Chiba Lotte Marines reserve rightfielder Saburo Omura smashed a two run homer that binned a scoreless duel Saturday at Kamagaya and they tacked on one more in the ninth to secure a 3-1 victory against Nippon Ham. Naoyuki Shimizu started for the winners and while he was touched for three hits in three innings, he also struckout five. Credit for the positive outcome went to Kosuke Kato, though, who allowed only one hit in two innings. 

Brian Sweeney started for Nippon Ham and was outstanding, smothering the Marines on an infield hit and an HBP over four innings while effectively employing his changeup. He struckout three and was clocked at 85mph. . 

The Fighters amassed a single and a double in the second, but somebody got themselves thrown out somewhere on the basepaths before Shimizu and Kato put the next nine men away consecutively. 

In the sixth, though, Nippon Ham reliever Hideki Sunaga walked sub shortstop Masato Watanabe and then threw a fastball on the outer half of the plate that Omura creamed beyond the rightcenterfield wall to pull the Marines in front 2-0. 

Nippon Ham put men on second and third in the seventh with two outs against newbie Kodai Matsumoto, but reserve shortstop Iiyama struckout to foil the opportunity. 

Kazunori Yamamoto went to the center of the diamond for the Fighters in the ninth and walked backup catcher Tasuku Hashimoto with one out and, following another out, surrendered a double to right by Akira Otsuka that Hashimoto rode home to make it 3-0. 

Yoshihide Kanda exited through the bullpen gate for Lotte in the bottom segment and centerfielder Yoshio Itoi went gapping to rightcenter with one away and sub first baseman Eiichi Koyano doubled to left to redeem Itoi and trim it to 3-1. A groundout and a lineout to first, however, impeded further progress and brought the curtain down. 

Shimizu told reporters that he wants to sharpen his changeup and splitter in his upcoming assignments. 

On his dinger, Omura modestly offered that he got it up in the wind and that is how it carried out. 

Sweeney garnered some attention by the press for how he was dressed while on the mound, in shortsleeves in 54 degree weather. The onetime Padre responded that it was how he felt most comfortable. 

For Lotte, rightfielder Matt Watson was 0-2 and is at .000. First baseman Julio Zuleta had two infield hits (!!!) in four at bats and is at .333. Leftfielder Benny Agbayani was 0-2 and is at .000. 

For Nippon Ham, DH Fernando Seguignol was 0-4 and is at .125. Third baseman Andy Green was 1-3 with two strikeouts and is at .286. 

Seibu first baseman Jeff Liefer pounded a 3-0 pitch into the rightfield stands with two out in the ninth against Yokohama reliever Hideki Kishimoto for a 2-1 Lions win at Haruno. Jason Johnson started for Seibu and had a somewhat tense four innings of one run, four hit ball and hit a batter on 61 pitches and didn't figure in the decision, but it did mark the first time that a player pitched in any NPB game using an insulin pump. 

Takeharu Kato, who was the Bay Stars top middle reliever last season, is being looked at for a starting job and he did well here, governing the Lions on two hits over four innings while fanning three. 

Shortstop Kazuya Fujita singled to left off of Johnson with one out in the first and first baseman Yuki Yoshimura singled to right. One out later, centerfielder Tatsuhiko Kinjo singled to center to slingshot Fujita in with a 1-0 lead. DH Hitoshi Taneda, though, grounded to short to put the kabosh on getting more. 

Johnson then had a man on third with two outs in the second and escaped any consequences from that with a groundout. Yokohama wouldn't see their next knock until the eighth. 

Seibu leftfielder Takahiko Sato then got his congregation off the floor when he opened the fifth against Okamoto with a shot into the rightfield seats that tied it at one all. 

Stars second baseman Toshihisa Nishi almost got to Alex Graman for a homer, but his high drive to left was hindered by a breeze blowing in and the ball was caught in front of the fence. 

Seibu would put two on in the sixth with one out, but they were liquidated when Liefer grounded into a 4-6-3 double play. 

Rookie so far been less than a sensation Takayuki Kishi was entrusted with the ball for the eighth for the Lions and Yosuke Shimokubo wacked a single to center to begin things. Reserve shortstop Takehiro Ishikawa beat out a roller and Yokohama was in business. The runners were advanced on a sacrifice, bringing up the meat of the Stars order. That went asunder, as Yoshimura struckout and third baseman Shuichi Murata flied out to center. Minoru Yamagishi rang up a perfect ninth for Seibu and now it was time for the Lions final at bat. 

Kishimoto got two quick outs (he only threw 8 pitches on the inning) before Liefer went King Kong to decide it for Seibu. 

Kato was only clocked in the mid-80s while he will be in the low 90's during the regular season when he is on and used more breaking balls than fastballs. 

Johnson said that he was terrible out there and that the only reason he didn't REALLY get hammered was that the Yokohama batsmen mishit some non-quality deliveries since he couldn't put the ball where he wanted it. 

For Seibu, Liefer was 2-4 and is at .333. Graman ultimately went three and pitched to the miniumum on just 29 pitches. 

Hanshin starter Tatsuya   Kojima  pretty much locked up a spot in the starting rotation Saturday after four innings of one hit, three strikeout pitching, but it would be all Orix from there on in, as they bullied Yasuhiro Nakamura in the sixth for four runs and carted off a 4-1 victory at Osaka Dome. Hidetaka Kawagoe was tremendous fronting the mound corps for the Buffaloes, assembling five innings of two hit ball and striking out six on a solidly economical 69 pitches in a no decision. The win was bestowed on reliever Yasunari Takagi, who got into a jam in the sixth and slithered out of it. 

Kojima experienced a shortlived threat in the first when he walked shortstop Keiji Obiki with one out and first baseman Hirotoshi Kitagawa singled to center, but DH Chad Allen came up empty on an 85mph fastball and rightfielder Hiroaki Onishi grounded out on a big slow curve ball as Kojima proceeded to also banish the next nine men in order after that. 

There was no action in the wake of that until the sixth, when Takagi toed the rubber and Masato Akamatsu doubled to right and centerfielder Norihiro  Akahoshi outran a chopper. That was killed off, though, as second baseman Atsushi Fujimoto flew out to left and shortstop Takashi Toritani bounced one to Takagi, who initiated the 1-6-3 double play. 

Little Orix centerfielder Tomotaka Sakaguchi then ignited a rally in the home version when he singled to right with one out and Obiki doubled to left. Backup first baseman Takahiro Okada singled to right to point Sakaguchi home. Greg LaRocca pinch hit for Allen and walked to load the bases. Nakamura balked a run home and another crossed on a groundout to short from Onishi. Leftfielder Shinji Shimoyama beat out a ground ball toward short and LaRocca busted home for a 4-0 lead. Third baseman Makoto Shiozaki flew out to end the uprising. 

Akamatsu bunted for a hit in the eighth against Satoshi Komatsu and completed the circuit on a double to left by minor league third baseman Toru Fujiwara, but Komatsu and Kazuo Yamaguchi locked it up by getting the next five men for the 4-1 final. 

Kojima was clocked at 88mph. 

Fujiwara's RBI knock was the first by a Hanshin player in 26 innings. 

Tigers boss Akinobu Okada had a go at rightfielder Osamu Hamanaka, who was 0-4 with two strikeouts. Okada indicated that Hamanaka might begin the regular schedule on the bench behind Lin Wei-tzu or somebody else unless he displays a livelier bat. 

For Orix, Allen struckout in both of his at bats and is at .250. LaRocca was 1-1 and is at .500. 

Softbank Well, those of you who watched the Hawks play on the net last season can pretty much forget any thoughts of doing that this year. They have moved all of their netcasting to Yahoo Japan and in order to see the games you have to have a Japanese operating system. Otherwise, the phony baloney program they want you to install so that you can see the action won't work. As brilliant a guy as Softbank president Masayoshi Son, who is also the Hawks team owner, is, I guess he was too much of an idiot to figure out that overseas fans who don't speak Japanese would be shit out of luck under this new arrangement. I wrote them a note about it, but I don't expect to even get a response. Pro Yakyu still doesn't realize that this is an age of globalization, not shimaguni konjo (island country mentality). 

C'mon NPB, what the fuck is wrong with you people? Get your games on the net where anyone across the planet who is interested can consume your product will ya? God, you lot are bloody thick!