the Dragons last season, and he returned to the first team on Friday by chewed them up again. He held them to a run on three hits and three walks, while fanning a half-dozen. Randolph (1-6), who was 2-0 with a 0.44 ERA in three starts vs. the Dragons last year, is 3-1 in about one year with Yokohama. He stopped a personal six-game slide.
Sledge, who last year had six hits at Nagoya Dome -- three of them homers -- hit a pair off Chen Wei-yin (4-7) to improve on his .333 average at the dome.
“I like this place, so hopefully we can play here every day. It was good for the team. We’ve been struggling a lot, so it was good for me to come out and have a game like this,” said Sledge, who hit a solo blast, a two-run shot (hit 16th) and added an RBI double.
“He (Randolph) should be up here, too,” Sledge said during the postgame interview. “He’s a hero. He came back from an injury to pitch great like that.”
The Donoue brothers each accounted for the Dragons’ runs. Naomichi started at second and had an RBI double in the fifth, while Takehiro came on as a pinch-hitter in the seventh and had an RBI single.
GIANTS 4, SWALLOWS 1
Alex Ramirez blasted a pair of solo homers to move into a tie for the CL lead at 22 as Yomiuri topped Yakult at Jingu Stadium.
Rookie Hisayoshi Chono belted his ninth homer, a two-run shot in a three-run sixth.
PACIFIC LEAGUE
EAGLES 6, LIONS 2
Second-year righty Ryohei Isaka (2-1) held first-place Seibu to two run on six hits in his first career complete game as Rakuten won at the Kleenex Box.
Yosuke Takasu had a breakout game with three hits, including his fourth homer, and five RBIs.
MARINES 6, BUFFALOES 2
Shoitsu Omatsu got Lotte an early lead with a two-run, first-inning double, and Shunsuke Watanabe (5-3) held Orix to a run over five innings and the Marines cruised at Chiba Marine Stadium.
Lotte’s Tadahito Iguchi went deep as did Kim Kyung Tae, cracking his 17th.
HAWKS 6, FIGHTERS 1
Roberto Petagine’s RBI single sparked a four-run fourth, and rookie Hiroki Yamada (1-1) scattered six hits, a walk and a hit batter over 8.1 innings for his first pro win as SoftBank halted Nippon Ham’s six-game winning streak.
Nippon Ham’s Kensuke Tanaka went 0-for-4 to see his 22-game hitting streak end.
A dynamic duo went medieval on the Chunichi Dragons on Thursday night at Nagoya Dome.
Terrmel Sledge played the role of batman, slamming a pair of homers, and southpaw Stephen Randolph was Robin went six strong innings in a 5-2 Central League win. Randolph ate up the Dragons last season, and he returned to the first team on Friday by chewed them up again. He held them to a run on three hits and three walks, while fanning a half-dozen. Randolph (1-6), who was 2-0 with a 0.44 ERA in three starts vs. the Dragons last year, is 3-1 in about one year with Yokohama. He stopped a personal six-game slide.
Sledge, who last year had six hits at Nagoya Dome -- three of them homers -- hit a pair off Chen Wei-yin (4-7) to improve on his .333 average at the dome.
“I like this place, so hopefully we can play here every day. It was good for the team. We’ve been struggling a lot, so it was good for me to come out and have a game like this,” said Sledge, who hit a solo blast, a two-run shot (hit 16th) and added an RBI double.
“He (Randolph) should be up here, too,” Sledge said during the postgame interview. “He’s a hero. He came back from an injury to pitch great like that.”
The Donoue brothers each accounted for the Dragons’ runs. Naomichi started at second and had an RBI double in the fifth, while Takehiro came on as a pinch-hitter in the seventh and had an RBI single.
GIANTS 4, SWALLOWS 1
Alex Ramirez blasted a pair of solo homers to move into a tie for the CL lead at 22 as Yomiuri topped Yakult at Jingu Stadium.
Rookie Hisayoshi Chono belted his ninth homer, a two-run shot in a three-run sixth.
PACIFIC LEAGUE
EAGLES 6, LIONS 2
Second-year righty Ryohei Isaka (2-1) held first-place Seibu to two run on six hits in his first career complete game as Rakuten won at the Kleenex Box.
Yosuke Takasu had a breakout game with three hits, including his fourth homer, and five RBIs.
MARINES 6, BUFFALOES 2
Shoitsu Omatsu got Lotte an early lead with a two-run, first-inning double, and Shunsuke Watanabe (5-3) held Orix to a run over five innings and the Marines cruised at Chiba Marine Stadium.
Lotte’s Tadahito Iguchi went deep as did Kim Kyung Tae, cracking his 17th.
HAWKS 6, FIGHTERS 1
Roberto Petagine’s RBI single sparked a four-run fourth, and rookie Hiroki Yamada (1-1) scattered six hits, a walk and a hit batter over 8.1 innings for his first pro win as SoftBank halted Nippon Ham’s six-game winning streak.
Nippon Ham’s Kensuke Tanaka went 0-for-4 to see his 22-game hitting streak end.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Showing some Fight ...
Fighters back into the swing
The defending Pacific League champions seem to be getting back into the swing.
Kensuke Tanaka had three hits to extend his hitting streak to 22 games -- third longest in franchise history -- and one of Yoshio Itoi’s three hits was a two-run bomb that powered the Fighters to a 9-3 win over host Fukuoka SoftBank.
Five of the first six Fighters hit safely in a three-run first inning, and Itoi’s longball capped a five-run fourth that gave Nippon Ham a 9-0 cushion en route to its fifth straight win.
Eiichi Koyano had three hits and three RBIs, and Atsunori Inaba added three hits and two runs driven in to lead Nippon Ham to its fourth straight win over SoftBank.
The Fighters are still in last place in the PL, a half-game behind Rakuten, but have won eight of 10 since June 12.
The Hawks -- hanging onto third place, two games ahead of Orix -- have yet to win since the end of interleague, dropping six straight.
EAGLES 10, LIONS 8
Norihiro Nakamura's two-run single highlighted a seven-run sixth as Rakuten rallied to beat front-running Seibu at the Kleenex Box.
Yosuke Takasu added a two-run single to cap the rally as the Eagles halted a four-game skid at home.
BUFFALOES at MARINES -- rained out.
CENTRAL LEAGUE
TIGERS 9, CARP 4
Matt Murton had four hits, including the eventual game winner, a run-scoring double in the in seventh, and four RBIs as Hanshin smothered Hiroshima at the Zoom.
Takashi Toritani also had four hits and chipped in with two RBIs for the Tigers, who moved to within 2.5 games of the first-place Giants.
Murton took over the CL batting lead at .351.
DRAGONS 4, BAYSTARS 2
Daisuke Yamai (2-2) tossed seven innings of one-run ball, and Masahiko Morino and Kazuhiro Wada both went deep in the seventh as Chunichi came back to beat visiting Yokohama.
Hitoshi Iwase closed it out in the ninth to take over the No. 2 spot on the all-time saves list, moving past the “Daimajin” Kazuhiro Sasaki with his 253 rd career save -- his 19th this season.
SWALLOWS 4, GIANTS 3
Shohei Tateyama (4-5) worked six solid innings before leaving injured, and the eventual winning run scored on Yoshinobu Takahashi’s fourth-inning error at first base as Yakult topped Yomiuri at Jingu Stadium.
The defending Pacific League champions seem to be getting back into the swing.
Kensuke Tanaka had three hits to extend his hitting streak to 22 games -- third longest in franchise history -- and one of Yoshio Itoi’s three hits was a two-run bomb that powered the Fighters to a 9-3 win over host Fukuoka SoftBank.
Five of the first six Fighters hit safely in a three-run first inning, and Itoi’s longball capped a five-run fourth that gave Nippon Ham a 9-0 cushion en route to its fifth straight win.
Eiichi Koyano had three hits and three RBIs, and Atsunori Inaba added three hits and two runs driven in to lead Nippon Ham to its fourth straight win over SoftBank.
The Fighters are still in last place in the PL, a half-game behind Rakuten, but have won eight of 10 since June 12.
The Hawks -- hanging onto third place, two games ahead of Orix -- have yet to win since the end of interleague, dropping six straight.
EAGLES 10, LIONS 8
Norihiro Nakamura's two-run single highlighted a seven-run sixth as Rakuten rallied to beat front-running Seibu at the Kleenex Box.
Yosuke Takasu added a two-run single to cap the rally as the Eagles halted a four-game skid at home.
BUFFALOES at MARINES -- rained out.
CENTRAL LEAGUE
TIGERS 9, CARP 4
Matt Murton had four hits, including the eventual game winner, a run-scoring double in the in seventh, and four RBIs as Hanshin smothered Hiroshima at the Zoom.
Takashi Toritani also had four hits and chipped in with two RBIs for the Tigers, who moved to within 2.5 games of the first-place Giants.
Murton took over the CL batting lead at .351.
DRAGONS 4, BAYSTARS 2
Daisuke Yamai (2-2) tossed seven innings of one-run ball, and Masahiko Morino and Kazuhiro Wada both went deep in the seventh as Chunichi came back to beat visiting Yokohama.
Hitoshi Iwase closed it out in the ninth to take over the No. 2 spot on the all-time saves list, moving past the “Daimajin” Kazuhiro Sasaki with his 253 rd career save -- his 19th this season.
SWALLOWS 4, GIANTS 3
Shohei Tateyama (4-5) worked six solid innings before leaving injured, and the eventual winning run scored on Yoshinobu Takahashi’s fourth-inning error at first base as Yakult topped Yomiuri at Jingu Stadium.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
A powerful statement ...
Heart of the order beats up B’Stars
The Chunichi Dragons struggled early but found their rhythm late in a 5-2 win over the Yokohama BayStars on Tuesday in Hamamatsu.
Tony Blanco cracked a two-run shot in the sixth inning (his 17th) out of the No. 5 hole, and No. 3 hitter Masahiko Morino (his ninth) and Kazuhiro Wada (his 18th) went back-to-back in the eighth as the Dragons exploded in time to win the opener of a three-game set.
The Dragons had a four-run lead in the ninth, but after Takuya Asao allowed a run, Hitoki Iwase came on to shut it down for his 252st career save, tying him for second on the all-time list with “Daimajin” Kazuhiro Sasaki.
The first 10 Dragons failed to reach base before two singles off Daisuke Miura (3-5) put two on. A double play got Miura out of the inning, but the Dragons got to him in the fifth.
Starter Kenta Asakura (3-3) won his first game since May 3, holding the Central League’s fifth-place team to one run on six hits and no walks with five Ks over seven innings as Chunichi broke a three-game skid at Hamamatsu.
GIANTS 5, SWALLOWS 1
Shun Tono (9-2) held Yakult to one run over six innings to become the CL's second nine-game winner, and Hisayoshi Chono had an RBI single in the seventh and a two-run homer in the ninth as Yomiuri won at Jingu Stadium.
Giants closer Marc Kroon had to leave the game after getting two out because of pain in his left thigh.
TIGERS 13, CARP 7, 11 innings
Shinjiro Hiyama’s two-run double in the top of the 11 th gave Hanshin the lead and Matt Murton bashed a grand slam in a victory over host Hiroshima.
The Tigers got even in the eighth inning with a two-out, two-run triple by Kentaro Sekimoto.
PACIFIC LEAGUE
BUFFALOES 9, MARINES 1
Hisao Arakane doubled three times and drove in three, and righty Hiroshi Kisanuki (7-5) worked eight innings, allowing a run on seven hits and three walks with five punchouts at Chiba Marine Stadium.
Keiji Obiki led five players with two hits each, doubling and driving in one as Orix halted a three-game skid after winning the interleague title.
LIONS 5, EAGLES 3
Takayuki Kishi (9-4) held Rakuten to three runs over six innings at the Kleenex Box to move into a four-way tie atop the PL with his fourth win as the Lions moved a season-high 17 games over .500.
Dee Brown had two hits and two RBIs, and Brian Sikoriski worked a perfect ninth for his 22nd save.
FIGHTERS 7, HAWKS 0
Masaru Takeda (5-5) scattered seven hits over the distance to help Nippon Ham win at Fukuoka Yahoo! Japan Dome.
The Chunichi Dragons struggled early but found their rhythm late in a 5-2 win over the Yokohama BayStars on Tuesday in Hamamatsu.
Tony Blanco cracked a two-run shot in the sixth inning (his 17th) out of the No. 5 hole, and No. 3 hitter Masahiko Morino (his ninth) and Kazuhiro Wada (his 18th) went back-to-back in the eighth as the Dragons exploded in time to win the opener of a three-game set.
The Dragons had a four-run lead in the ninth, but after Takuya Asao allowed a run, Hitoki Iwase came on to shut it down for his 252st career save, tying him for second on the all-time list with “Daimajin” Kazuhiro Sasaki.
The first 10 Dragons failed to reach base before two singles off Daisuke Miura (3-5) put two on. A double play got Miura out of the inning, but the Dragons got to him in the fifth.
Starter Kenta Asakura (3-3) won his first game since May 3, holding the Central League’s fifth-place team to one run on six hits and no walks with five Ks over seven innings as Chunichi broke a three-game skid at Hamamatsu.
GIANTS 5, SWALLOWS 1
Shun Tono (9-2) held Yakult to one run over six innings to become the CL's second nine-game winner, and Hisayoshi Chono had an RBI single in the seventh and a two-run homer in the ninth as Yomiuri won at Jingu Stadium.
Giants closer Marc Kroon had to leave the game after getting two out because of pain in his left thigh.
TIGERS 13, CARP 7, 11 innings
Shinjiro Hiyama’s two-run double in the top of the 11 th gave Hanshin the lead and Matt Murton bashed a grand slam in a victory over host Hiroshima.
The Tigers got even in the eighth inning with a two-out, two-run triple by Kentaro Sekimoto.
PACIFIC LEAGUE
BUFFALOES 9, MARINES 1
Hisao Arakane doubled three times and drove in three, and righty Hiroshi Kisanuki (7-5) worked eight innings, allowing a run on seven hits and three walks with five punchouts at Chiba Marine Stadium.
Keiji Obiki led five players with two hits each, doubling and driving in one as Orix halted a three-game skid after winning the interleague title.
LIONS 5, EAGLES 3
Takayuki Kishi (9-4) held Rakuten to three runs over six innings at the Kleenex Box to move into a four-way tie atop the PL with his fourth win as the Lions moved a season-high 17 games over .500.
Dee Brown had two hits and two RBIs, and Brian Sikoriski worked a perfect ninth for his 22nd save.
FIGHTERS 7, HAWKS 0
Masaru Takeda (5-5) scattered seven hits over the distance to help Nippon Ham win at Fukuoka Yahoo! Japan Dome.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Slamming the door ...
Fighters pop pair of slams to rip B’s
Nippon Ham’s Eiichi Koyano cracked an eighth-inning grand slam to break open a close game. Makoto Kaneko hit a slam a few minutes later to slam the door.
It was just the fourth time in Japan pro baseball that a team hit two slams in one inning and the longballs propelled the defending Pacific League champs to an 11-1 win at Kyocera Dome.
It was the third straight win for the Fighters, who saw Kensuke Tanaka extend his hitting streak to 20 games and take over the PL in batting at .344.
Bobby Keppel (9-1) worked six innings and allowed only an unearned run on four hits and four walks with four strikeouts for the PL’s last place team .
MARINES 3, EAGLES 1
Tomoya Satozaki’s RBI single tied the score, and Toshiaki Imae followed with a two-run double as Lotte used one inning to edge Rakuten at Chiba Marine Stadium.
LIONS 6, HAWKS 4
Toru Hosokawa ripped a grand slam, his third longball in as many days, and Brian Sikorski saved his Japan-best 21st game as Seibu topped SoftBank at Seibu Dome.
GIANTS 5, DRAGONS 2
Red-hot Shinnosuke Abe homered, his fourth in three games vs. he Dragons, and Shugo Fujii (5-1) allowed just two hits in six innings as Yomiuri cruised at Tokyo Dome.
BAYSTARS 14, TIGERS 6
Hanshin’s Craig Brazell took over the CL lead with two homers, given 21, but Terrmel Sledge cracked a pair of his own as host Yokohama outslugged the Tigers.
Sledge had a perfect day, going 4-for-4 with five RBIs.
SWALLOWS 4, CARP 2
Ryoji Aikawa capped a four-run eighth inning with a two-run single as Yakult came back to defeat Yakult.
Nippon Ham’s Eiichi Koyano cracked an eighth-inning grand slam to break open a close game. Makoto Kaneko hit a slam a few minutes later to slam the door.
It was just the fourth time in Japan pro baseball that a team hit two slams in one inning and the longballs propelled the defending Pacific League champs to an 11-1 win at Kyocera Dome.
It was the third straight win for the Fighters, who saw Kensuke Tanaka extend his hitting streak to 20 games and take over the PL in batting at .344.
Bobby Keppel (9-1) worked six innings and allowed only an unearned run on four hits and four walks with four strikeouts for the PL’s last place team .
MARINES 3, EAGLES 1
Tomoya Satozaki’s RBI single tied the score, and Toshiaki Imae followed with a two-run double as Lotte used one inning to edge Rakuten at Chiba Marine Stadium.
LIONS 6, HAWKS 4
Toru Hosokawa ripped a grand slam, his third longball in as many days, and Brian Sikorski saved his Japan-best 21st game as Seibu topped SoftBank at Seibu Dome.
GIANTS 5, DRAGONS 2
Red-hot Shinnosuke Abe homered, his fourth in three games vs. he Dragons, and Shugo Fujii (5-1) allowed just two hits in six innings as Yomiuri cruised at Tokyo Dome.
BAYSTARS 14, TIGERS 6
Hanshin’s Craig Brazell took over the CL lead with two homers, given 21, but Terrmel Sledge cracked a pair of his own as host Yokohama outslugged the Tigers.
Sledge had a perfect day, going 4-for-4 with five RBIs.
SWALLOWS 4, CARP 2
Ryoji Aikawa capped a four-run eighth inning with a two-run single as Yakult came back to defeat Yakult.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
White lightening ...
Blanco batters Giants with 2 HRs
Going solo is a great way to make a name, but it’s difficult to win a game.
The Yomiuri Giants belted three longballs, but Tony Blanco gave the Chunichi Dragons a three-run shot at the perfect timie in a 7-4 win at Tokyo Dome on Saturday as NPB returned to league play.
Blanco ripped a pitch from Yomiuri closer Marc Kroon (1-1) deep the opposite way after the righty got himself into trouble with two outs and the bases empty.
A double to Masahiko Morino and a walk to Kazuhiro Wada brought up Blanco, who struck out his first two times before doubling in the sixth and launching his 15 th homer -- a solo shot -- in the eighth inning.
He got all of a pitch down and away from Kroon and the Big Egg had no chance to hold it.
The Dragons sent closer Hitoki Iwase to the mound to nail it down, but the Giants came out swinging. Ryota Wakiya singled to kick it off and Michihiro Ogasawara also got a base knock to bring up Alex Ramirez.
The cleanup man ripped a shot down the right-field line and Morino, swung over first base to start the inning, made the grab and turned it into a double play.
Morino collected the final groundball for the final out and a split in the first two of a three-game set.
Blanco’s longballs erased two solo shots by Shinnosuke Abe, who tied for the lead in the Central League with 20 longballs, and Ramirez, who went deep with the bases empty in the sixth inning.
CARP 5, SWALLOWS 1
Soon-to-be all-star Kenta Maeda (9-2) became the CL’s first nine-game winner, allowing five hits over seven innings as Hiroshima won its season-best fourth straight by knocking around Yakult at the Zoom.
Shigenobu Shima, Justin Huber and Masato Akamatsu each homered in a four-run sixth in support of Maeda, who hit a batter and fanned five.
TIGERS 7, BAYSTARS 3
Craig Brazell ripped his 20 th homer, and Takahiro Arai also went deep as visiting Hanshin smacked around Yokohama.
PACIFIC LEAGUE
EAGLES 3, MARINES 1
Hisashi Iwakuma won his ninth straight decision at Chiba Marine Stadium, shutting down Lotte on three hits over seven innings as Rakuten got past the Marines.
Motohiro Shima had two hits and two RBIs, and Yosuke Takasu homered to back Iwakuma (5-4).
FIGHTERS 3, BUFFALOES 1
Yu Darvish (6-4) fanned seven, while allowing seven hits and a walk over eight innings, and Tomohiro Nikoa drove in two runs with a bases-loaded single in the fourth as Nippon Ham beat Orix at Kyocera Dome.
LIONS 5, HAWKS 1
Kazuyuki Hoashi (7-5) went 6.2 innings and Toru Hosokawa belted a three-run homer as Seibu topped SoftBank at Seibu Dome.
Going solo is a great way to make a name, but it’s difficult to win a game.
The Yomiuri Giants belted three longballs, but Tony Blanco gave the Chunichi Dragons a three-run shot at the perfect timie in a 7-4 win at Tokyo Dome on Saturday as NPB returned to league play.
Blanco ripped a pitch from Yomiuri closer Marc Kroon (1-1) deep the opposite way after the righty got himself into trouble with two outs and the bases empty.
A double to Masahiko Morino and a walk to Kazuhiro Wada brought up Blanco, who struck out his first two times before doubling in the sixth and launching his 15 th homer -- a solo shot -- in the eighth inning.
He got all of a pitch down and away from Kroon and the Big Egg had no chance to hold it.
The Dragons sent closer Hitoki Iwase to the mound to nail it down, but the Giants came out swinging. Ryota Wakiya singled to kick it off and Michihiro Ogasawara also got a base knock to bring up Alex Ramirez.
The cleanup man ripped a shot down the right-field line and Morino, swung over first base to start the inning, made the grab and turned it into a double play.
Morino collected the final groundball for the final out and a split in the first two of a three-game set.
Blanco’s longballs erased two solo shots by Shinnosuke Abe, who tied for the lead in the Central League with 20 longballs, and Ramirez, who went deep with the bases empty in the sixth inning.
CARP 5, SWALLOWS 1
Soon-to-be all-star Kenta Maeda (9-2) became the CL’s first nine-game winner, allowing five hits over seven innings as Hiroshima won its season-best fourth straight by knocking around Yakult at the Zoom.
Shigenobu Shima, Justin Huber and Masato Akamatsu each homered in a four-run sixth in support of Maeda, who hit a batter and fanned five.
TIGERS 7, BAYSTARS 3
Craig Brazell ripped his 20 th homer, and Takahiro Arai also went deep as visiting Hanshin smacked around Yokohama.
PACIFIC LEAGUE
EAGLES 3, MARINES 1
Hisashi Iwakuma won his ninth straight decision at Chiba Marine Stadium, shutting down Lotte on three hits over seven innings as Rakuten got past the Marines.
Motohiro Shima had two hits and two RBIs, and Yosuke Takasu homered to back Iwakuma (5-4).
FIGHTERS 3, BUFFALOES 1
Yu Darvish (6-4) fanned seven, while allowing seven hits and a walk over eight innings, and Tomohiro Nikoa drove in two runs with a bases-loaded single in the fourth as Nippon Ham beat Orix at Kyocera Dome.
LIONS 5, HAWKS 1
Kazuyuki Hoashi (7-5) went 6.2 innings and Toru Hosokawa belted a three-run homer as Seibu topped SoftBank at Seibu Dome.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Right back at it ...
Giants return to CL play with whitewash on washout night
Yomiuri Giants ace Tetsuya Utsumi hadn’t beaten the Chunichi Dragons in three years. He hadn’t even won a game since May 9.
But the southpaw shut out all the negativity as he shut out the Dragons 5-0 on Friday at Tokyo Dome.
Utsumi (6-2) fired a two-hitter, fanning nine and walking none to stop a personal six-game skid vs. the Dragons.
Michihiro Ogasawara had an RBI single in the third inning and a three-run homer -- his 15th -- in the seventh in support of Utsumi. Shinnosuke Abe also homered -- his 18th -- in the sixth as the front-running Giants returned to Central League play with a victory.
All three outdoor games were wiped out by rain, but the Giants beat up on Chen Wei-yin (4-6) last year’s CL ERA leader, who gave up eight hits.
LIONS 8, HAWKS 1
Ace Hideaki Wakui (9-3) scattered seven hits, a walk and a hit batter over eight innings, and two four-run innings propelled Seibu past SoftBank at Seibu Dome.
Toru Hosokawa’s grand slam in the eighth helped the Lions stop a three-game skid and put Wakui in a tie atop the PL with nine wins.
FIGHTERS 3, BUFFALOES 0
Keisuke Itokazu left the mound after 2.1 innings because of shoulder pain, and five relievers combined to hold Orix to three hits the rest of the way in a win at Kyocera Dome Osaka.
Kensuke Tanaka had an RBI double in the third and Yoshio Itoi hit his sixth homer in the fourth to provide the offense.
Yomiuri Giants ace Tetsuya Utsumi hadn’t beaten the Chunichi Dragons in three years. He hadn’t even won a game since May 9.
But the southpaw shut out all the negativity as he shut out the Dragons 5-0 on Friday at Tokyo Dome.
Utsumi (6-2) fired a two-hitter, fanning nine and walking none to stop a personal six-game skid vs. the Dragons.
Michihiro Ogasawara had an RBI single in the third inning and a three-run homer -- his 15th -- in the seventh in support of Utsumi. Shinnosuke Abe also homered -- his 18th -- in the sixth as the front-running Giants returned to Central League play with a victory.
All three outdoor games were wiped out by rain, but the Giants beat up on Chen Wei-yin (4-6) last year’s CL ERA leader, who gave up eight hits.
LIONS 8, HAWKS 1
Ace Hideaki Wakui (9-3) scattered seven hits, a walk and a hit batter over eight innings, and two four-run innings propelled Seibu past SoftBank at Seibu Dome.
Toru Hosokawa’s grand slam in the eighth helped the Lions stop a three-game skid and put Wakui in a tie atop the PL with nine wins.
FIGHTERS 3, BUFFALOES 0
Keisuke Itokazu left the mound after 2.1 innings because of shoulder pain, and five relievers combined to hold Orix to three hits the rest of the way in a win at Kyocera Dome Osaka.
Kensuke Tanaka had an RBI double in the third and Yoshio Itoi hit his sixth homer in the fourth to provide the offense.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Good as gold …
Iwase joins Golden Players club
Tony Blanco erased a one-run deficit with a mammoth eighth-inning three-run homer, but the night belonged to Hitoki Iwase, who notched his career 250th save and joined the Golden Players club in Chunichi’s 5-3 interleague win over Nippon Ham on Wednesday at Nagoya Dome.
Iwase became only the third pitcher to reach 250 saves, but he took a little longer than expected to reach the plateau.
Iwase on June 7 took the mound with a two-run lead against the Seibu Lions and got rocked for three runs to suffer the loss.
“That’s me for you,” an emotional Iwase quipped after the game.
“I’m happy. This is not really something I believe I did, but it’s the result of taking it one at a time,” said the 35-year-old left-hander out of NTT Tokai in the corporate league.
When asked about his next goal, Iwase didn’t hesitate: “The skipper told me to go for 300, so that’s my target,” said Iwase, who record his first save as a rookie in 1999.
He took over as the full-time closer in 2004, and notched a Japan-record 46 saves the following season.
He joins Japan’s all-time saves leader Shingo Takatsu (273) and Kazuhiro Sasaki (252) as the only relievers with at least 250 saves.
In the ninth inning, Iwase got a groundout before allowing a double. He then got a strikeout before rookie Yohei Oshima ran down a fly on the warning track to help Iwase nail down his league-leading 16th save.
Tony Blanco erased a one-run deficit with a mammoth eighth-inning three-run homer, but the night belonged to Hitoki Iwase, who notched his career 250th save and joined the Golden Players club in Chunichi’s 5-3 interleague win over Nippon Ham on Wednesday at Nagoya Dome.
Iwase became only the third pitcher to reach 250 saves, but he took a little longer than expected to reach the plateau.
Iwase on June 7 took the mound with a two-run lead against the Seibu Lions and got rocked for three runs to suffer the loss.
“That’s me for you,” an emotional Iwase quipped after the game.
“I’m happy. This is not really something I believe I did, but it’s the result of taking it one at a time,” said the 35-year-old left-hander out of NTT Tokai in the corporate league.
When asked about his next goal, Iwase didn’t hesitate: “The skipper told me to go for 300, so that’s my target,” said Iwase, who record his first save as a rookie in 1999.
He took over as the full-time closer in 2004, and notched a Japan-record 46 saves the following season.
He joins Japan’s all-time saves leader Shingo Takatsu (273) and Kazuhiro Sasaki (252) as the only relievers with at least 250 saves.
In the ninth inning, Iwase got a groundout before allowing a double. He then got a strikeout before rookie Yohei Oshima ran down a fly on the warning track to help Iwase nail down his league-leading 16th save.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Swallowed up ...
Fighters KO Swallows behind Inaba
Atsunori Inaba nearly single-handedly put a halt to the Yakult Swallows’ longest winning streak of the season, belting a pair of homers as Nippon Ham romped 10-2 in the rain at Jingu Stadium on Tuesday.
The interleague makeup game marked the end of a five-game winning streak for the Swallows, who are in fifth place in the Central League.
Inaba belted his 11th and 12th homers -- solo blasts in back-to-back at-bats in the first and third innings -- and Yoshio Itoi had his first five-hit game and tied an NPB record with four doubles.
The PL's defending champion Fighters, in last place in the Pacific League, collected a season-high 17 hits.
Ryo Sakakibara (1-0), who was an emergency replacement when starter Hirotoshi Masui had to leave after one inning with shoulder pain, earned his first pro win. The third-year righty tossed two scoreless innings, walking two.
Meanwhile, the six Pacific League teams claimed the top half of the interleague standings, with the Fighters in sixth just ahead of the CL-leading Yomiuri Giants.
BAYSTARS 5 HAWKS 2
Seiichi Uchikawa blasted his first career grand slam, off Shinsuke Ogura (3-3) in the fourth inning, as Yokohama halted a nine-game skid by beating visiting SoftBank.
The BayStars still finished in last place in interleague play for the third straight year.
SoftBank’s Hitoshi Tamura homered for the third straight game in a losing cause.
Atsunori Inaba nearly single-handedly put a halt to the Yakult Swallows’ longest winning streak of the season, belting a pair of homers as Nippon Ham romped 10-2 in the rain at Jingu Stadium on Tuesday.
The interleague makeup game marked the end of a five-game winning streak for the Swallows, who are in fifth place in the Central League.
Inaba belted his 11th and 12th homers -- solo blasts in back-to-back at-bats in the first and third innings -- and Yoshio Itoi had his first five-hit game and tied an NPB record with four doubles.
The PL's defending champion Fighters, in last place in the Pacific League, collected a season-high 17 hits.
Ryo Sakakibara (1-0), who was an emergency replacement when starter Hirotoshi Masui had to leave after one inning with shoulder pain, earned his first pro win. The third-year righty tossed two scoreless innings, walking two.
Meanwhile, the six Pacific League teams claimed the top half of the interleague standings, with the Fighters in sixth just ahead of the CL-leading Yomiuri Giants.
BAYSTARS 5 HAWKS 2
Seiichi Uchikawa blasted his first career grand slam, off Shinsuke Ogura (3-3) in the fourth inning, as Yokohama halted a nine-game skid by beating visiting SoftBank.
The BayStars still finished in last place in interleague play for the third straight year.
SoftBank’s Hitoshi Tamura homered for the third straight game in a losing cause.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Swallowing up the competition ...
Yakult on a roll
Jamie D’Antona slugged a pair of homers and drove in five runs, and Kyohei Muranaka (4-5) worked 6-plus innings to give the Yakult Swallows an 8-3 interleague win over Nippon Ham at Jingu Stadium on Monday.
The makeup game gave the Swallows their longest winning streak of the season at five.
D’Antona belted a three-run homer in a four-run first inning, and had a two-run blast to power the Swallows, who are playing better under interim manager Junji Ogawa since May 27.
Ogawa took over after skipper Shigeru Takada decided to leave the last-place Swallows.
Jamie D’Antona slugged a pair of homers and drove in five runs, and Kyohei Muranaka (4-5) worked 6-plus innings to give the Yakult Swallows an 8-3 interleague win over Nippon Ham at Jingu Stadium on Monday.
The makeup game gave the Swallows their longest winning streak of the season at five.
D’Antona belted a three-run homer in a four-run first inning, and had a two-run blast to power the Swallows, who are playing better under interim manager Junji Ogawa since May 27.
Ogawa took over after skipper Shigeru Takada decided to leave the last-place Swallows.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Feels like the first time ...
Carp's foreigners band together
TOKOROZAWA, Saitama--It hardly every happens for the Hiroshima Carp, but their foreign players came up big in the same game.
Giancarlo Alvarado (1-3) allowed a run over six innings for his first win in Japan, Jeff Fiorentino knocked in the go-ahead run in the fourth inning and Justin Huber smacked a two-run home run as the Carp topped the Saitama Seibu Lions 4-2 before 31,647.
Reliever John Bale, in his second stint with the club, gave up a run in the ninth inning but close it out for his first save since May 10, 2006.
The Carp are nine games under .500 and in fourth place in the Central League, and Huber was brought back to replace the power lost when cleanup hitter Kenta Kurihara was deactivated because of a broken bone in his right forearm.
The loss highlighted another poor finish against the CL for the Pacific League’s first-place Lions, who had a chance to claim the interleague title, but have now lost three straight, allowing the Orix Buffaloes to claim their first interleague title.
Takayuki Kishi suffered the loss. Five of the righty’s first six outs were strikeouts, but the Carp chased him after scoring four runs on seven hits and two walks in five innings. The Lions, who hit into three double plays on Saturday, wrapped into three more to kill off any chance they had of coming back.
BUFFALOES 7, BAYSTARS 2
Alex Cabrera had three hits and two RBIs, and Takahiro Okada slugged a two-run homer as Orix topped Yokohama at Dome Kyocera Dome Osaka to win the interleague title.
SWALLOWS 3, EAGLES 1
Jamie D’Antona’s eighth-inning sac fly tied the score and Ryoji Aikawa drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the eventual game-winner as Yakult got past Tohoku at the Kleenex Box.
FIGHTERS 5, DRAGONS 0
Bobby Keppel (8-1) fired a two-hitter and Tomohiro Nioka doubled and drove in four as Nippon Ham blanked Chunichi.
HAWKS 7, GIANTS 5
Nobuhiko Matsunaka hit a fourth-inning grand slam and Hitoshi Tamura went deep for the second straight game as SoftBank held off Yomiuri at Fukuoka Yahoo! Japan Dome.
MARINES 9, TIGERS 8
Tadahito Iguchi went 4-for-6, including a walk-off 10th-inning solo shot, and had three RBIs as Chiba outlasted visiting Hanshin in 10 innings.
TOKOROZAWA, Saitama--It hardly every happens for the Hiroshima Carp, but their foreign players came up big in the same game.
Giancarlo Alvarado (1-3) allowed a run over six innings for his first win in Japan, Jeff Fiorentino knocked in the go-ahead run in the fourth inning and Justin Huber smacked a two-run home run as the Carp topped the Saitama Seibu Lions 4-2 before 31,647.
Reliever John Bale, in his second stint with the club, gave up a run in the ninth inning but close it out for his first save since May 10, 2006.
The Carp are nine games under .500 and in fourth place in the Central League, and Huber was brought back to replace the power lost when cleanup hitter Kenta Kurihara was deactivated because of a broken bone in his right forearm.
The loss highlighted another poor finish against the CL for the Pacific League’s first-place Lions, who had a chance to claim the interleague title, but have now lost three straight, allowing the Orix Buffaloes to claim their first interleague title.
Takayuki Kishi suffered the loss. Five of the righty’s first six outs were strikeouts, but the Carp chased him after scoring four runs on seven hits and two walks in five innings. The Lions, who hit into three double plays on Saturday, wrapped into three more to kill off any chance they had of coming back.
BUFFALOES 7, BAYSTARS 2
Alex Cabrera had three hits and two RBIs, and Takahiro Okada slugged a two-run homer as Orix topped Yokohama at Dome Kyocera Dome Osaka to win the interleague title.
SWALLOWS 3, EAGLES 1
Jamie D’Antona’s eighth-inning sac fly tied the score and Ryoji Aikawa drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the eventual game-winner as Yakult got past Tohoku at the Kleenex Box.
FIGHTERS 5, DRAGONS 0
Bobby Keppel (8-1) fired a two-hitter and Tomohiro Nioka doubled and drove in four as Nippon Ham blanked Chunichi.
HAWKS 7, GIANTS 5
Nobuhiko Matsunaka hit a fourth-inning grand slam and Hitoshi Tamura went deep for the second straight game as SoftBank held off Yomiuri at Fukuoka Yahoo! Japan Dome.
MARINES 9, TIGERS 8
Tadahito Iguchi went 4-for-6, including a walk-off 10th-inning solo shot, and had three RBIs as Chiba outlasted visiting Hanshin in 10 innings.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
The Fish spoil party …
Carp douse Lions’ interleague title hopes
TOKOROZAWA, Saitama--Kan Otake wriggled off the hook and so did the Hiroshima Carp, sinking early and rising to toss water on the Seibu Lions’ interleague title hopes on Saturday.
Otake allowed two runs early, but escaped two bases-loaded jams, and Akihiro Higashide had two hits and two RBIs, and Yoshiyuki Ishihara belted a two-run homer as the Central League’s fourth-place team knocked off the Pacific League leaders 6-2 before 31,618.
Otake (1-0) eventually settled down, going six innings and allowing two runs on five hits, six walks and a hit batter, while fanning three.
The loss cost the Lions their hold on their first interleague title. The PL has won all five previous battles vs. the CL, and are guaranteed the top spot this year. But the Lions have to beat the Carp at home today and hope the interleague-leading Orix Buffaloes fall to
The Lions would win the tiebreaker, based on last year’s 11-11-2 finish. Orix was 8-16.
Each team recently deactivated their cleanup hitters. Seibu slugger Takeya Nakamura has a bad right elbow, and Hiroshima No. 4 man suffered a break in his right wrist when he was hit by a pitch last week at Chiba.
Nakamura’s return is in the air while Kurihara will be out at least a month.
BUFFALOES 7, BAYSTARS 1
Alex Cabrera smacked a three-run, third-inning homer and had four RBIs, and Takahiro Okada also had a three-run homer as Orix topped Yokohama at Kyocera Dome Osaka.
The win means the Buffaloes can win the interleague title with a victory today over the BayStars, who have lost eight straight.
SWALLOWS 4, EAGLES 1
Hiroyasu Tanaka broke a scoreless tie with a two-out infield RBI single and Aaron Guiel followed with a two-run base knock to lift Yakult past Rakuten.
Lefty Masanori Ishikawa (2-7) allowed one run on 10 hits over seven innings for the win.
TIGERS 4, MARINES 2
Yasutomo Kubo (5-4) haunted his former club by holding it to a run over eight innings as Hanshin topped Lotte at Chiba Marine Stadium.
Craig Brazell moved into a tie for the CL lead in homers with his 18th, a bases-empty shot, and Kenji Jojima and Tomoaki Kanemoto also had solo blasts to back Kubo, who scattered five hits and a walk, while fanning six.
FIGHTERS 9, DRAGONS 0
Yu Darvish (5-4) looked more like his old self, firing seven shutout inning and fanning seven as Nippon Ham routed visiting Chunichi.
Atsunori Inaba homered twice and drove in five to back Darvish, who allowed three hits and walked one.
HAWKS 4, GIANTS 2
Yuya Hasegawa’s two-run single in the first inning capped a three-run rally the carried SoftBank past Yomiuri at Fukuoka Yahoo! Japan Dome.
Tsuyoshi Wada (9-3) blanked Yomiuri on four hits and three walks with seven strikeouts over seven innings to earn the victory.
TOKOROZAWA, Saitama--Kan Otake wriggled off the hook and so did the Hiroshima Carp, sinking early and rising to toss water on the Seibu Lions’ interleague title hopes on Saturday.
Otake allowed two runs early, but escaped two bases-loaded jams, and Akihiro Higashide had two hits and two RBIs, and Yoshiyuki Ishihara belted a two-run homer as the Central League’s fourth-place team knocked off the Pacific League leaders 6-2 before 31,618.
Otake (1-0) eventually settled down, going six innings and allowing two runs on five hits, six walks and a hit batter, while fanning three.
The loss cost the Lions their hold on their first interleague title. The PL has won all five previous battles vs. the CL, and are guaranteed the top spot this year. But the Lions have to beat the Carp at home today and hope the interleague-leading Orix Buffaloes fall to
The Lions would win the tiebreaker, based on last year’s 11-11-2 finish. Orix was 8-16.
Each team recently deactivated their cleanup hitters. Seibu slugger Takeya Nakamura has a bad right elbow, and Hiroshima No. 4 man suffered a break in his right wrist when he was hit by a pitch last week at Chiba.
Nakamura’s return is in the air while Kurihara will be out at least a month.
BUFFALOES 7, BAYSTARS 1
Alex Cabrera smacked a three-run, third-inning homer and had four RBIs, and Takahiro Okada also had a three-run homer as Orix topped Yokohama at Kyocera Dome Osaka.
The win means the Buffaloes can win the interleague title with a victory today over the BayStars, who have lost eight straight.
SWALLOWS 4, EAGLES 1
Hiroyasu Tanaka broke a scoreless tie with a two-out infield RBI single and Aaron Guiel followed with a two-run base knock to lift Yakult past Rakuten.
Lefty Masanori Ishikawa (2-7) allowed one run on 10 hits over seven innings for the win.
TIGERS 4, MARINES 2
Yasutomo Kubo (5-4) haunted his former club by holding it to a run over eight innings as Hanshin topped Lotte at Chiba Marine Stadium.
Craig Brazell moved into a tie for the CL lead in homers with his 18th, a bases-empty shot, and Kenji Jojima and Tomoaki Kanemoto also had solo blasts to back Kubo, who scattered five hits and a walk, while fanning six.
FIGHTERS 9, DRAGONS 0
Yu Darvish (5-4) looked more like his old self, firing seven shutout inning and fanning seven as Nippon Ham routed visiting Chunichi.
Atsunori Inaba homered twice and drove in five to back Darvish, who allowed three hits and walked one.
HAWKS 4, GIANTS 2
Yuya Hasegawa’s two-run single in the first inning capped a three-run rally the carried SoftBank past Yomiuri at Fukuoka Yahoo! Japan Dome.
Tsuyoshi Wada (9-3) blanked Yomiuri on four hits and three walks with seven strikeouts over seven innings to earn the victory.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Getting Buff ...
B’s rally past Giants, into share of interleague lead
The Pacific League has been beating the Central League like Buddy Rich used to pound the drums -- a 71-47 record before Thursday’s game.
The CL-leading Yomiuri Giants have barely escaped the dominance, with a 12-10 mark against the PL, but the Orix Buffaloes stole one from visiting Yomiuri 4-2 on Aarom Baldiris’ two-run single in the eighth inning.
The Buffaloes took advantage of an error on Daisuke Ochi (2-2) to rally for three runs, capped when Baldiris rolled a single through the left side with two outs.
The win boosted them into a share of the interleague lead with the Seibu Lions, who fell at home to Hanshin.
Relievers Keiichi Hirano and Mamoru Kishda faced the minimum after taking over for Satoshi Komatsu. Hirano (4-1) threw 1.1 innings for the win, and Kishda, a fifth-year righty, fanned two in the ninth for his first pro save.
The Giants scored their runs in the first inning and had runners on base in just two times from the second on, wasting a bases-loaded chance in the seventh.
CARP 12, MARINES 7, 12 innings
Soichiro Amaya’s bases-loaded single broke a 7-7 tie, and veteran Takuro Ishii followed with a bases-clearing double to center as Hiroshima outlasted Lotte in 12 innings at Chiba Marine Stadium.
The 5-hour 18-minute marathon featured a combined 16 pitchers, eight for each side, and 32 hits. The Carp scored twice in the ninth off M’s closer Hiroyuki Kobayashi to send the game into extras.
The Marines take on the Tigers for two at home over the weekend, while the Lions play host to the Carp with the interleague championship on the line.
SWALLOWS 6, FIGHTERS 4
Ryuji Aikawa blasted his fourth interleague homer and added an RBI single, and one of Yuji Onizaki’s two hits was his first longball of the season as Yakult topped Nippon Ham at Sapporo Dome.
TIGERS 8, LIONS 4
Kenji Jojima had three hits, including a homer, and two RBIs, and Takahiro Arai homered and drove in two as Hanshin beat up Kazuhisa Ishii (6-4) and host Seibu.
DRAGONS 7, EAGLES 2
Kazuhiro Wada had three hits, including a pair of doubles, to raise his average to .373, and Kei Nomoto added two hits and two RBIs as Chunichi cruised at the Kleenex Box.
HAWKS 10, BAYSTARS 5
Hitoshi Tamura and Roberto Petagine each drove in runs in a pair of runs in two five-run innings that propelled SoftBank past visiting Yokohama.
No games on Friday.
The Pacific League has been beating the Central League like Buddy Rich used to pound the drums -- a 71-47 record before Thursday’s game.
The CL-leading Yomiuri Giants have barely escaped the dominance, with a 12-10 mark against the PL, but the Orix Buffaloes stole one from visiting Yomiuri 4-2 on Aarom Baldiris’ two-run single in the eighth inning.
The Buffaloes took advantage of an error on Daisuke Ochi (2-2) to rally for three runs, capped when Baldiris rolled a single through the left side with two outs.
The win boosted them into a share of the interleague lead with the Seibu Lions, who fell at home to Hanshin.
Relievers Keiichi Hirano and Mamoru Kishda faced the minimum after taking over for Satoshi Komatsu. Hirano (4-1) threw 1.1 innings for the win, and Kishda, a fifth-year righty, fanned two in the ninth for his first pro save.
The Giants scored their runs in the first inning and had runners on base in just two times from the second on, wasting a bases-loaded chance in the seventh.
CARP 12, MARINES 7, 12 innings
Soichiro Amaya’s bases-loaded single broke a 7-7 tie, and veteran Takuro Ishii followed with a bases-clearing double to center as Hiroshima outlasted Lotte in 12 innings at Chiba Marine Stadium.
The 5-hour 18-minute marathon featured a combined 16 pitchers, eight for each side, and 32 hits. The Carp scored twice in the ninth off M’s closer Hiroyuki Kobayashi to send the game into extras.
The Marines take on the Tigers for two at home over the weekend, while the Lions play host to the Carp with the interleague championship on the line.
SWALLOWS 6, FIGHTERS 4
Ryuji Aikawa blasted his fourth interleague homer and added an RBI single, and one of Yuji Onizaki’s two hits was his first longball of the season as Yakult topped Nippon Ham at Sapporo Dome.
TIGERS 8, LIONS 4
Kenji Jojima had three hits, including a homer, and two RBIs, and Takahiro Arai homered and drove in two as Hanshin beat up Kazuhisa Ishii (6-4) and host Seibu.
DRAGONS 7, EAGLES 2
Kazuhiro Wada had three hits, including a pair of doubles, to raise his average to .373, and Kei Nomoto added two hits and two RBIs as Chunichi cruised at the Kleenex Box.
HAWKS 10, BAYSTARS 5
Hitoshi Tamura and Roberto Petagine each drove in runs in a pair of runs in two five-run innings that propelled SoftBank past visiting Yokohama.
No games on Friday.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Extra effort …
Lions make Wakui winner with walk-off
TOKOROZAWA, Saitama -- Two of Wednesday's six games went to extra innings, but Hideaki Wakui was the one who went the extra mile to win.
Wakui (8-3) held the Hanshin Tigers to one run over nine innings, firing 149 pitches to earn the win on Yasuyuki Kataoka’s clutch walk-off single in a 2-1 win at Seibu Dome.
When asked if he was ready to work the 10th, the one-time Sawamura Award winner said coolly, “Of course.”
“I wasn’t going to depend on the bullpen for this one,” said the righty, who surrendered four hits, fanned 10 and walked two for his league-leading eighth win.
Lions skipper Hisanobu Watanabe said Wakui, who improved to 5-0 lifetime against Hanshin, wanted to pitch the 10th if Seibu hadn’t ended it, but “He said he was going to pitch. I planned to take him out,” the manager said.
Kataoka made it a moot point with his walk-off hit, giving him two of the Lions’ three sayonara hits this year and giving the club its fourth straight win.
“Wakui had worked really hard out there and we wanted to end it for him then. I was ready for the opportunity if it came and I’m glad we won it,” said Kataoka, whose triple in the fifth inning scored Seibu’s first run.
With three games left against the Central League, the Pacific League-leading Lions are in position to nab their first interleague title.
HAWKS 4, BAYSTARS 3, 10 innings
Roberto Petagine’s first homer in his second stint in Japan was a walk-off solo shot in the 10th inning that gave Fukuoka SoftBank a win over Yokohama at home.
It was the fifth career walk-off shot here for Petagine, the 2001 CL MVP and a two-time homer leader who had a two-run single in a three-run first.
EAGLES 4, DRAGONS 1
Satoshi Nagai (4-3) worked around eight hits and a walk to hold Chunichi to one run over eight innings as Rakuten stayed a half-game behind interleague-leading Seibu with a win at the Kleenex Box.
Motohiro Shima broke a scoreless tie in the fourth with a clutch bases-loaded single to score two, and Naoto Watanabe followed with a two-run double to cap a four-run rally in support of Nagai.
SWALLOWS 6, FIGHTERS 1
Shohei Tateyama (3-4) frustrated Nippon Ham, allowing a season-worst 11 hits but stranding nine runners as Yakult won at Sapporo Dome.
Yasushi Ihara hit his first pro grand slam and drove in five to back Tateyama.
GIANTS 9, BUFFALOES 2
Yoshiyuki Kamei had three hits and two RBIs, and Michihiro Ogasawara had a pair of hits and two RBIs as Yomiuri routed Orix for its fifth straight win at Kyocera Dome Osaka.
CARP 2, MARINES 2, 12 innnings
Lotte’s Shoitsu Omatsu spoiled Kenta Maeda’s bid for a shutout with a two-out, two-run double, and the Marines played Hiroshima to a inning-limit tie at Chiba Marine Stadium.
TOKOROZAWA, Saitama -- Two of Wednesday's six games went to extra innings, but Hideaki Wakui was the one who went the extra mile to win.
Wakui (8-3) held the Hanshin Tigers to one run over nine innings, firing 149 pitches to earn the win on Yasuyuki Kataoka’s clutch walk-off single in a 2-1 win at Seibu Dome.
When asked if he was ready to work the 10th, the one-time Sawamura Award winner said coolly, “Of course.”
“I wasn’t going to depend on the bullpen for this one,” said the righty, who surrendered four hits, fanned 10 and walked two for his league-leading eighth win.
Lions skipper Hisanobu Watanabe said Wakui, who improved to 5-0 lifetime against Hanshin, wanted to pitch the 10th if Seibu hadn’t ended it, but “He said he was going to pitch. I planned to take him out,” the manager said.
Kataoka made it a moot point with his walk-off hit, giving him two of the Lions’ three sayonara hits this year and giving the club its fourth straight win.
“Wakui had worked really hard out there and we wanted to end it for him then. I was ready for the opportunity if it came and I’m glad we won it,” said Kataoka, whose triple in the fifth inning scored Seibu’s first run.
With three games left against the Central League, the Pacific League-leading Lions are in position to nab their first interleague title.
HAWKS 4, BAYSTARS 3, 10 innings
Roberto Petagine’s first homer in his second stint in Japan was a walk-off solo shot in the 10th inning that gave Fukuoka SoftBank a win over Yokohama at home.
It was the fifth career walk-off shot here for Petagine, the 2001 CL MVP and a two-time homer leader who had a two-run single in a three-run first.
EAGLES 4, DRAGONS 1
Satoshi Nagai (4-3) worked around eight hits and a walk to hold Chunichi to one run over eight innings as Rakuten stayed a half-game behind interleague-leading Seibu with a win at the Kleenex Box.
Motohiro Shima broke a scoreless tie in the fourth with a clutch bases-loaded single to score two, and Naoto Watanabe followed with a two-run double to cap a four-run rally in support of Nagai.
SWALLOWS 6, FIGHTERS 1
Shohei Tateyama (3-4) frustrated Nippon Ham, allowing a season-worst 11 hits but stranding nine runners as Yakult won at Sapporo Dome.
Yasushi Ihara hit his first pro grand slam and drove in five to back Tateyama.
GIANTS 9, BUFFALOES 2
Yoshiyuki Kamei had three hits and two RBIs, and Michihiro Ogasawara had a pair of hits and two RBIs as Yomiuri routed Orix for its fifth straight win at Kyocera Dome Osaka.
CARP 2, MARINES 2, 12 innnings
Lotte’s Shoitsu Omatsu spoiled Kenta Maeda’s bid for a shutout with a two-out, two-run double, and the Marines played Hiroshima to a inning-limit tie at Chiba Marine Stadium.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Not golden just yet …
Iwase’s celebration put on hold
Chunichi Dragons closer Hitoki Iwase was all set up on Monday to notch his career 250th save. Then he started pitching.
Four hits and a walk later, the Seibu Lions had come from two runs down to top the Dragons 4-3 in interleague play at Nagoya Dome.
Hisahi Takayama tied it with a bases-loaded single, and Yoshihito Ishii’s RBI base knock put the Lions ahead.
Brian Sikorski allowed a two-out single before nailing down his 20th save with a scoreless ninth as Seibu swept the two-game set in Nagoya.
With his next save, Iwase will enter the Golden Players club, for pitchers with 200 wins or 250 saves, and players with at least 2,000 hits.
It was the first time Iwase (0-1) had allowed three runs in an outing since last April 25, and his first loss of the season.
Yudai Kawai worked seven scoreless innings, but the bullpen let him down. Takuya Asao allowed a solo homer in the eighth before Iwase’s meltdown in the ninth.
The Lions moved into first place in the interleague standings, a half-game ahead of the Rakuten Eagles.
GIANTS 1, EAGLES 0, 10 innings
Michihiro Ogasawara’s scoring flyball with the bases loaded in the 10th inning gave Yomiuri a hard-fought, walk-off victory over Rakuten at Tokyo Dome.
Marc Kroon (1-0) tossed a 1-2-3 10th inning to earn the win.
BUFFALOES 21, CARP 10
Hirotoshi Goto went 4-for-6 with two homers to lead a 25-hit attack as Orix posted its highest run total in team history in a rout of host Hiroshima.
Goto led three players with four RBIs and hit the franchise’s 7,500th longball. Tomotaka Sakaguchi went 5-for-7 for the Buffaloes, who combined with the Carp to bang out 43 hits.
The Buffaloes strung together a Japan-record 10 straight hits in the sixth inning.
MARINES 14, SWALLOWS 2
Kim Kyung Tae hit his 15th longball -- a grand slam that highlighted a 10-run seventh inning as Lotte crushed Yakult at Jingu.
The Marines put together a Japan-record 10 straight hits in the seventh.
Bill Murphy (5-0) allowed two runs over six innings to get the victory and become the first foreign pitcher in club history to win his first five decisions without a loss.
FIGHTERS 13, BAYSTARS 3
Shinya Tsuruoka was a triple shy of the cycle in his first pro four-hit game, and Eiichi Koyano homered and doubled to drive in three as Nippon Ham downed host Yokohama.
Righty Bobby Keppel (7-1) scattered six hits and a walk over seven innings for his team-high seventh win.
HAWKS 3, TIGERS 3, 12 innings
Yuya Hasegawa hit an RBI single in the eighth inning to help the Hawks tie the score as SoftBank and Hanshin played to a tie at Koshien Stadium.
Chunichi Dragons closer Hitoki Iwase was all set up on Monday to notch his career 250th save. Then he started pitching.
Four hits and a walk later, the Seibu Lions had come from two runs down to top the Dragons 4-3 in interleague play at Nagoya Dome.
Hisahi Takayama tied it with a bases-loaded single, and Yoshihito Ishii’s RBI base knock put the Lions ahead.
Brian Sikorski allowed a two-out single before nailing down his 20th save with a scoreless ninth as Seibu swept the two-game set in Nagoya.
With his next save, Iwase will enter the Golden Players club, for pitchers with 200 wins or 250 saves, and players with at least 2,000 hits.
It was the first time Iwase (0-1) had allowed three runs in an outing since last April 25, and his first loss of the season.
Yudai Kawai worked seven scoreless innings, but the bullpen let him down. Takuya Asao allowed a solo homer in the eighth before Iwase’s meltdown in the ninth.
The Lions moved into first place in the interleague standings, a half-game ahead of the Rakuten Eagles.
GIANTS 1, EAGLES 0, 10 innings
Michihiro Ogasawara’s scoring flyball with the bases loaded in the 10th inning gave Yomiuri a hard-fought, walk-off victory over Rakuten at Tokyo Dome.
Marc Kroon (1-0) tossed a 1-2-3 10th inning to earn the win.
BUFFALOES 21, CARP 10
Hirotoshi Goto went 4-for-6 with two homers to lead a 25-hit attack as Orix posted its highest run total in team history in a rout of host Hiroshima.
Goto led three players with four RBIs and hit the franchise’s 7,500th longball. Tomotaka Sakaguchi went 5-for-7 for the Buffaloes, who combined with the Carp to bang out 43 hits.
The Buffaloes strung together a Japan-record 10 straight hits in the sixth inning.
MARINES 14, SWALLOWS 2
Kim Kyung Tae hit his 15th longball -- a grand slam that highlighted a 10-run seventh inning as Lotte crushed Yakult at Jingu.
The Marines put together a Japan-record 10 straight hits in the seventh.
Bill Murphy (5-0) allowed two runs over six innings to get the victory and become the first foreign pitcher in club history to win his first five decisions without a loss.
FIGHTERS 13, BAYSTARS 3
Shinya Tsuruoka was a triple shy of the cycle in his first pro four-hit game, and Eiichi Koyano homered and doubled to drive in three as Nippon Ham downed host Yokohama.
Righty Bobby Keppel (7-1) scattered six hits and a walk over seven innings for his team-high seventh win.
HAWKS 3, TIGERS 3, 12 innings
Yuya Hasegawa hit an RBI single in the eighth inning to help the Hawks tie the score as SoftBank and Hanshin played to a tie at Koshien Stadium.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Wind beneath their wings ...
Eagles starting to take off
Masahiro Tanaka -- better known as Ma-kun -- is helping the Rakuten Eagles overcome a sluggish start to the season.
The right-hander allowed a cheap three-run homer down the line in left to Shinnosuke Abe in the first inning, but went seven innings and held the Yomiuri Giants scoreless until departing from an eventual 10-4 win at Tokyo Dome.
Norihiro Nakamura gave the Pacific League’s fourth-place Eagles a boost, hitting two of their single-game, club-record six homers.
Veteran Takeshi Yamasaki hit a solo blast, Yusuke Takasu had a three-run shot, Motohiro Shima added a two-run blast and Randy Ruiz also had a two-run homer as the Eagles stayed atop the interleague standings.
They are 7-1-1 in their last nine games.
Tanaka (8-3) allowed eight hits and a walk, while fanning seven to win at his 12th venue.
“The team is doing well now and I just wanted to go out and ride that momentum and throw well,” Tanaka said. “The way the guys swung the bats today, hitting all those home runs, allowed me to settle down and just throw.”
LIONS 9, DRAGONS 0
Takayuki Kishi (8-3) fired a two-hitter and Hiroyuki Nakajima hit his ninth homer to lead Seibu past Chunichi at Nagoya Dome.
Kishi struck out nine and walked none, and Toru Hosokawa had three hits and one RBI.
FIGHTERS 2, BAYSTARS 1
Shota Ono’s RBI single in the eighth inning scored the go-ahead run, and Masaru Takeda (4-4) tossed a three-hitter in his third career complete-game as Nippon Ham downed host Yokohama.
Yoshio Itoi had three hits for the Fighters, who sent the BayStars to their fourth straight loss.
BUFFALOES 6, CARP 1
Kenji Obiki got Orix even with an RBI infield single in the second and his RBI double in the fourth put the Buffaloes on top to stay as Hiroshi Kisanuki (5-5) held Hiroshima to one run over sevenin innings at the Zoom.
SWALLOWS 6, MARINES 1
Hiroyasu Tanaka’s three-run homer in the seventh inning turned a two-run deficit into a lead, and Yakult held off Lotte at Jingu.
TIGERS 9, HAWKS 2
Matt Murton had four hits and three RBIs, and Yasutomo Kubo (4-4) allowed two runs -- one earned -- on six hits and a walk in his 11th career complete game as Hanshin downed SoftBank at Koshien.
Masahiro Tanaka -- better known as Ma-kun -- is helping the Rakuten Eagles overcome a sluggish start to the season.
The right-hander allowed a cheap three-run homer down the line in left to Shinnosuke Abe in the first inning, but went seven innings and held the Yomiuri Giants scoreless until departing from an eventual 10-4 win at Tokyo Dome.
Norihiro Nakamura gave the Pacific League’s fourth-place Eagles a boost, hitting two of their single-game, club-record six homers.
Veteran Takeshi Yamasaki hit a solo blast, Yusuke Takasu had a three-run shot, Motohiro Shima added a two-run blast and Randy Ruiz also had a two-run homer as the Eagles stayed atop the interleague standings.
They are 7-1-1 in their last nine games.
Tanaka (8-3) allowed eight hits and a walk, while fanning seven to win at his 12th venue.
“The team is doing well now and I just wanted to go out and ride that momentum and throw well,” Tanaka said. “The way the guys swung the bats today, hitting all those home runs, allowed me to settle down and just throw.”
LIONS 9, DRAGONS 0
Takayuki Kishi (8-3) fired a two-hitter and Hiroyuki Nakajima hit his ninth homer to lead Seibu past Chunichi at Nagoya Dome.
Kishi struck out nine and walked none, and Toru Hosokawa had three hits and one RBI.
FIGHTERS 2, BAYSTARS 1
Shota Ono’s RBI single in the eighth inning scored the go-ahead run, and Masaru Takeda (4-4) tossed a three-hitter in his third career complete-game as Nippon Ham downed host Yokohama.
Yoshio Itoi had three hits for the Fighters, who sent the BayStars to their fourth straight loss.
BUFFALOES 6, CARP 1
Kenji Obiki got Orix even with an RBI infield single in the second and his RBI double in the fourth put the Buffaloes on top to stay as Hiroshi Kisanuki (5-5) held Hiroshima to one run over sevenin innings at the Zoom.
SWALLOWS 6, MARINES 1
Hiroyasu Tanaka’s three-run homer in the seventh inning turned a two-run deficit into a lead, and Yakult held off Lotte at Jingu.
TIGERS 9, HAWKS 2
Matt Murton had four hits and three RBIs, and Yasutomo Kubo (4-4) allowed two runs -- one earned -- on six hits and a walk in his 11th career complete game as Hanshin downed SoftBank at Koshien.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Yamaguchi blows it again ...
Eagles newcomer Ruiz shines vs. ’Stars
Yokohama BayStars late-inning man Shun Yamaguchi is supposed put fires out. Instead, he continues to get burned to a crisp.
Rakuten newcomer Randy Ruiz blasted a pinch-hit, two-run shot off Yamaguchi (1-6) in the ninth inning and the Eagles escaped with a 5-4 interleague win in a game in which starter Hisashi Iwakuma collected his 1,000th career strikeout.
The BayStars have to try something different with Yamaguchi blowing up games in the last inning, where all of his losses have come.
Ruiz, who was in his fourth game after being signed on May 25, helped the Eagles take sole possession the best record in interleague play with his first RBIs here.
Iwakuma, an 11th -year righty, wobbled through seven 12-hit innings. He didn’t compound things by walking a batter, and he fanned six.
Shinichiro Koyama (3-1) worked a perfect eighth for the win, and Tsuyoshi Kawagishi worked around a hit to hold down the ’Stars for his ninth save.
GIANTS 6, FIGHTERS 5
Yoshinobu Takahashi looks healthy and then some. The crowd favorite smacked a pair of homers and drove in five runs as the Giants topped stumbling Nippon Ham at Tokyo Dome.
Takahashi put the Giants in front with a three-run shot in the seventh and closer Marc Kroon reached 10 saves for the sixth straight season with a scoreless ninth.
Nippon Ham’s Makoto Kaneko laid down a sacrifice bunt sixth inning to become the 12th player to reach 250 for a career.
DRAGONS 7, MARINES 6
Kazuhiro Wada went 4-for-4 with an RBI and Masahiko Morino’s RBI groundout in a three-run fifth put Chunichi on top, and the Dragons eventually held off Lotte at Nagoya Dome.
Seventh-year pro Hiroki Nakagawa hit the first homer of his career, a two-run shot in the fifth to make it 3-3, and Hirokazu Ibata collected his 1,500th hit with an RBI single in the second.
Hitoki Iwase inched closer to save No. 250, allowing two runs on a homer in the ninth before nothing his 15th save this season.
HAWKS 9, CARP 3
Tsuyoshi Wada (8-3) scattered six hits and two walks over eight innings, and Yuichi Honda went 5-for-6 as SoftBank cruised at the Zoom.
Wada became the winningest all-time pitcher in interleague play, earning his 17th.
BUFFALOES 9, TIGERS 4
Takeshi Hidaka went 3-for-5 with three RBIs as Orix used a pair of three-run innings to down Hanshin at Koshien Stadium.
LIONS 6, SWALLOWS 5
Toru Hosokawa’s two-run homer in the eighth inning turned out to be the difference as Seibu edged Yakult at Jingu Stadium and moved back into first place in the PL.
Yokohama BayStars late-inning man Shun Yamaguchi is supposed put fires out. Instead, he continues to get burned to a crisp.
Rakuten newcomer Randy Ruiz blasted a pinch-hit, two-run shot off Yamaguchi (1-6) in the ninth inning and the Eagles escaped with a 5-4 interleague win in a game in which starter Hisashi Iwakuma collected his 1,000th career strikeout.
The BayStars have to try something different with Yamaguchi blowing up games in the last inning, where all of his losses have come.
Ruiz, who was in his fourth game after being signed on May 25, helped the Eagles take sole possession the best record in interleague play with his first RBIs here.
Iwakuma, an 11th -year righty, wobbled through seven 12-hit innings. He didn’t compound things by walking a batter, and he fanned six.
Shinichiro Koyama (3-1) worked a perfect eighth for the win, and Tsuyoshi Kawagishi worked around a hit to hold down the ’Stars for his ninth save.
GIANTS 6, FIGHTERS 5
Yoshinobu Takahashi looks healthy and then some. The crowd favorite smacked a pair of homers and drove in five runs as the Giants topped stumbling Nippon Ham at Tokyo Dome.
Takahashi put the Giants in front with a three-run shot in the seventh and closer Marc Kroon reached 10 saves for the sixth straight season with a scoreless ninth.
Nippon Ham’s Makoto Kaneko laid down a sacrifice bunt sixth inning to become the 12th player to reach 250 for a career.
DRAGONS 7, MARINES 6
Kazuhiro Wada went 4-for-4 with an RBI and Masahiko Morino’s RBI groundout in a three-run fifth put Chunichi on top, and the Dragons eventually held off Lotte at Nagoya Dome.
Seventh-year pro Hiroki Nakagawa hit the first homer of his career, a two-run shot in the fifth to make it 3-3, and Hirokazu Ibata collected his 1,500th hit with an RBI single in the second.
Hitoki Iwase inched closer to save No. 250, allowing two runs on a homer in the ninth before nothing his 15th save this season.
HAWKS 9, CARP 3
Tsuyoshi Wada (8-3) scattered six hits and two walks over eight innings, and Yuichi Honda went 5-for-6 as SoftBank cruised at the Zoom.
Wada became the winningest all-time pitcher in interleague play, earning his 17th.
BUFFALOES 9, TIGERS 4
Takeshi Hidaka went 3-for-5 with three RBIs as Orix used a pair of three-run innings to down Hanshin at Koshien Stadium.
LIONS 6, SWALLOWS 5
Toru Hosokawa’s two-run homer in the eighth inning turned out to be the difference as Seibu edged Yakult at Jingu Stadium and moved back into first place in the PL.
Friday, June 4, 2010
There’s a reason …
Giants not in 1st for nothing
Good things happen to good clubs. Bad things happen to losers.
Hayato Sakamoto gave the Central League-leading Yomiuri Giants a happy ending to a tough night, slugging a walk-off two-run homer to give the Giants a come-from-behind 7-6 over Nippon Ham at Tokyo Dome.
The Pacific League’s last place Fighters had piece together their pitchers and ended up blowing a 6-3 lead.
It was Sakamoto’s third career walk-off b last, and the fifth homer of the night for the Giants, tying their season high for a game.
Sakamoto had struck out, popped out and flied out twice before cracking his 13th longball and collecting his 34th and 35th RBIs.
“The fact that he had made outs up to that point meant odds were he would get a hit,” said Yomiuri skipper Tatsunori Hara.
“The fact that it was a home run was wonderful.”
The Fighters had the lead and looked in position to get away with their third straight interleague win over the Giants after sweeping them in Sapporo last month. Takayuki Kanamori got the spot start, but was gone after allowing three runs in four innings.
Former Giant Masanori Hayashi allowed two runs -- one earned -- in two innings, and Nippon Ham closer Hisashi Takeda (0-4), who came on in the eighth, served up Sakamoto’s sayonara shot.
It was the first walk-off homer he has allowed in his career.
Yomiuri slugger Michihiro Ogasawara, a former Fighter, went deep to give him homers against 13 ball clubs -- the sixth player to do that.
DRAGONS 5, MARINES 4, 11 innings
Tony Blanco singled in the game-winning run, making Lotte pay for an error in the eighth inning that allowed the Dragons to tie the score on Kazuhiro Wada’s three-run blast, as Chunichi won at Nagoya Dome.
Masafumi Hirai (1-1) worked two scoreless innings to earn his first win since Sept. 14, 2008.
TIGERS 6, BUFFALOES 2
Veteran lefty Tsuyoshi Shimoyanagi (3-4) twirled seven scoreless innings at Orix and knocked in a run with a single as Hanshin topped the Buffaloes at Koshien Stadium.
Kenji Jojima collected three of Hanshin’s 15 hits.
CARP 5, HAWKS 4
Eric Stults (3-3) worked into the seventh inning and doubled in a pair of runs en route to winning his third straight decision as Hiroshima edged SoftBank at the Zoom.
SWALLOWS 12, LIONS 6
Aaron Guiel had three hits, including his 14th homer, and drove in five runs as Yakult drubbed Seibu to stop a six-game skid at Jingu.
EAGLES 12, BAYSTARS 0
Rakuten’s 3-4-5 hitters each went deep, and Ryohei Isaka (1-0) fired six shutout innings in a win at Yokohama.
Good things happen to good clubs. Bad things happen to losers.
Hayato Sakamoto gave the Central League-leading Yomiuri Giants a happy ending to a tough night, slugging a walk-off two-run homer to give the Giants a come-from-behind 7-6 over Nippon Ham at Tokyo Dome.
The Pacific League’s last place Fighters had piece together their pitchers and ended up blowing a 6-3 lead.
It was Sakamoto’s third career walk-off b last, and the fifth homer of the night for the Giants, tying their season high for a game.
Sakamoto had struck out, popped out and flied out twice before cracking his 13th longball and collecting his 34th and 35th RBIs.
“The fact that he had made outs up to that point meant odds were he would get a hit,” said Yomiuri skipper Tatsunori Hara.
“The fact that it was a home run was wonderful.”
The Fighters had the lead and looked in position to get away with their third straight interleague win over the Giants after sweeping them in Sapporo last month. Takayuki Kanamori got the spot start, but was gone after allowing three runs in four innings.
Former Giant Masanori Hayashi allowed two runs -- one earned -- in two innings, and Nippon Ham closer Hisashi Takeda (0-4), who came on in the eighth, served up Sakamoto’s sayonara shot.
It was the first walk-off homer he has allowed in his career.
Yomiuri slugger Michihiro Ogasawara, a former Fighter, went deep to give him homers against 13 ball clubs -- the sixth player to do that.
DRAGONS 5, MARINES 4, 11 innings
Tony Blanco singled in the game-winning run, making Lotte pay for an error in the eighth inning that allowed the Dragons to tie the score on Kazuhiro Wada’s three-run blast, as Chunichi won at Nagoya Dome.
Masafumi Hirai (1-1) worked two scoreless innings to earn his first win since Sept. 14, 2008.
TIGERS 6, BUFFALOES 2
Veteran lefty Tsuyoshi Shimoyanagi (3-4) twirled seven scoreless innings at Orix and knocked in a run with a single as Hanshin topped the Buffaloes at Koshien Stadium.
Kenji Jojima collected three of Hanshin’s 15 hits.
CARP 5, HAWKS 4
Eric Stults (3-3) worked into the seventh inning and doubled in a pair of runs en route to winning his third straight decision as Hiroshima edged SoftBank at the Zoom.
SWALLOWS 12, LIONS 6
Aaron Guiel had three hits, including his 14th homer, and drove in five runs as Yakult drubbed Seibu to stop a six-game skid at Jingu.
EAGLES 12, BAYSTARS 0
Rakuten’s 3-4-5 hitters each went deep, and Ryohei Isaka (1-0) fired six shutout innings in a win at Yokohama.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Buffs say sayonara to losing streak ...
Walk-off HR by Okada stops B’s 8-game skid to Dragons
Takahiro T.O. Okada helped the Orix Buffaloes pull off a big comeback and take down the Chunichi Dragons -- finally.
Okada reached down and yanked a walk-off homer to right-center field for a 10-7 win in 11 innings on Wednesday, ending an eight-game interleague skid to their Nagoya neighbors.
The Buffaloes scored seven runs in the eighth inning, capped by a grand slam off the bat of Hirotoshi Kitagawa to tie the score at Skymark Stadium in Kobe.
Orix kept the Central League’s No. 3 team off the scoreboard until Okada, a fifth-year cleanup hitter, clubbed his 11th longball of the season.
The hit came after he failed to come through in the ninth inning when an intentional pass was given to No. 3 hitter Mitsutaka Goto.
“The at-bat before in the same situation was dreadful, when they walked the guy in front in me. They were playing shallow, so I thought it was over their heads, but it got and out and I’m glad,” Okada said.
The Dragons had beaten the Buffaloes, fourth in the Pacific League, every game since June 15, 2008. They took a 7-0 lead in this one, Motonobu Tanishige’s three-run homer in the top of the eighth gave them their seventh run to back Edward Valdez, who gave them six-plus shutout innings.
But the Dragons blew it. The Buffaloes evened it with six hits and two walks in the bottom of the frame.
After today’s action, the six PL teams are one-six in the interleague standings.
MARINES 8, GIANTS 1
Yomiuri stopped Lotte’s longest streak of shutout victories in 54 years, but that was all as Tsuyoshi Nishioka led a 15-hit attack with three knocks as the Marines wiped out the Giants a second straight night.
Tomoya Satozaki led four players with two hits by driving in two runs to back Yoshihisa Naruse (7-5), who tossed a five-hitter for his second complete game of the season.
The Marines have won eight straight at home.
LIONS 3, BAYSTARS 2
Seibu scored in three straight frames, the go-ahead run coming on a wild pitch by Hiroki Sanada (2-2) in the eighth as Yokohama fell at Seibu Dome.
Brian Sikorski notched his Japan-leading 18th save with a scoreless ninth.
HAWKS 6, SWALLOWS 1
Fukuoka had to deactivate slugger Hiroki Kokubo because of a bad shoulder, but Jose Ortiz and Nobuhiko Matsunaka each drove in a pair of runs in a win over struggling visiting Yakult.
Shinsuke Ogura (3-2) worked five-plus innings, limiting the Swallows to a run on five hits, two walks and a hit batter.
TIGERS 7, EAGLES 3
Takahiro Arai’s RBI single got Hanshin the lead and Kenji Jojima capped a five-run outburst with a three-run shot to beat Rakuten at the Kleenex Box.
FIGHTERS 2, CARP 2, 12 innings
Jun Hirose’s eighth-inning RBI double evened the score, and Nippon Ham couldn’t break the deadlock at Sapporo Dome.
Takahiro T.O. Okada helped the Orix Buffaloes pull off a big comeback and take down the Chunichi Dragons -- finally.
Okada reached down and yanked a walk-off homer to right-center field for a 10-7 win in 11 innings on Wednesday, ending an eight-game interleague skid to their Nagoya neighbors.
The Buffaloes scored seven runs in the eighth inning, capped by a grand slam off the bat of Hirotoshi Kitagawa to tie the score at Skymark Stadium in Kobe.
Orix kept the Central League’s No. 3 team off the scoreboard until Okada, a fifth-year cleanup hitter, clubbed his 11th longball of the season.
The hit came after he failed to come through in the ninth inning when an intentional pass was given to No. 3 hitter Mitsutaka Goto.
“The at-bat before in the same situation was dreadful, when they walked the guy in front in me. They were playing shallow, so I thought it was over their heads, but it got and out and I’m glad,” Okada said.
The Dragons had beaten the Buffaloes, fourth in the Pacific League, every game since June 15, 2008. They took a 7-0 lead in this one, Motonobu Tanishige’s three-run homer in the top of the eighth gave them their seventh run to back Edward Valdez, who gave them six-plus shutout innings.
But the Dragons blew it. The Buffaloes evened it with six hits and two walks in the bottom of the frame.
After today’s action, the six PL teams are one-six in the interleague standings.
MARINES 8, GIANTS 1
Yomiuri stopped Lotte’s longest streak of shutout victories in 54 years, but that was all as Tsuyoshi Nishioka led a 15-hit attack with three knocks as the Marines wiped out the Giants a second straight night.
Tomoya Satozaki led four players with two hits by driving in two runs to back Yoshihisa Naruse (7-5), who tossed a five-hitter for his second complete game of the season.
The Marines have won eight straight at home.
LIONS 3, BAYSTARS 2
Seibu scored in three straight frames, the go-ahead run coming on a wild pitch by Hiroki Sanada (2-2) in the eighth as Yokohama fell at Seibu Dome.
Brian Sikorski notched his Japan-leading 18th save with a scoreless ninth.
HAWKS 6, SWALLOWS 1
Fukuoka had to deactivate slugger Hiroki Kokubo because of a bad shoulder, but Jose Ortiz and Nobuhiko Matsunaka each drove in a pair of runs in a win over struggling visiting Yakult.
Shinsuke Ogura (3-2) worked five-plus innings, limiting the Swallows to a run on five hits, two walks and a hit batter.
TIGERS 7, EAGLES 3
Takahiro Arai’s RBI single got Hanshin the lead and Kenji Jojima capped a five-run outburst with a three-run shot to beat Rakuten at the Kleenex Box.
FIGHTERS 2, CARP 2, 12 innings
Jun Hirose’s eighth-inning RBI double evened the score, and Nippon Ham couldn’t break the deadlock at Sapporo Dome.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Home boys …
Marines stay unbeaten in interleague at CMS
The Lotte Marines kept their interleague home march in step on Tuesday, trampling all over the Central League-leading Yomiuri Giants 11-0 at Chiba Marine Stadium.
Bill Murphy won his fourth decision without a loss, scattering four hits and three walks over seven innings as Lotte won its seventh straight at home vs. the CL.
Pacific League RBI leader Kim Tae Kyung added three more to his total with a two-run homer and an RBI groundout, and Toshiaki Imae had a two-run shot to power the Marines.
The Marines moved into a three-way tie atop the standings in the interleague race.
The PL is dominating interleague play with a 51-34 record, and five teams in the top spots in the standings.
EAGLES 3, TIGERS 2
Teppei Tsuchiya grounded a single up the middle in the ninth inning to give Rakuten its fifth walk-off win, beating Hanshin at the Kleenex Box.
Last year’s PL batting champion had three hits as the Eagles came back to win.
SWALLOWS 4, HAWKS 3
Former SoftBank infielder Ryo Yoshimoto tied the score with a pinch-hit RBI double in the seventh, and Norichika Aoki followed with a single to score him as Yakult rallied past SoftBank at Fukuoka Yahoo! Japan Dome.
Kenichi Matsuoka, in his sixth year, earned his first pro save.
BAYSTARS 6, LIONS 2
Seiichi Uchikawa had three knocks, including a two-run triple in the fifth, and drove in three runs as Yokohama topped Seibu.
Naoyuki Shimizu (6-3) went seven innings, allowing hits, a walk and a hit batter to win his 99th career decision.
DRAGONS 4, BUFFALOES 3
Motonobu Tanishige’s two-run single in the ninth inning helped Chunichi complete a comeback from a three-run deficit and edge Orix at Skymark Stadium.
Orix closer Jon Leicester (0-2) has three loses in Japan in one-plus seasons -- all to the Dragons.
The Dragons also rallied past him in Nagoya on May 15.
CARP 5, FIGHTERS 4
Eiishin Soyogi’s ninth-inning double lifted Hiroshima past Nippon Ham at Sapporo Dome.
The Lotte Marines kept their interleague home march in step on Tuesday, trampling all over the Central League-leading Yomiuri Giants 11-0 at Chiba Marine Stadium.
Bill Murphy won his fourth decision without a loss, scattering four hits and three walks over seven innings as Lotte won its seventh straight at home vs. the CL.
Pacific League RBI leader Kim Tae Kyung added three more to his total with a two-run homer and an RBI groundout, and Toshiaki Imae had a two-run shot to power the Marines.
The Marines moved into a three-way tie atop the standings in the interleague race.
The PL is dominating interleague play with a 51-34 record, and five teams in the top spots in the standings.
EAGLES 3, TIGERS 2
Teppei Tsuchiya grounded a single up the middle in the ninth inning to give Rakuten its fifth walk-off win, beating Hanshin at the Kleenex Box.
Last year’s PL batting champion had three hits as the Eagles came back to win.
SWALLOWS 4, HAWKS 3
Former SoftBank infielder Ryo Yoshimoto tied the score with a pinch-hit RBI double in the seventh, and Norichika Aoki followed with a single to score him as Yakult rallied past SoftBank at Fukuoka Yahoo! Japan Dome.
Kenichi Matsuoka, in his sixth year, earned his first pro save.
BAYSTARS 6, LIONS 2
Seiichi Uchikawa had three knocks, including a two-run triple in the fifth, and drove in three runs as Yokohama topped Seibu.
Naoyuki Shimizu (6-3) went seven innings, allowing hits, a walk and a hit batter to win his 99th career decision.
DRAGONS 4, BUFFALOES 3
Motonobu Tanishige’s two-run single in the ninth inning helped Chunichi complete a comeback from a three-run deficit and edge Orix at Skymark Stadium.
Orix closer Jon Leicester (0-2) has three loses in Japan in one-plus seasons -- all to the Dragons.
The Dragons also rallied past him in Nagoya on May 15.
CARP 5, FIGHTERS 4
Eiishin Soyogi’s ninth-inning double lifted Hiroshima past Nippon Ham at Sapporo Dome.
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