5/20/2004
5/20/2004
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Team Reports
| Daiei | |
| Righthander Hayato Terahara made a minor league start Thursday and
went seven innings of one run ball. He said that he had a good feel for
his slider. The former number one draft choice struckout eight.
Outfielder Noriyoshi Omichi, who has a bad shoulder, will finally be able to make a minor league appearance on the 25th and will rejoin the big club on the 28th. How badly do the Hawks miss first baseman Nobuhiko Matsunaka? |
He is 14-27 this season with six homers against frontrunning
Seibu, with whom they have an upcoming series.
To bolster the bullpen, Katsunori Okamoto will be back with the Hawks on the 24th. Outfielder Naoki Matoba has been called up and reserve catcher Masanori
Taguchi has been dispatched to the farm.
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| Seibu | |
| Team officials hope that Alex Cabrera can get back into action by the first week of July, but his first chance to face live pitching will be in | the minors.
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| Kintetsu | |
| Kevin Beirne has been taken off the roster due to back pain he suffered in his last start. They will elevate 22 year old Yasunari | Takagi from the minors to take his place.
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| Lotte | |
| Lotte may be leaving Japanese shores at the start of next season
along with the Daiei Hawks to play a series in Pusan, South Korea. It is
still in the talking stages, as is an idea for the same two clubs to
battle later in the 2005 campaign in Taiwan. Manager Bobby Valentine immediately gave the plans a thumbs up. "That is a |
wonderful idea. It will be a good experience for the players." Lotte, of course, has commercial interests in Korea, where it is one of the biggest producers of frozen food and confectionery, and also has Korean hero Seung-yeop Lee on its roster, making it a natural for such an event. |
| Nippon Ham | |
| According to Sankei Sports, a team official has secretly met with Arizona GM Joe Garagiola Jr. about having Randy Johnson be a special instructor for the Fighters pitching staff at some point this coming offseason. The idea of sending pitchers to train with Johnson is also being kicked around. Manager Trey Hillman, who is reportedly a candidate to replace Bob Brenly next season, hasn't | been asked about this by the press. Arizona and Nippon Ham have
a working agreement.
Reliever Yoshinori Tateyama, who is rehabbing a calf pull, made a minor league appearance and was tagged for a solo homer over two innings. |
| Orix | |
| As Hayato Terahara was shutting his team down, Masato Yoshii also
hampered Daiei's affiliate, going six innings of one run ball, the lone |
tally coming on a homer. There is no indication as to when or if he will be back with the top club. |