Orix starter Jason Phillips was clubbed for six runs in 3.1 innings to get saddled with the loss. The Blue Wave bullpen then imploded and made this one a joke.

The seats weren't even  warm before the Lions had damaged Phillips in the top of the first. Centerfielder Shogo Akada leadoff with a single to left and was subsequently thrown out attempting to steal. rightfielder Tatsuya Ozeki walked. Third baseman Jose Fernandez smashed a Phillips offering into the leftfield bleachers to make it 2-0.

Orix almost did something similar when it came to bat in the inning, as second baseman Koichi Oshima singled to right and leftfielder Yoshitomo Tani lifted a shuuto for a towering drive to left that barely got over the leftfield wall and it was 2-2. 

The home nine then notched its only lead of the game in the second, as Ryota Aikawa singled to right and Ozeki misplayed it, allowing Aikawa to end up at second with one out and, following another out, Hidemitsu Saito singled to center for the RBI and a 3-2 advantage. 

The Lions collected three more hits in the second, but couldn't push any of the runners home and Phillips fashioned a perfect third. But in the fourth, the Lions went on the warpath. First baseman Masahide Kaizuka and DH Hiroyuki Oshima singled to right. Shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima singled to left and Kaizuka strode home. One out later, second baseman Hiroyuki Takagi walked to load the bases. Orix manager Haruki Ihara waved Takashi Aiki in and he struckout Akada out. Ozeki singled to right to plate Oshima. Fernandez doubled to leftcenter for another pair and it was 6-3. Leftfielder Kazuhiro Wada was intentionally walked. Kaizuka singled to center to convert Ozeki for a 7-3 lead. 

Orix touched Ishii for another run, though, in the fifth on a double by Koichi Oshima and a two out shot off of Nakajima's glove that permitted Oshima to flash around the basepaths to home and put it at 7-4. 

Hiroshi Kobayashi came on for Orix to pitch the sixth and was bulldozed. Ozeki doubled to rightcenter and, two outs later, Kaizuka walked. Hiroyuki Oshima singled to center to pick Ozeki up. Nakajima fineted a 3-1 85mph cutter deep into the centerfield seats and it was 11-4
Lions. 

In the eighth, Orix splattered its final run on the big board when DH Takeshi Yamasaki singled to left off of Kazuyuki Hoashi, Saito singled to right with one out and centerfielder Arihito Muramatsu singled to center to make it 11-5 Seibu.

The Lions piled three more on in the ninth on a hit by pitch with one out to Nakajima, a double to left by Koji Tahara, a run scoring groundout to second off of the bat of Takagi, an RBI single to center by Akada, a single to center from Tomoaki Sato and another knock back through the middle by Hiroaki Ueda for the 14-5 margin. 

Ishii is still experiencing discomfort in his shoulder. He missed a good deal of 2003 because of an injury to that part of his body and hasn't been all that effective thus far. So we'll see how he holds up.

The 22 hits by Seibu are the most they've produced this season. In the eight games with Orix, they have scored 74 runs on 111 hits. Yikes!

Nakajima, who is batting .455 against Orix in 2004, is back at the top of the RBI leader board with 43. 
 

Photo:  Seibu Hurler Takashi Ishii Goes to the Plate

Sugiuchi walked two men in the first, but endured it unscathed. He then gave up a leadoff double in the second and kept the runner there. In the third, though, Kintetsu climbed on top when centerfielder Hiroaki Onishi singled to right and went to second on a sacrifice. One out later, third baseman Norihiro Nakamura doubled off the leftfield wall and it was 1-0.

In the fourth, Daiei surmounted that when Valdez doubled to rightcenter and Johjima flattened a fastball on the outer half of the plate and deposited it in the leftcenterfield seats to make it 2-1 Hawks. DH Julio Zuleta singled to left. Hiroshi Takamura was brought in to relieve Beirne. Rightfielder Kazuhiko Miyaji slapped a comebacker to Takamura, who went to second for the force. Ozeki  then went to second on a groundout. Third baseman Mizuki Tanaka singled to left. First baseman Mitsuru Honma singled to right to drive Miyaji in for a 3-1 advantage.

Valdez dug in the during the fifth with one down and poleaxed a pitch from Takamura into the rightcenterfield stands to go up by three at 4-1. Takamura walked the bases loaded, but centerfielder Kazuyuki Takahashi grounded into an inning ending twin killing. 

The first two Buffaloes hitters of the sixth, leftfielder Fumitoshi Takano and Nakamura, got on thanks to singles to center and right respectively. They advanced on a wild pitch. Rightfielder Koichi Isobe struckout. Akichika Yamada replaced Sugiuchi. First baseman Hirotoshi Kitagwa grounded to Yamada, who went to firsd for the out and Takano crossed to make it 4-2 Hawks. Yamada struck pinch hitter  Kenshi Kawaguchi out and then struggled through a two hit seventh before Koji Mise spun a perfect eighth and overcame an error and a walk in the ninth to clinch it, helped by Takano being thrown out trying to steal second. 

Daiei's normal starting first baseman, Nobuhiko Matsunaka, sat out with an oblique injury. 

This was the first time Johjima had batted in the cleanup role this season. When he was given that assignment in 2003, he only went 8-42.

Kintetsu manager Masataka Nashida believes that Beirne may be suffering from a spot of fatigue and is looking at juggling his rotation to perhaps rest him by giving him a turn off. That may engender Takamura making a spot start or moving Hisashi Iwakuma and Tetsuro Kawajiri up a day. 

Photo:  Kenji Johjima Truncheons One into the Seats

Photo:  Johjima Watching it Leave the Yard

Lotte let a two on, one out possibility pass by in the first, but second baseman Koichi Hori guided a Yusaku Iriki pitch into the leftfield seats for a 1-0 lead in the second. Iriki would strikeout the side in that same frame. 

Lotte then sent Iriki to the showers in the third, as centerfielder Jun Inoue walked and rightfielder Saburo Inoue doubled into the leftcenter gap to bring Inoue in. Leftfielder Matt Franco walked. Two outs later, third baseman Kiyoshi Hatsushiba singled to right and Inoeu scurried in while Franco made for third.  Hori was hit by a pitch. Iriki threw a wild pitch and Franco ran in to make it 4-0.

But in the seventh, Lotte reliever Hiroyuki Kobayashi let it all fall through his fingers. First baseman Fernando Seguignol walked. One out later, second baseman Kuniyuki Kimoto singled to center. Catcher Satoshi Nakajima singled to left to load the bases. Pinch hitter  Kensuke Tanaka ratcheted a first pitch fastball up the rightcenter gap to clear the bases on the double. Dan Serafini replaced Kobayashi. Pinch hitter Hiroshi Narahara singled to left to exploit Tanaka and even it at four all. 

However, Franco leaned on an 88mph heater from Naoyuki Tateishi and landed it in the rightcenterfield bleachers for a 5-4 Lotte edge.

Masahide Kobayashi went to the center of the diamond and Kimoto reached on an infield hit. Nakajima laid down a sac bunt. Kobayashi gloved it and went for the force at second, but the peg was wide and Kimoto went to third while Nakajima remained at first. The next two men struckout. Rightfielder Tomochika Tsuboi crashed a double off the rightfield wall to tie it up at 5-5. Centerfielder Tsutomu Ishimoto singled to left and that was the ballgame. 

It was officially Kobayashi's fifth blown save. He was clocked at 92mph, but his ERA also inflated to 8.20. "He was throwing well," Valentine
evaluated. Kobayashi himself had no comment, which is understandable for a guy who owns the PL consecutive saves record who now can't seem to do much right.