Naoyuki Shimizu started for Lotte and he had his problems, too, requiring 104 pitches to go five innings of five run ball on nine hits in accepting the defeat. 

Daiei second baseman Tadahito Iguchi and shortstop Munenori Kawasaki each singled to right to begin the game and Shimizu then walked
both leftfielder Pedro Valdez and first baseman Nobuhiko Matsunaka to force Iguchi in with a 1-0 lead. Shimizu then struckout catcher Kenji Johjima and DH Julio Zuleta and centerfielder Kazuyuki Takahashi grounded out to keep it there.

In the bottom of the frame, Lotte leveled it when centerfielder Akira Otsuka doubled to leftcenter and went to third on a groundout. DH Matt Franco lined out to short. But somehow there was an error involving an error by Matsunaka, which permitted Otsuka to cross the plate to make it 1-1.

The Hawks countered in the second with a one out single to right from rightfielder Kazuhiko Miyaji and Iguchi torqued one down the leftfield line, Miyaji coming around to score on the double for a 2-1 advantage.

Next time up, they splattered another deuce on the big board when Matsunaka and Johjima both singled to right, and, one out later, Takahashi singled to right to load the bases. Third baseman Mitsuru Honma grounded to second to drive in Matsunaka. Miyaji singled to center to invite Johjima in and it was 4-1 Hawks. 

In the fifth, Johjima throttled a Shimizu delivery and buried the remains in the leftfield bleachers to put it at 5-1 Daiei.

Wada walked two, but also fanned two in the sixth to survive that crisis. 

Daiei had the bases loaded on two singles and an intentional walk in the seventh, but a double play exterminated that endeavor.

With one out in the ninth, Daiei leftfielder Pedro Valdez mashed an offering from Takashi Kawai into the rightfield stands. Matsunaka 
then jackhammered one into the centerfield seats to make it 7-1 Hawks. Wada disposed  of the Lotte lineup in order in the home segment
and their nightmare with regard to Valentine was past tense. 

Wada's father Masayuki was celebrating his 52nd birthday Friday, so that his son emerged with a victory made an even happier occasion for him.

For Valentine, who had just turned 54 Thursday, his team has dropped its fifth straight, the third time this season Lotte had done that. And while fan turnout has been tremendous for the perennial doormat thanks to Valentine's return, a group of fans gathered near the player's entrance and yelled things such as, "you expect us to keep paying to watch that?" In other words, the honeymoon is over and now Valentine had better start leading his charges upward or the fan base, what there is of it, is going to go elsewhere. "All I can do is pray that they players haven't lost confidence in themselves," the former Dodgers infielder muttered to the press. 
 

Photo:  Daiei's Tsuyoshi Wada Finishes Off Another Hitter

Tsutomu Iwamoto started for the Fighters and went 7.2 innings of two run ball on six hits, but due to his team's inability to do something with its myriad scoring opportunities, the shirobosh went to reliever Akio Shimizu. 

Tsuboi kicked off the game with a single to right and, two outs later,  Moore nailed Seguignol and walked Kuniyuki Kimoto to load the bases. But Eiichi Koyano flied out to right.

In the home episode, Orix centerfielder Arihito Muramatsu homered to rightcenter to make it 1-0. 

Nippon Ham had three more baseruners in the second and didn't convert. However, in the third, Seguignol brought out the whooping stick
and flattened an 88mph fastball on the inner half of the plate into the leftfield seats to deadlock it at 1-1.

Orix got a runner all the way around to third in their turn, but left him there. In the top of the fourth, Nippon Ham reloaded the bases on a one out walks to Hichori Morimoto and Tsuboi and the Shinjo HBP. Again, though, they would be denied when leftfielder Angel Echevarria struckout and Seguignol grounded out. 

Iwamoto eluded a two on, two out dilemma in the fifth. Finally, Nippon Ham then obtained a lead in the sixth. Morimoto and Tsuboi walked. Second baseman Hiroshi Narahara tried to sacrifice the runners over, but hit a little  tapper out in front of the plate that catcher Takeshi Hidaka grabbed and threw to third on for the force. One out later, Seguignol singled to center and Tsuboi circled the bases to put the Fighters up 2-1.

Orix, though, played small ball in the eighth when Muramatsu reached on an infield hit and went to second on a sacrifice. Leftfielder Yoshitomo Tani singled to center and Muramatsu sped in with a 2-2 tie. 

Kazuo Yamaguchi was summoned from the bullpen for for Orix in the ninth and walked Seguignol. One out later, Tsutomu Ishimoto wacked it into the rightfield stands for his first homer in two years and a 4-2 Fighters advantage. And just for the hell of it, Yamaguchi and another reliever, Kato, walked the bases loaded befoe Narahara grounded out to leave the runners behind. 

Michiyama Yokoyama put Orix away without a peep and this pathetic purported pro baseball game was concluded. 

The 88mph fastball that Shinjo had taken off of one of his knees necessitated that he leave after the fourth inning. 

Seguignol now leads in all three Triple Crown categories. His OPS? Try 1.400!
 
 

Photo:  Fernando Seguignol: Spanish for "You Need a New Ball "