Tigers fall to Giants, have to win out
The three-time defending Central League champion Yomiuri Giants, with their title hopes on a ventilator, fought to keep the plug in the wall.
The Giants jumped all over the second-place Hanshin Tigers early and stomped out a rally midway through Tuesday's game for a 7-5 win at Koshien Stadium.
The Giants s, who have to hope the front-running Chunichi Dragons lose their finale to the Yakult Swallows at home on Saturday, need a lot to happen to win the title.
The Giant first have to win out over their final five games to have a chance.
Meanwhile, the Tigers, who have eight games to play, also have to win out if the Dragons beat the Swallows to close out their season.
Hanshin will need a better start than it had against Yomiuri in their penultimate meeting. Loser Jason Standridge (10-5) suffered through a rough first inning and took a seat on the bench after the final out of the third, in which he allowed opposing starter Tetsuya Utsumi (11-8) a two-out, two-run single to fall behind 5-1.
Giants rookie Hisayoshi Chono, just back from his first stint on the farm, had an RBI single in a three-run first. Utsumi plated a pair with an opposite-field looping liner that gave him some breathing room.
The lefty, though, surrendered three runs in the sixth without recording an out and departed.
Yomiuri’s Shinnosuke Abe extended his career-high homer total by slugging his 43rd, a solo blast in the seventh.
Matt Murton continued his pursuit of Ichiro Suzuki’s 210-hit season with two singles for 205. He moved one past Giants slugger Alex Ramirez’s CL record.
SWALLOWS 4, BAYSTARS 0
Norichika Aoki homered and singled to tie his career-best hit total of 202 to lead Yakult past host Yokohama.
Lefty Masanori Ishikawa (13-8) tossed a three-hitter for his first shutout in about two years, extending his club-record winning streak to 11 for a career-best 13th win.
The BayStars were blanked for the 14th time and set a NPB record with their third straight 90-loss season.
PACIFIC LEAGUE
MARINES 7, EAGLES 2
Tsuyoshi Nishioka had two hits to push his season total to 203 and added two runs batted in, and Toshiaki Imae had three hits and two RBIs as Lotte routed visiting Rakuten.
FIGHTERS 4, BUFFALOES 0
Five Nippon Ham hurlers combined on a six-hitter, and Sho Nakata had a pair of RBI doubles in a win over host Orix.
The third-place Fighters finished their season and have a half-game lead over Lotte, which has two games to play.
Lotte has to win its final two games to keep the Fighters out of the postseason for the fifth straight year.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Soft landing ...
SoftBank seizes PL title
The SoftBank Hawks have landed atop the Pacific League.
The Hawks entered Sunday with a magic number of one, and clinched the club’s 14th title, first since 2003, when the Seibu Lions lost in Sapporo.
The Hawks also fell 8-3 to the Rakuten Eagles at The Kleenex Box, but they topped the highly competitive PL.
“It’s a relief to look back on the season now that’s it over,” said second-year skipper Koji Akiyama.
“We lost tonight in this last game, but it just goes to show how competitive the PL was this season.
“It wouldn’t have been a surprise if any of the teams won it. This was a tough season.”
The Hawks did it with balance -- the second best team ERA at 3.89 and the third-most runs -- behind a pair of strong starters and a career year from Hitoshi Tamura. The 14-year veteran has played in a career-best 140 games, and his.324 average and 165 hits are also pro highs. In addition, he socked 27 homers.
Lefties Tusyoshi Wada (17-8) and Toshiya Sugiuchi (16-7) led the way and a shutdown bullpen, featuring Tadashi Settsu, Brian Falkenborg and closer Takahiro Mahara, shortened games.
Munenori Kawasaki, an 11-year pro, has a career-best 189 hits and 53 RBIs from the leadoff spot.
FIGHTERS 4, LIONS 3
“Mr. Second Helping” couldn’t help Seibu from falling to Nippon Ham at Sapporo Dome. The slugger hit two HRs, but Yoshio Itoi’s RBI double in the bottom of the ninth lifted the Fighters into the third place.
The loss pushed Seibu into second in the playoff seeding, and means Nippon Ham and Lotte will battle for the final spot.
BUFFALOES 6, MARINES 4, 10 INNINGS
Mitsutaka Goto cracked a walk-off two-run homer to lift Orix past Lotte at Kyocera Dome Osaka.
The loss dropped Lotte a half-game behind third-place Nippon Ham.
CENTRAL LEAGUE
BAYSTARS 3, GIANTS 2
Jose Castillo drilled a clutch RBI single in the eighth inning to down visiting Yomiuri for the second time in four days as Yokohama won at home.
Alex Ramirez blasted a pair of homers, the second of which was career-best 46th, but that was all the three-time defending CL champion Giants could muster.
SWALLOWS 3, DRAGONS 1
Despite a rain delay, righty Yoshinori Sato recorded 19 straight out and Norichika Aoki blasted a homer to become the first two-time 200-hit batter as Yakult continued its mastery of visiting Chunichi.
Chunichi’s loss gave the idle Hanshin Tigers a magic number of eight.
The SoftBank Hawks have landed atop the Pacific League.
The Hawks entered Sunday with a magic number of one, and clinched the club’s 14th title, first since 2003, when the Seibu Lions lost in Sapporo.
The Hawks also fell 8-3 to the Rakuten Eagles at The Kleenex Box, but they topped the highly competitive PL.
“It’s a relief to look back on the season now that’s it over,” said second-year skipper Koji Akiyama.
“We lost tonight in this last game, but it just goes to show how competitive the PL was this season.
“It wouldn’t have been a surprise if any of the teams won it. This was a tough season.”
The Hawks did it with balance -- the second best team ERA at 3.89 and the third-most runs -- behind a pair of strong starters and a career year from Hitoshi Tamura. The 14-year veteran has played in a career-best 140 games, and his.324 average and 165 hits are also pro highs. In addition, he socked 27 homers.
Lefties Tusyoshi Wada (17-8) and Toshiya Sugiuchi (16-7) led the way and a shutdown bullpen, featuring Tadashi Settsu, Brian Falkenborg and closer Takahiro Mahara, shortened games.
Munenori Kawasaki, an 11-year pro, has a career-best 189 hits and 53 RBIs from the leadoff spot.
FIGHTERS 4, LIONS 3
“Mr. Second Helping” couldn’t help Seibu from falling to Nippon Ham at Sapporo Dome. The slugger hit two HRs, but Yoshio Itoi’s RBI double in the bottom of the ninth lifted the Fighters into the third place.
The loss pushed Seibu into second in the playoff seeding, and means Nippon Ham and Lotte will battle for the final spot.
BUFFALOES 6, MARINES 4, 10 INNINGS
Mitsutaka Goto cracked a walk-off two-run homer to lift Orix past Lotte at Kyocera Dome Osaka.
The loss dropped Lotte a half-game behind third-place Nippon Ham.
CENTRAL LEAGUE
BAYSTARS 3, GIANTS 2
Jose Castillo drilled a clutch RBI single in the eighth inning to down visiting Yomiuri for the second time in four days as Yokohama won at home.
Alex Ramirez blasted a pair of homers, the second of which was career-best 46th, but that was all the three-time defending CL champion Giants could muster.
SWALLOWS 3, DRAGONS 1
Despite a rain delay, righty Yoshinori Sato recorded 19 straight out and Norichika Aoki blasted a homer to become the first two-time 200-hit batter as Yakult continued its mastery of visiting Chunichi.
Chunichi’s loss gave the idle Hanshin Tigers a magic number of eight.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Streak busted ...
Kaneko lit up as Marines hold firm
Chihiro Kaneko was streaking so hard, he probably didn’t even see what hit him.
The Orix Buffaloes righty, who had won 13 straight decisions, got lit up for six runs--four earned -- as the Lotte Marines marched past Orix 6-2 at Kyocera Dome Osaka on Saturday.
Lotte’s Tsuyoshi Nishioka went 3-for-4 to become the first Pacific League player since Ichiro Suzuki of the Orix BlueWave to stack up 200 hits in a season.
Nishioka has 201 hits with four games left on the Marines’ schedule. He was a particular pest for Kaneko, who hadn’t lost since Lotte beat him on June 24.
Kaneko (17-8), the PL wins leader, got surrendered 10 hits and three walks in 5.1 innings.
The win helped the Marines move in front of Nippon Ham for the third and final PLCS playoff spot.
Nishioka followed Naoki Matoba’s two-RBI single in the fourth with a run-scoring hit, his 200th hit of the season.
Matoba added an RBI hit in the sixth, and Nishioka followed with his second run-scoring single.
Nishioka joined the Hanshin Tigers’ Matt Murton of the Central League in becoming the second 200-hit player of the season, the first time in both leagues in NBP history.
Matoba also had a big day. It was the first three-hit game in his 10-year career. The former SoftBank Hawk was a career .157 catcher coming into the game with 80 hits lifetime.
HAWKS 1, FIGHTERS 0
Toshiya Sugiuchi (16-7) put two runners on in the ninth but got a double play to finish off a five-hitter and help SoftBank shrink its magic number for the PL title to one by blanking Nippon Ham at Sapporo Dome.
The Hawks beat Yu Darvish (12-8), scoring a seventh-inning run on Munenori Kawasaki’s RBI single.
The Hawks can clinch Sunday in Sendai against last-place Rakuten.
LIONS 3, EAGLES 2
Mr. Second Helping, “Okawari-kun,” homered twice, solo shots in the sixth and eighth, and Takayuki Kishi worked out of trouble for his first pro save as Seibu got a must win against Rakuten at The Kleenex Box.
Nakamura’s 22nd and 23rd bombs gave Seibu a victory that kept its slim PL title hopes alive. The Lions also locked up a PLCS spot.
CENTRAL LEAGUE
GIANTS 3, SWALLOWS 2
Alex Ramirez smashed his 44th homer, a solo blast in the seventh that broke a 2-2 tie and pushed Yomiuri past Yakult at Jingu Stadium.
Ramirez’s shot, one off his career best, helped the Giants keep pace with Chunichi and Hanshin, remaining in third place.
TIGERS 8, CARP 3
Takahiro Arai homered and double and drove in three to lead host Hanshin past Hiroshima.
Randy Messenger (5-6) went 5.1 he Tigers stayed 2.5 games behind CL leader Chunichi.
DRAGONS 9, BAYSTARS 7
Tony Blanco homered twice and led three players with two RBIs as Chunichi won the CL’s only day game to put pressure on Yomiuri and Hanshin.
Chihiro Kaneko was streaking so hard, he probably didn’t even see what hit him.
The Orix Buffaloes righty, who had won 13 straight decisions, got lit up for six runs--four earned -- as the Lotte Marines marched past Orix 6-2 at Kyocera Dome Osaka on Saturday.
Lotte’s Tsuyoshi Nishioka went 3-for-4 to become the first Pacific League player since Ichiro Suzuki of the Orix BlueWave to stack up 200 hits in a season.
Nishioka has 201 hits with four games left on the Marines’ schedule. He was a particular pest for Kaneko, who hadn’t lost since Lotte beat him on June 24.
Kaneko (17-8), the PL wins leader, got surrendered 10 hits and three walks in 5.1 innings.
The win helped the Marines move in front of Nippon Ham for the third and final PLCS playoff spot.
Nishioka followed Naoki Matoba’s two-RBI single in the fourth with a run-scoring hit, his 200th hit of the season.
Matoba added an RBI hit in the sixth, and Nishioka followed with his second run-scoring single.
Nishioka joined the Hanshin Tigers’ Matt Murton of the Central League in becoming the second 200-hit player of the season, the first time in both leagues in NBP history.
Matoba also had a big day. It was the first three-hit game in his 10-year career. The former SoftBank Hawk was a career .157 catcher coming into the game with 80 hits lifetime.
HAWKS 1, FIGHTERS 0
Toshiya Sugiuchi (16-7) put two runners on in the ninth but got a double play to finish off a five-hitter and help SoftBank shrink its magic number for the PL title to one by blanking Nippon Ham at Sapporo Dome.
The Hawks beat Yu Darvish (12-8), scoring a seventh-inning run on Munenori Kawasaki’s RBI single.
The Hawks can clinch Sunday in Sendai against last-place Rakuten.
LIONS 3, EAGLES 2
Mr. Second Helping, “Okawari-kun,” homered twice, solo shots in the sixth and eighth, and Takayuki Kishi worked out of trouble for his first pro save as Seibu got a must win against Rakuten at The Kleenex Box.
Nakamura’s 22nd and 23rd bombs gave Seibu a victory that kept its slim PL title hopes alive. The Lions also locked up a PLCS spot.
CENTRAL LEAGUE
GIANTS 3, SWALLOWS 2
Alex Ramirez smashed his 44th homer, a solo blast in the seventh that broke a 2-2 tie and pushed Yomiuri past Yakult at Jingu Stadium.
Ramirez’s shot, one off his career best, helped the Giants keep pace with Chunichi and Hanshin, remaining in third place.
TIGERS 8, CARP 3
Takahiro Arai homered and double and drove in three to lead host Hanshin past Hiroshima.
Randy Messenger (5-6) went 5.1 he Tigers stayed 2.5 games behind CL leader Chunichi.
DRAGONS 9, BAYSTARS 7
Tony Blanco homered twice and led three players with two RBIs as Chunichi won the CL’s only day game to put pressure on Yomiuri and Hanshin.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Showing some fight ...
Nippon Ham legitimate
Back in the first two months of the season, the Nippon Ham Fighters looked out on their feet.
The boys from Hokkaido now look like real contenders for a Pacific League playoff spot.
Kensuke Tanaka’s clutch two-run single in the sixth inning broke up a tie score and gave the Fighters a 4-2 victory over the Rakuten Eagles at The Kleenex Box in Friday's only game.
The win put the defending PL champion Fighters alone in the third and final PLCS playoff spot, and gave them a legitimate shot at the postseason with three games left on their schedule.
They are a half-game better than the Lotte Marines, but face the first-place SoftBank Hawks on Saturday and the second-place Seibu Lions on Sunday. Both of those teams are trying to win the PL title, with the Hawks a half-game up.
Atsunori Inaba had a two-run single in the third to put the Fighters in the lead as Nippon Ham tied a season-best by moving six games over .500. It’s their first time being as high as third place this season.
Right-hander Ryo Sakakibara (10-1) got the win with five innings in relief of Masao Kida, who was gone after 1.2 innings.
Ace Yu Darvish faces SoftBank’s Toshiya Sugiuchi Saturday. The Hawks’ magic number to win the PL is two.
Back in the first two months of the season, the Nippon Ham Fighters looked out on their feet.
The boys from Hokkaido now look like real contenders for a Pacific League playoff spot.
Kensuke Tanaka’s clutch two-run single in the sixth inning broke up a tie score and gave the Fighters a 4-2 victory over the Rakuten Eagles at The Kleenex Box in Friday's only game.
The win put the defending PL champion Fighters alone in the third and final PLCS playoff spot, and gave them a legitimate shot at the postseason with three games left on their schedule.
They are a half-game better than the Lotte Marines, but face the first-place SoftBank Hawks on Saturday and the second-place Seibu Lions on Sunday. Both of those teams are trying to win the PL title, with the Hawks a half-game up.
Atsunori Inaba had a two-run single in the third to put the Fighters in the lead as Nippon Ham tied a season-best by moving six games over .500. It’s their first time being as high as third place this season.
Right-hander Ryo Sakakibara (10-1) got the win with five innings in relief of Masao Kida, who was gone after 1.2 innings.
Ace Yu Darvish faces SoftBank’s Toshiya Sugiuchi Saturday. The Hawks’ magic number to win the PL is two.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
It's a jungle out there ...
Lions tumble into 2nd place
The Seibu Lions were salivating over a possible Pacific League title just last week. Now, they’re tongues are hanging out for a different reason.
The Lions sent their ace to the mound on four days’ rest and still fell to the lowly Rakuten Eagles 4-3 at home on Thursday, tumbling out of first place with their fifth straight loss.
Seibu’s magic number, which was four on Sept. 16, magically turned into a magic number of two for SoftBank, which routed Lotte 9-3 in a day game.
Takeshi Yamasaki and Randy Ruiz hit back-to-back solo homers in the second inning, and Taishi Nakagawa’s two-run single in the third gave Rakuten a 4-1 lead, and third-year hurler Yasunori Kikuchi won his pro debut with five innings of two-run ball.
Hideaki Wakui (14-8) lasted only three innings on short rest. He allowed six hits and a walk, while fanning five in Seibu’s home finale.
Rakuten skipper Marty Brown extended his NPB record for ejections, getting the thumb for the 12th time in his career, the fourth time this year, for arguing a close play at second base.
The Lions have two games remaining, while the Hawks have three.
HAWKS 9, MARINES 3
Tsuyoshi Wada (17-8) pitched SoftBank past Lotte, scattering five hits and fanning 10 with two walks over seven innings in a win at Fukuoka Yahoo! Japan Dome.
Munenori Kawasaki had three hits and three RBIs to back Wada, who took over the PL lead in wins.
CENTRAL LEAGUE
TIGERS 6, DRAGONS 1
Matt Murton had three hits, including a homer and a double, and drove in two to become just the fourth player in NPB history to reach 200 hits in a season as Hanshin topped host Chunichi.
Murton became the second foreign player to reach 200 hits--joining Yomiuri’s Alex Ramirez. Murton has 10 games left to surpass the 204 hits Ramirez had in 2007.
Atsushi Nomi (5-0) limited Chunichi to a run on five hits and no walks with nine strikeouts for the win, which pushed Hanshin back into second by percentage points over Yomiuri.
BAYSTARS 5, GIANTS 2
Brett Harper had a two-run blast in the third, and Jose Castillo drilled a two-run shot to break a 2-2 tie in the sixth as Yokohama avoided a sweep to Yomiuri at Tokyo Dome.
Tomokazu Oka (7-9) held the Giants to two runs on five hits and no walks over seven innings for the win.
SWALLOWS 3, CARP 0
Shohei Tateyama (11-6) fired a six-hitter as Yakult blanked Hiroshima at The Zoom.
Josh Whitesell had a solo homer in the fourth to back Tateyama, and the Swallows added two more runs in the seventh.
Yakult’s Norichika Aoki had one hit to leave him three shy of 200.
The Seibu Lions were salivating over a possible Pacific League title just last week. Now, they’re tongues are hanging out for a different reason.
The Lions sent their ace to the mound on four days’ rest and still fell to the lowly Rakuten Eagles 4-3 at home on Thursday, tumbling out of first place with their fifth straight loss.
Seibu’s magic number, which was four on Sept. 16, magically turned into a magic number of two for SoftBank, which routed Lotte 9-3 in a day game.
Takeshi Yamasaki and Randy Ruiz hit back-to-back solo homers in the second inning, and Taishi Nakagawa’s two-run single in the third gave Rakuten a 4-1 lead, and third-year hurler Yasunori Kikuchi won his pro debut with five innings of two-run ball.
Hideaki Wakui (14-8) lasted only three innings on short rest. He allowed six hits and a walk, while fanning five in Seibu’s home finale.
Rakuten skipper Marty Brown extended his NPB record for ejections, getting the thumb for the 12th time in his career, the fourth time this year, for arguing a close play at second base.
The Lions have two games remaining, while the Hawks have three.
HAWKS 9, MARINES 3
Tsuyoshi Wada (17-8) pitched SoftBank past Lotte, scattering five hits and fanning 10 with two walks over seven innings in a win at Fukuoka Yahoo! Japan Dome.
Munenori Kawasaki had three hits and three RBIs to back Wada, who took over the PL lead in wins.
CENTRAL LEAGUE
TIGERS 6, DRAGONS 1
Matt Murton had three hits, including a homer and a double, and drove in two to become just the fourth player in NPB history to reach 200 hits in a season as Hanshin topped host Chunichi.
Murton became the second foreign player to reach 200 hits--joining Yomiuri’s Alex Ramirez. Murton has 10 games left to surpass the 204 hits Ramirez had in 2007.
Atsushi Nomi (5-0) limited Chunichi to a run on five hits and no walks with nine strikeouts for the win, which pushed Hanshin back into second by percentage points over Yomiuri.
BAYSTARS 5, GIANTS 2
Brett Harper had a two-run blast in the third, and Jose Castillo drilled a two-run shot to break a 2-2 tie in the sixth as Yokohama avoided a sweep to Yomiuri at Tokyo Dome.
Tomokazu Oka (7-9) held the Giants to two runs on five hits and no walks over seven innings for the win.
SWALLOWS 3, CARP 0
Shohei Tateyama (11-6) fired a six-hitter as Yakult blanked Hiroshima at The Zoom.
Josh Whitesell had a solo homer in the fourth to back Tateyama, and the Swallows added two more runs in the seventh.
Yakult’s Norichika Aoki had one hit to leave him three shy of 200.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Smoking hot ...
Dragons get hot late
The Chunichi Dragons spent much of Wednesday blowing smoke at Nagoya Dome. They caught a little bit of fire in the bottom of the ninth.
Hanshin’s Craig Brazell fielded pinch-hitter Takehiro Donoue’s bases-loaded bouncer and launched it over catcher Kenji Jojima’s head, allowing the winning run to score for a 1-0 Chunichi walk-off win.
With one out, the infield in and Atsushi Fujii at third, Donoue’s little tapper probably would have scored the run. But Brazell couldn’t make the play close, double-clutching and then throwing high while running toward home.
The win kept the Dragons 2.5 games up on the Central League’s second-place team, which became the Yomiuri Giants as the Tigers fell into third.
The Tigers fell to 1-10 at Chunichi’s dome and haven’t scored a run there in 30 innings. The Dragons are 14-3-1 this month with a team ERA of 1.63.
Three straight hits loaded the bases for Chunichi in the bottom of the ninth before Tony Blanco fanned. Donoue, hitting for reliever Takuya Asao (12-3), got some words of advice before stepping in against Kyuji Fujikawa.
His tapper was weak, but effective, giving the Dragons their club-record 12th walk-off win this season. It was their 11th consecutive win at home, their second double-digit winning streak at the dome this season.
Daisuke Yamai walked away with no decision after 7.2 scoreless innings. Hanshin’s Yoshitomo Kubo worked eight scoreless, scattering three hits and a hit batter, while fanning five but didn't get a decision.
Asao set a club record with his 70th appearance, and won his sixth straight decision as the Dragons recorded their fourth shutout this month.
GIANTS 6, BAYSTARS 2
A night after hitting a walk-off blast, Hayato Sakamoto picked up where he left off, going 4-for-5 with a homer in his first at-bat and adding a double and two RBIs as three-time defending CL champion Yomiuri kept its slim hopes for a fourth straight league title alive.
Yoshinobu Takahashi also homered in support of Tetsuya Utsumi (10-8), who carried a shutout into the ninth before allowing two runs. He left after 8.2 innings, allowing nine hits and three walks, while punching out six.
SWALLOWS 5, CARP 4
Kazuhiro Hatakeyama’s two-RBI single in the sixth inning help lift Yakult to a comeback win over Hiroshima at The Zoom.
PACIFIC LEAGUE
EAGLES 3, FIGHTERS 1
Akihisa Makida’s solo blast in the fifth gave Rakuten the lead and Ryo Hijirizawa also went deep in the sixth with the bases empty as the Eagles downed Nippon Ham at Sapporo Dome.
The loss meant the Fighters were mathematically eliminated from the PL title race.
The SoftBank Hawks clinched a Climax Series playoff spot by virtue of fourth-place Nippon Ham’s loss.
The Chunichi Dragons spent much of Wednesday blowing smoke at Nagoya Dome. They caught a little bit of fire in the bottom of the ninth.
Hanshin’s Craig Brazell fielded pinch-hitter Takehiro Donoue’s bases-loaded bouncer and launched it over catcher Kenji Jojima’s head, allowing the winning run to score for a 1-0 Chunichi walk-off win.
With one out, the infield in and Atsushi Fujii at third, Donoue’s little tapper probably would have scored the run. But Brazell couldn’t make the play close, double-clutching and then throwing high while running toward home.
The win kept the Dragons 2.5 games up on the Central League’s second-place team, which became the Yomiuri Giants as the Tigers fell into third.
The Tigers fell to 1-10 at Chunichi’s dome and haven’t scored a run there in 30 innings. The Dragons are 14-3-1 this month with a team ERA of 1.63.
Three straight hits loaded the bases for Chunichi in the bottom of the ninth before Tony Blanco fanned. Donoue, hitting for reliever Takuya Asao (12-3), got some words of advice before stepping in against Kyuji Fujikawa.
His tapper was weak, but effective, giving the Dragons their club-record 12th walk-off win this season. It was their 11th consecutive win at home, their second double-digit winning streak at the dome this season.
Daisuke Yamai walked away with no decision after 7.2 scoreless innings. Hanshin’s Yoshitomo Kubo worked eight scoreless, scattering three hits and a hit batter, while fanning five but didn't get a decision.
Asao set a club record with his 70th appearance, and won his sixth straight decision as the Dragons recorded their fourth shutout this month.
GIANTS 6, BAYSTARS 2
A night after hitting a walk-off blast, Hayato Sakamoto picked up where he left off, going 4-for-5 with a homer in his first at-bat and adding a double and two RBIs as three-time defending CL champion Yomiuri kept its slim hopes for a fourth straight league title alive.
Yoshinobu Takahashi also homered in support of Tetsuya Utsumi (10-8), who carried a shutout into the ninth before allowing two runs. He left after 8.2 innings, allowing nine hits and three walks, while punching out six.
SWALLOWS 5, CARP 4
Kazuhiro Hatakeyama’s two-RBI single in the sixth inning help lift Yakult to a comeback win over Hiroshima at The Zoom.
PACIFIC LEAGUE
EAGLES 3, FIGHTERS 1
Akihisa Makida’s solo blast in the fifth gave Rakuten the lead and Ryo Hijirizawa also went deep in the sixth with the bases empty as the Eagles downed Nippon Ham at Sapporo Dome.
The loss meant the Fighters were mathematically eliminated from the PL title race.
The SoftBank Hawks clinched a Climax Series playoff spot by virtue of fourth-place Nippon Ham’s loss.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Blown away again …
Dragons improve to 9-1 vs. Tigers at Nagoya Dome
Matt Murton doubled to lead off the game. That turned out to be the Hanshin Tigers’ best scoring chance all night.
Chen Wei-yin shut them down on four hits and two walks over eight innings, and the Dragons got just enough offense to blank Hanshin 3-0 on Tuesday and be the first team in Japan to book a spot in the Climax Series playoffs.
Chen (13-10) fanned five to extend his personal scoreless string to 18 consecutive innings and give front-running Chunichi a 9-1 record against Hanshin at Nagoya Dome.
Chen got out of that first-inning jam, not allowing a runner to reach third and the Dragons are in the playoffs for the fourth straight year.
“I just tried to use my hard stuff to get through the situation,” Chen said. “My fastball was working best.”
The Dragons have five games remaining, while the Tigers have 12, two against third-place the Yomiuri Giants.
Kei Nomoto was 2-for-2, including a fourth-inning sac fly for the game’s first run and an RBI single in the sixth.
“We can’t afford to lose these games, so we just have to go out and get it done,” Nomoto said.
Kazuhiro Wada had three hits and scored twice for the Dragons, who are 2.5 games up on the Tigers.
Jason Standridge (10-4) pitched well in the loss. He held the Dragons to two runs on seven hits and no walks over seven innings.
Hitoki Iwase got the final out for his 41st save.
GIANTS 4, BAYSTARS 3, 12 INNINGS
Hayato Sakamoto slugged his third walk-off homer of the season to lift Yomiuri past visiting Yokohama.
It was Sakamoto’s 30th homer, making the Giants the fifth team in NPB history with four players hitting at least 30 longballs.
The Giants also pulled into a virtual tie with the Tigers for second.
CARP 5, SWALLOWS 2
Kenta Kurihara’s second homer in as many nights -- hits second of the evening -- a solo blast in the eighth, broke a 2-2 tie and sparked a three-run inning as Hiroshima came back to top Yakult at The Zoom for its and fifth straight win.
PACIFIC LEAGUE
FIGHTERS 4, BUFFALOES 1
Yuji Iiyama had four hits -- his first four-hit game in three years and second of his career -- and knocked in two runs, including the eventual game-winning run in the eighth as Nippon Ham won at Sapporo Dome.
The Fighters, who saw closer Hisashi Takeda allow four hits and two runs in the ninth before holding on for his 18th save, remained tied for the third and final playoff spot.
MARINES 12, EAGLES 2
A day after struggling to snap its 16-game skid at The Kleenex Box, Lotte got three hits each from Tsuyoshi Nishioka and Tadahito Iguchi in a 17-hit attack for a rout of Rakuten.
It was Nishioka’s 26th game with at least three hits, tying him with Ichiro Suzuki for the most three-or-more hit games in one season.
Matt Murton doubled to lead off the game. That turned out to be the Hanshin Tigers’ best scoring chance all night.
Chen Wei-yin shut them down on four hits and two walks over eight innings, and the Dragons got just enough offense to blank Hanshin 3-0 on Tuesday and be the first team in Japan to book a spot in the Climax Series playoffs.
Chen (13-10) fanned five to extend his personal scoreless string to 18 consecutive innings and give front-running Chunichi a 9-1 record against Hanshin at Nagoya Dome.
Chen got out of that first-inning jam, not allowing a runner to reach third and the Dragons are in the playoffs for the fourth straight year.
“I just tried to use my hard stuff to get through the situation,” Chen said. “My fastball was working best.”
The Dragons have five games remaining, while the Tigers have 12, two against third-place the Yomiuri Giants.
Kei Nomoto was 2-for-2, including a fourth-inning sac fly for the game’s first run and an RBI single in the sixth.
“We can’t afford to lose these games, so we just have to go out and get it done,” Nomoto said.
Kazuhiro Wada had three hits and scored twice for the Dragons, who are 2.5 games up on the Tigers.
Jason Standridge (10-4) pitched well in the loss. He held the Dragons to two runs on seven hits and no walks over seven innings.
Hitoki Iwase got the final out for his 41st save.
GIANTS 4, BAYSTARS 3, 12 INNINGS
Hayato Sakamoto slugged his third walk-off homer of the season to lift Yomiuri past visiting Yokohama.
It was Sakamoto’s 30th homer, making the Giants the fifth team in NPB history with four players hitting at least 30 longballs.
The Giants also pulled into a virtual tie with the Tigers for second.
CARP 5, SWALLOWS 2
Kenta Kurihara’s second homer in as many nights -- hits second of the evening -- a solo blast in the eighth, broke a 2-2 tie and sparked a three-run inning as Hiroshima came back to top Yakult at The Zoom for its and fifth straight win.
PACIFIC LEAGUE
FIGHTERS 4, BUFFALOES 1
Yuji Iiyama had four hits -- his first four-hit game in three years and second of his career -- and knocked in two runs, including the eventual game-winning run in the eighth as Nippon Ham won at Sapporo Dome.
The Fighters, who saw closer Hisashi Takeda allow four hits and two runs in the ninth before holding on for his 18th save, remained tied for the third and final playoff spot.
MARINES 12, EAGLES 2
A day after struggling to snap its 16-game skid at The Kleenex Box, Lotte got three hits each from Tsuyoshi Nishioka and Tadahito Iguchi in a 17-hit attack for a rout of Rakuten.
It was Nishioka’s 26th game with at least three hits, tying him with Ichiro Suzuki for the most three-or-more hit games in one season.
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