4/9/2004
4/9/2004
| Matsuzaka Back to Domination in 1-0 Triumph | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture This
seems hard to believe, but according to Japanese press reports,
Seibu Lions righthander Daisuke Matsuzaka did something Friday that nobody else ever has in Japan, strikeout everyone in the opposing lineup, on the way to scattering two hits in a 1-0 sayonara victory over the Kintetsu Buffaloes Friday at Seibu Dome . Shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima drove in the game winner with a bases loaded sac fly in the bottom of the ninth. Matsuzaka was clocked at 94mph and was in major trouble only once for his first 2004 victory. Being frustrated by the Yokohama High's brilliance
was Buffs starter Kevin Beirne, who permitted just three hits
Matsuzaka had a no hitter for four innings before Kintetsu
first baseman Hirotoshi Kitagawa ripped a one out
The Lions had just spent the last couple of days massacring
the Orix rotation, but couldn't seem to produce the
In the ninth, Kintetsu had their only other really
viable uprising on shortstop Masahiro Abe's single to right that went through
rightfielder Hiroyuki Oshima's wickets for a single and a two base error.
Rightfielder Koichi Isobe grounded to Kaizuka, who held the runner and
recorded the out. Third baseman Takeya Nakamura walked.
Hector Carrasco, who is still having a rough time, came in for the bottom of the inning and saw Lions third baseman Jose Fernandez do him up for a single to center. Leftfielder Kazuhiro Wada grounded into a 6-4 force play. Kaizuka walked. Carrasco then unleashed a wild pitch to put the winning run 90 feet away. Oshima, batting .250, was intentionally walked to get to Nakajima, batting .295. Nakajima flew out deep enough to center to convert Wada and that was your ballgame. The sac fly was the first sayonara hit of Nakajima's career. And it was the first time that Kintetsu had been under .500 since May 19, 2002.
E: H.Y. Oshima
Season Series: Kintetsu 0, Seibu 1 Game Time: 3:07
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| Lotte Blows Four Run Lead as Shimizu, Kobayashi Go Up in Flames in the Eighth | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kobe The Chiba Lotte Marines
had a four run lead going into the eighth, but the Orix Blue Wave mounted
a seven
run assault against Lotte starter Naoyuki Shimizu and the recently ineffective Masahide Kobayashi to prevail 7-4 to end the Kobe contingent's three game losing trend. Jason Phillips started for Orix and dug an early hole
for himself in the first and deepened it in the seventh, but
Before the game, Lotte manager Bobby Valentine sent
a conciliatory note over to Orix skipper Haruki Ihara
Phillips experienced some wildness in the first and
Lotte exploited it, as second baseman Koichi Hori walked with one away
and DH Kazuya Fukuura walked as well. First baseman Seung-yeop Lee beat
out a ground ball to pack
Orix would then squander an opportunity in the fourth
when leftfielder Yoshitomo Tani doubled to leftcenter with onee out and
eightfielder Roosevelt Brown walked. But first baseman Jose Ortiz rolled
into a double play to short
In the seventh, Omura sparked a rally when he singled
to center and was pinch run for by Takashi Tachikawa, who went to
second on a sac bunt. Shortstop Makoto Kosaka singled to center. Centerfielder
Toshio Haru shoved one down the rightfield line and Omura jogged in. Hori
singled to center and Kosaka flashed across the dish. But
Thus it remained until the bottom of the eighth, when Shimizu walked second baseman Koichi Oshima and pinch hitter Yuji Goshima singled to center. Takeshi Hidaka pinch ran for Goshima. Centerfielder Arihito Muramatsu walked to jam the basepaths. Keiichi Hirano grounded to Kosaka, who let the ball go through him for an error, and Oshima was in. Valentine brought Masahide Kobayashi in. Tani singled to center to plate two, Hirano motoring to third. Brown struckout, but Tani stole second. Valentine then had Ortiz free passed to set up a force at any base. Third baseman Kazuhiko Shiotani singled to right for the equalizer. DH Takeshi Yamasaki tattooed a slider into the leftcenterfield gap to clear the bases and give Orix a 7-4 advantage. Kazuo Yamaguchi then retired three of the four men he faced in the ninth to put the finishing touch on the match.
E: Kosaka, M.T. Goto
Season Series: Lotte 0, Orix 1 Game Time: 2:53
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| Shinjo Three Run Homer Nearly Does Wada In, But Hawks Hang On 7-6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fukuoka Daiei Hawks lefthander
Tsuyoshi Wada made his season debut Friday at Fukuoka Dome against Nippon
Ham, but he still has a ways to go to get back in top form, his fastball
struggling to hit the mid-80's instead of his customary 88-91mph, so this
wasn't pretty, as he was shaken down for a personal worst 13 hits and six
runs, five of those earned. But thanks to Nippon Ham starter Carlos' Mirabal's
even worse time on the hill, Wada
was able to obtain a victory 7-6. First baseman Nobuhiko Matsunaka keyed the attack for the birds of prey with a grand slam. The Fighters grabbed their only lead of the competition
when centerfielder Tsuyoshi Shinjo's ground ball was mishandled by shortstop
Munenori Kawasaki with one out and third baseman Michihiro Ogasawara singled
to
But Daiei centerfielder Hiroshi Shibahara kicked off
his team's half of the inning with a double down the rightfield line and
Kawasaki got aboard on an infield hit. Second baseman Tadahito Iguchi bounced
into a 6-4 force play.
Then the roof fell in on Mirabal in the second. With
one away, rightfielder Yudai Deguchi walked. One out later,
Nippon Ham had the bases loaded on three singles with one out in the fourth, but rightfielder Tomchika Tsuboi flew to shallow center and Shinjo grounded out to kill that revolt off. Deguchi then leadoff the bottom segment by parking
a Mirabal delivery in the leftfield stands and Daiei seemed
In the sixth, Kawasaki walked with one away. He took off for second and was judged safe. Fighters manager Trey Hillman vehemently objected to the call, but it stood as it always does. One out later, Matsunaka singled to center to drive Kawasaki in and make it 7-1. Considering that he hadn't really been extended yet due to injury, one can perhaps question why Daiei manager Sadaharu Oh allowed Wada to pitch in the seventh, but he did and it nearly cost the Hawks the game. Shortstop Makoto Kaneko and Tsuboi each singled to right. Shinjo got an 84mph fastball on the inner half of the plate and lined it into the leftfield bleachers for a three run homer. One out later, reserve leftfielder Kazuteru Shimada singled to center. DH Fernando Seguignol doubled to leftcenter. Out goes Wada and in comes Nobuyasu Matsu, who walks second baseman Kuniyuki Kimoto to pack the sacks. Shinji Kurano replaced Matsu. Tanaka singled to center and Shimada and Seguignol scooted across to make it a one run affair at 7-6. Catcher Shinji Takahashi walked. Fortunately for the Fukuoka faithful, Kaneko coughed up a double play ball to save the Hawks' skin. It should be noted, though, that Hillman felt that Takahashi was safe at second and jawed with the umpre over it. "He had already made up his mind that [Takahashi} was going to be out," Hillman told the press after the game. Daiei frittered a men on second and third, one out
situation in the ninth that became a bases loaded, two out crisis,
Hawks reliever Akio Mizuta permitted an infield single to Yoshinori Ueda, but Seguignol grounded into a 4-6-3 and Kimoto grounded out, too and this one was history. Shinjo's dad Hidetoshi and mom Fumiko as well as 20 members of his koenkai (supporter's association) were in the stands taking the game in.
E: Y. Tanaka, M. Kawasaki, Inamine
Season Series: Nippon Ham 0, Daiei 1 Game Time: 3:36
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