Takaya Kawauchi started for the Carp and Hiroshi Kisanuki for the Giants and both were excellent, Kawauchi surrendering two runs, one earned, on eight hits in eight innings and Kisanuki three runs, two earned, on seven hits in nine innings. Unfortunately, neither man figured in the decision. 

It was scoreless until the third,  when Rhodes got an 87mph fastball that was down but right over the heart of the plate, what lefthand hitters call "lunch," and he quickly inside outed it into the leftfield bleachers to make it 1-0. 

Hiroshima second baseman Greg LaRocca attempted to ignite a rally in the fourth with a leadoff double down the rightfield line, but leftfielder Tomonori Maeda's one out RBI basehit bid was snagged on a nifty sliding grab by rightfielder Yoshinobu Takahashi and third baseman Kenta Kurihara grounded out to waste the opportunity. 

However, the fish would tie it in the fifth, when third baseman Kenjiro Nomura doubled to rightcenter, went to third on a groundout and
crossed on a grounder to short by Kawauchi to knot it at one all.

Yomiuri returned serve in their turn on a single to center by second baseman Toshihisa Nishi, who then went to second on a bad pickoff throw. Rhodes singled to right and Nishi motored in for a 2-1 Yomiuri advantage. 

Neither outfit generated much of anything from there until the ninth, when the Carp turned the tables. Maeda sliced a single to left. Kurihara pumped a fastball into the leftfield bleachers and it was now 3-2 Hiroshima. 

Young closer Katsuhiro Nagakawa, who hadn't pitched in almost two weeks due to nagging back problems, came on and walked third baseman Hiroki Kokubo, who was pinch run for by speedster Takahiro Suzuki. Suzuki took off for second and Nagakawa threw the ball past catcher Yoshiyuki Ishihara for a wild pitch, with Suzuki sprinting all the way around to third. Abe walked. First baseman Roberto Petagine flew out to right and Suzuki tagged up and scored unmolested to deadlock it at 3-3. The next two batters also made outs and so it went into overtime.

Each team went peacefully in the tenth and the Carp couldn't convert the one one hit they mustered in the 11th. So in the bottom of that frame, Nagakawa,  who almost never goes this long, walked pinch hitter Akira Etoh. One out later, Nagakawa went 3-2 to Abe and then delivered a 3-2 forkball that was down, but it also split the plate and Abe was on it like stupid on Tom Arnold. As he drifted toward first base, he shouted "don't hook! three times and when it landed inside the rightfield foul pole, he jumped in the air and flung his helmet aside and embarked on his victory progress around the diamond. It is his third career sayonara circuit clout and his first since August 15, 2002. 

Matt Randell, who the Giants are paying all of $75,000 this season, fashioned two sparkling innings of one hit ball and was credited with the win, his second of the campaign. 

Yomiuri has prevailied in their last four tilts and are back at .500 in the currently parity-ridden Central League. 

A reporter asked Abe shy he didn't break the monthly homer record Friday and the 25 year old backstop replied that he was overswinging,
indicating that he was conscious of the standard. With that off his back now, he can relax and see what he can do in May. 

Swallows rookie starter Ryo Kawashima had easily his best pro outing to date, going eight innings and limiting Hanshin to two runs and five hits in being saddled with a frustrating defeat. 

Yabu created some trouble for himself in the fifth when, after shortstop Noriyuki Shiroishi reached on a bunt hit, he plunked leftfielder Alex Ramirez with two away. He then made a wild pickoff throw to first that permitted Shiroishi to insinuate himself into third while Ramirez stayed put. But first baseman Ken Suzuki, who owned the Tigers pitching staff last season, grounded out to end the inning. 

The first two Swallows batsmen reached ona single and an error in the second, but again, Yabu was up to the challenge and induced a pair of groundouts and a strikeout to fend off the threat. 

Hiyama, who had sat out the last four games and only started in this one due to Osamu Hamanaka's shoulder malady,  would then lend the Tigers a lead in the home half by plundering a Kawashima forkball and launching it into the centerfield stands to make it 1-0.

Yakult endeavored to fell Yabu once more in the third  when Shiroishi singled to left and, one out later, Ramirez singled to center. Suzuki flied out to left. Catcher Atsuya Furuta steamed a low liner into center. Centerfielder Norihiro Akahoshi ran it down, catching it hockey goalie style in order to ensure that it wouldn't get through him if he didn't snare it, for a highlight play worthy of a Gold Glove. 

Yakult averted a shutout when centerfielder Mitsuru Manaka singled to right in the fifth and went to second on a sac bunt. Third baseman Akinori Iwamura singled to center to bring Manaka in with the tying run. Ramirez then grounded into a 6-4-3 twin killing to put the uprising to rest with the scoreboard reading 1-1.

The Tigers had their ups in the bottom segment and, with one out, Kinkade got a hanging slider and parked it in the first row of the leftfield bleachers to hand Hanshin a 2-1 edge. It was the former Dodger's first dinger since April 4th, a period of 57 at bats. 

In the seventh, Swallows secomd baseman Hajime Miki singled to center. Kawashima laid down what was supposed to be a sac bunt. Yabu was on it real quick and he wheeled and fired a strike to shortstop Atsushi Fujimoto, who turned it over to first baseman George Arias and that was the last sighting of Yakult's offense the rest of the battle. 

With that, Yabu earned his 80th lifetime victory and the Tigers have a modest two game winning streak. 

There was a comic moment in the game. With Furuta at the dish in the second, Yabu fell down while delivering a pitch, the footgae of which will be well enjoyed on baseball bloooper shows on Japanese tv the rest of the ye
 

Photo: Rookie Kawasahima's Best Showing of Career, But Isn't Rewarded

Photo:  Mike Kinkade Smashes Game Winning Homer to Left

Photo:  George Arias and Kinkade Exchange High Fives Afterward

Photo:  Keiichi Yabu Exhibits Good Finish on This Pitch

The visitors had a chance to break through early when leftfielder Takahiro Saeki walked with two outs in the first and first baseman Tyrone Woods crashed a shot off the rightfield wall for a double. But centerfielder Hitoshi Tamura flied out to his opposite number and that was that. 

They would ultimately snatch the intial lead of the contest in the fourth when Saeki walked in the fourth and stole second. Hirai fanned the next two hitters, but rightfielder Tatsuhiko Kinjo singled to center to plate Saeki and it was 1-0 Stars.

Chunichi countered in the sixth on a walk to third baseman Hiroyuki Watanabe, who advanced on a one out groundout, and a double into the leftfield corner from second baseman Masahiro Araki to equalize it at 1-1.

Yokohama had two on and one out in the seventh, only to see that sabotaged by a 6-4-3 dp off the bat of catcher Ryoji Aikawa. 

Yokohama manager Daisuke Yamashita waved reliever Denny Tomori in for the eighth and neophyte first baseman Takayuki Onishi blooped a double to center. Watanabe sacrificed him along and he completed the circuit on a two out knock to center by shortstop Hirokazu Ibata for a 2-1 Dragons advantage. Eiji Ochiai retired the Stars on a trio of grounders and that was your ballgame. 

Hirai spent most of the night pounding one fastball after the other into the Yokohama lineup. "My forkball wasn't very good," he revealed,
"so I tried to spot my fastball on the corners." The former Orix fireballer had once been able to register 96 on the radar gun, but l.ast season, he got along fine by keeping it around 90-91 and focusing on hitting the target. With his breaking pitches of little use, it was time to order up some heat and it worked for him here. 

Centerfielder Alex Ochoa had some friends fly in from L.A. recently and they were at the game. He made some brownie points with pitching coach Takamasa Suzuki when he told his buddies that Suzuki "was the best Japanese closer" while introducing the former reliever. Suzuki was indeed a good one, but the best? Look at the material in the data warehouse and make that up for yourselves. 

Note that for those of you who can afford it, TV Japan had offered occasional Giants broadcasts via satellite and they reran them. I don't know if they still do that. But you might want to check it out. 

Otsuka followed that up with a scoreless inning Saturday. 

Also Friday, Dodgers southpaw Kazuhisa Ishii seized his fourth victory, using a newly acquired changeup to  righthand hitters to keep them off  balance in a 13-4 triumph over Montreal. He was clocked at only 88mph and not the mid-90's like he was while with Yakult, but he is getting fine results.

Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui went the other way Saturday at Yankee Stadium against Kansas City for his third homer of the year, ultimately driving in three runs on the day  to accompany Ruben Sierra's huge seven RBI afternoon in a 12-4 Bombers victory. 

Kazuhito Tadano was inserted into the ninth with an 11-2 Cleveland Indians lead Friday against Baltimore and was touched for a leadoff 

Getting back to those Padres games, Mets shortstop Kazuo Matsui went 1-5 and committed his fifth error of the season Friday. "That was a play any infielder should make," a downcast Matsui told the press afterward. He then went 0-5 Saturday.

White Sox reliever Shingo Takatsu is now in the winner's circle, as he picked up a victory Saturday against Toronto in game one of a doubleheader. The righthander tossed a perfect tenth and then saw his teammates win it in the bottom half at Comiskey Park. He is the fifth Japanese hillsman to be awarded a shiroboshi this season.

Shidax righthander Takahiko Nomaguchi, who is being hotly pursued by the L.A. Dodgers as well as at least three Japanese teams, had one of his worst outings Friday since joining the industrial league nine, as he was tattooed for five runs on six hits in just short of six innings against Miki House. He was hanging his breaking pitches and the opposition teed off. Nomaguchi was clocked at 92mph.

The game was also highlighted by hall of famer and Shidax manager Katsuya Nomura jumping all over the third base umpire after the arbiter intially signaled foul on a drive down the leftfield line and then changed his judgement to fair. Nomura had a point, but the fair call stood.