By Steve Novosel
No photos today – no photos needed to illustrate the lovely, see-saw, extra-innings, dramatic 8-6 victory over Seibu in Tokorozawa tonight! Thanks to gutsy play, great clutch hitting, and one dramatic swing by Saburo the Marines took the first game of three with the Lions and put themselves closer to the top half of the Pa-league.
Lotte ran out to an early 3-0 lead thanks to RBI doubles by Takahara (scoring Saburo) and Imae (scoring Takehara) in the top of the second. The Marines added the third run off a bases loaded sac fly in the 4th off the bat of Fukuura.
Shimizu Naoyuki took the hill tonight and threw five scoreless innings before yielding 2 in the 6th on a RBI double by beefy Seibu masher Nakamura and a timely single by GG Sato. Both Lotte and Seibu went to their bullpens in the late innings and the real drama began.
Lotte added a 4th run in the top of the 8th on a solo shot to left by Iguchi off of Seibu’s annoyingly arrhythmic hurler Iwasaki. Lotte’s normally reliable reliever Itoh came out for the bottom of the 8th and returned that insurance run quickly, thanks to the large bat of the large Nakamura, who hit a very, very large homer to the right of the big screen in center. Not content with making it 4-3, Seibu tied it at 4-4 on an Osaki single.
The stage was set for 9th inning dramatics, and dramatics we got. With two outs and Tsuyoshi on, Ohmatsu singled to right to bring home the go ahead run. 5-4 Lotte!
Seibu came to bat in the bottom of the 9th facing Lotte fireballer Sikorski. Sikorski struck out Hirao to lead off the inning, but the next batter Kataoka took him deep, putting a game-tying HR in the Lotte fans to make it 5-5. To extra innings we would go!
Lotte had a great chance to take the lead in the top of the 10th. Burnham Jr and Satozaki singled, and with 2 outs Imae was plunked to load the bases. With Tsuyoshi coming to the plate the stage was set for a big hit and another lead. Seibu’s Onodera caught Imae leaning a bit too much off of first, though, picking him off to end the chance.
Sikorski really knuckled down after the 9th inning problems and mowed down the Seibu side in order with a pair of Ks in the bottom of the 10th.
In the top of the 11th Tanaka Masahiko pinch-hit for Fukuura and delivered a clutch double to get a rally started. With two outs after an Ohmatsu grounder, Iguchi walked to make it two baserunners for Mr “Face of the June Lotte Poster” Saburo. Saburo took the opportunity to put Lotte ahead and smashed it into Seibu fans in left. They surely had no appreciation for the immense gift Saburo gave his teammates and the fans, but believe me we did! 8-5 Lotte, with only a pesky bottom of the inning standing between Lotte and thier second win in a row.
Ogino came in to mop up the 11th – he gave up a run but a 3-run HR is a lot of padding in extra innings, and Lotte held on for a wonderful 8-6 victory.
Definitely heaps of anxiety in this one for all involved, but all that’s important is the good guys came up on top, and closed the gap between Lotte and 4th place Seibu to just one game.
By Steve Novosel
These guys above got the most at bats on Sunday, for sure. The weather wasn’t cooperative but the Lotte offense was, doing just enough take a rain shortened, 6-inning 3-2 victory over Nippon Ham.
This was a fun game to watch, as I got to enjoy it from right behind home plate with Deanna from the Marinerds blog and Larry Rocca of the Marines. For us, the weather wasn’t even a problem as we were in pretty much the only dry seats in the lower section of Chiba Marine – a good thing as I neglected to bring my rain gear!
The crap weather negated the awesome seats for photography purposes, so I *sigh* just had to enjoy the game instead of taking my usual 573 photos. It was great fun just chatting about baseball and life in Japan, watching the Marines take a lead, lose it, and get it back before the weather proved too much.
 Lotte starter Ono baffles the Fighters bats Lotte got off to a quick start in the second inning, scoring two off Fighters starter Brian Sweeney. In that inning, Saburo led off with a double, and Hashimoto plated him with a freakily bouncing single to right. After a walk to Benny and two more outs, Tsuyoshi brought home Hashimoto with a double down the 3rd base line to make it 2-0.
 Tsuyoshi steals 2nd in the rain Sweeney looked great in the first – he started with a pair of Ks – but the conditions were brutal and he didn’t have that good control in the second. Judging him by his family he’s a great guy – we met his wife and kids prior to the game when his wife recognized Deanna from her blog (and she was very nice and friendly) – and I wish him all the best, just against some other team, preferably Seibu. No offense.
Ono took the hill for Lotte and was generally dominant – except for one pitch. That came in the 4th, where he gave up a lead off single to Hichori and followed it up with a very fat pitch to Inaba, who smooshed it into the right field stands. The rain was coming down harder and harder, and it was now tied at 2-2.
The rain caused long delays at the start of each inning as the drying agent and new dirt had to be brought out. Quite frankly, I’m surprised the game actually went past 5 innings.
It made it to the 6th, though – and in the 6th Lotte took the lead again. Benny led off with a great double- he really tore around the bases and slid before the tag could be applied. Burnham Jr grounded out next, which sacrificed Benny to third. Imae dropped down a lovely squeeze bunt to bring home Benny and put Lotte up 3-2.
 We have a winner! I was fiddling with my camera and leaning around the umbrella in front of me so that’s the best shot I got of the squeeze.
The umpires called a delay – finally – at the top of the 7th. It seemed pretty clear that the weather wasn’t going away, so nobody was surprised later when the game was called and Lotte took the 6 inning victory. As I mentioned after May’s rain-shortened loss to the Fighters I think games that don’t go 9 innings are a poor compromise, but at least in this case Lotte came out on top.
So it was a good day after all despite the rain, and Lotte avoids the sweep. Hopefully with the rainy season ending soon we won’t see too many more of these rain games – but as long as we see Lotte victories I’m happy!
By Steve Novosel
 Karakawa Yuki warms up on the sideline Unfortunately I am more than a little late with reports from this weekend’s action. Baseball IS life, but sometimes other aspects of life get in the way.
In the ’seemingly-unfortunately-but-actually-worked-out-well’ category, I missed my first Lotte home game in over a month on Friday as the Nippon Ham came to town this weekend for the first series in the resumption of Pacific League play. I’ll miss Interleague play; as I mentioned previously I like Interleague for the variety in opponents and bit more ‘fun’ rivalries than is usual within Pa-league play (Pa-league play always being Serious Business, especially when Seibu is in town). It’s good to get back to the heart of the matter, though – but Lotte fans everywhere were sure hoping for a bit better resumption to play.
Part of the problem was the Fighters happened to bring ol-Darvish along with them, and Darvish did what Darvish does, holding the Marines to only two hits, none until the 8th inning in a 5-0 Fighters victory. Lotte starter Kobayashi actually had a pretty nice game, giving up a first inning HR to Hichori and a second run in the 7th for only 2 ER in 7 IP (with 10 Ks), but with the offense getting shutdown he stood no chance for victory. It’s best not to dwell further on this game, I think.
Saturday’s game brought the sun, and a big dose of optimism as wunderkind Karakawa Yuki made his first start in three weeks. He didn’t look much like Karakawa in this one, though, getting beat up for 5 runs in a bit over 4 innings of work. The Lotte offense put on a bit of a fireworks display but couldn’t make up the lost ground, taking it on the chin 5-4 for the 5th loss in 6 games.
 Tanaka Kensuke takes his lead on Karakawa in the first Nippon Ham got the scoring going in the second as Terrmel Sledge hit a one out double and was brought home on another double by Nioka to make it 1-0.
In the 4th the train Karakawa was riding derailed completely. With a man on Itoi smashed a homer into right to make it 3-0. Nioka, the next batter, followed up with a solo shot of his own to make it 4-0. On a day like Saturday I could see the ball quite well from my vantage point, and before Nioka made contact with that pitch I actually thought “Eek!” as it just looked like a pitch that would get smoked. Grr.
Lotte started to claw back a bit with a 2-out solo shot in the bottom of the 4th by Ohmatsu to bring Lotte to 4-1.
 Ohmatsu bows for the appreciative fans in right after his 4th inning homer Nippon Ham would get the run right back in the 5th on an RBI single by Itoi. 5-1 Fighters, and Karakawa is pulled for Takagi.
The Lotte bullpen did an ace job of keeping the team in the game, as Takagi, Nakagoh, Kawasaki, and Ogino finished the game yielding only 3 more hits and no runs.
 Kawasaki induces a 6th inning DP from Nippon Ham's Koyano Lotte fought their way back again in the bottom of the 5th, as Benny walked and scored on a huge blast to deep center off the bat of the ageless Hori. It was the first HR for Koichi since 2007. In limited playing time this year ( a bit over 30 PA) he’s looked damn good – he’s hitting .400, which is just great to see. 5-3 Nippon Ham.
 Don't worry; it's absolutely gone  Koichi is ecstatic after his 5th inning moon shot In the 7th Burnham Jr pinch hit for Benny and promptly hit Lotte’s 3rd HR of the game and the second of the solo variety. It was the first hit for Burnham Jr in June and his second HR on the year, and strangely enough I have both on film. Suddenly it’s a 5-4 game.
 Looks like he crushed it. He DID crush it, right at his sign in deep right. Lotte would not get another hit, though, and the Fighters would hold on for the victory. Although Lotte hit 3 HR on the day the offense only managed 4 hits in total – it’s not so easy to make up a 5 run deficit on 4 hits.
Sunday was a different story, though – and a story for a different post!
By Steve Novosel
After yesterday’s loss to the evil Kyojin I predicted a big Lotte win for today. Whaddya know, I got one right! Today, Lotte pounded out 9 runs on 11 hits – with 4 homers, too – as they won the last game of Interleague 2009 in the Tokyo Dome, 9-4.
Around this time I would normally insert the first of several pics I took during the game, as surely I wouldn’t miss a big road game just down the road. I had tickets for the Lotte gaiya and I, um, … lost them. How lame. So, I got to enjoy the action from the comfort of my own living room. It feels a bit odd not inserting piles of pics, but I’ll soldier on.
Lotte took the lead right off the bat today. Tsuyoshi returned to the starting lineup for the first time in weeks, and celebrated his return by giving a great souvenir to the Giants fans in right in the form of a solo shot on the third pitch of the game. 1-0 Lotte.
Yomiuri got the run right back in the bottom of the 1st thanks to a sac fly by Ramirez off Lotte starter Shimizu.
Shimizu pitched quite well today, for that was the only run he would give up in 7 innings of work. He also got on the board offensively – more on that in a minute.
Yomiuri starter Utsumi was also effective – for a while. Lotte untied the score in the 6th inning with a big blast by (La La La La) Takehara into the very appreciative Lotte fans. I should have been there to catch it! 2-1 Lotte.
In the 7th, Lotte added to their lead. Saburo singled to lead off, but was caught stealing on a botched hit-and-run. Imae singled to center, and Shimizu helped his own cause with a single into right. Tsuyoshi walked to load them up for Takehara. He did what needed to be done, scoring two with a bloop double to center to make it 4-1 Lotte.
It wasn’t enough runs to sate the Lotte bats, though. In the 8th more runs would come – first a lead off HR by Iguchi. Fukuura pinch hit for Hori and drew a walk, bringing Imae to the plate. Like a hungry man at a buffet he cleared off everything in sight with a 2 run jack of his own to left – 7-1 Lotte.
Yomuiri tried to make a game of it in the bottom of the 8th, though everyone (including the players, I’m sure) knew there was no hope. Itoh came in to relieve Shimizu and gave up a 2 run HR to Kamei, and then a solo HR to Abe to allow Yomiuri to get to 7-4.
In the 9th, Lotte put the game out of reach. Tsuyoshi smacked a double off the right field wall, and after Ohmatsu was cowardly plunked Iguchi got revenge with a 2-run double right below the Lotte ouendan in left. It was now 9-4, and with Sikorski coming in to finish the 9th, the game was over.
Lotte ended up the interleague play on a very strong note. Let’s hope the momentum carries over to next weekend’s 3 game set with Nippon Ham in Chiba!
By Steve Novosel
Though the blog title typically means an inning where the batters are retired in order, today it also has a deeper, sadder meaning – after three consecutive wins last week, Lotte has now dropped three in a row including today’s 5-2 loss to the hated Giants.
Lotte came out with guns blazing as leadoff batter Hayasaka smacked the first pitch of the game from Yomiuri’s Greisinger into left. The next batter, Fukuura, also singled and the fans smelled blood. Fly outs by Ohmatsu, Iguchi, and Satosaki ended the Lotte scoring chance, though. Iguchi in particular hit a very deep ball that would have gone out if just a wee bit flatter.
Yomiuri wasted no chances in their half of the first. Lotte starter Watanabe was beat up from the very beginning, surrendering a liner off the left field wall to leadoff batter Sakamoto, and three more hits (leading to three runs) before even recording an out.
Sitting in the Lotte outfield, I leaned over to John and said “Hey, at least it couldn’t get any worse than that.” Yeah, that makes it feel better. Yomiuri would tack on another run via a shallow sac fly before the inning was over to start the second up 4-0.
 Lee grounds out to Imae. Better than the huge HR he hit, for sure. Lotte had another great chance to score in the top of the second. Saburo grounded out to start the inning, and Benny beat the hell out of a ball, sending it on a rope off the top of the right field fence… for a single. One meter higher it’s a homer, a little more under it and it’s a double. Imae popped out to third, and Watanabe helped his own cause with a single that slipped through the right side. Yet again Lotte couldn’t capitalize, though, as Hayasaka grounded out to end the inning.
Watanabe settled down a bit after the awful first, sending down the Yomiuri lineup in order in the second. In the third, ex-Lotte slugger Lee Seung-Yeop had no interest in sentimental reunions with his ex-teammates as he positively destroyed a Watanabe offering, bouncing it right below the lights mounted to the wall in upper upper upper right field. The scoreboard said it was a 145m HR, but that can only be true if it is 145m on a line from home to that exact spot on the wall. In the open air, that ball would have traveled a good 50m more than that, at least. 5-0 Yomiuri.
 Yomuiri has to bribe fans with free stuff from a weird mascot and cheerleaders to get them to cheer. How sad. Yomiuri’s Greisinger really put the muzzle on Lotte bats for the next four innings, sending down the side in order in the 3rd-6th innings. He did yield the first Lotte run of the game in the 7th on a double to Saburo, who was brought home with a timely hit from Imae. I suspect it was the power of We Love Marines inspiring the Lotte Fighting Spirit. 5-1 Yomiuri.
As the Giants sang their theme for their 7th inning, the Lotte fans booed heartily. It was completely classless and of course I was joining in as loud as I could. As I mentioned before, this blog is a 100% Anti-Giants zone, and that extends to game time also.
 Lotte fans join forces to try to pluck Alex Ramirez from left field Yomiuri players tried to fight for their pride, getting two hits of Lotte reliever Kawasaki but ultimately scored no runs to keep it 5-1.
In the top of the 8th, Lotte struck back. Yamaguchi relieved Greisinger and promptly got jumped. Hori pinch hit for Hayasaka and got a single to lead off the action. He advanced to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a Takehara single to make it 5-2. Tsuyoshi pinch-hit for Ohmtasu and dribbled a ball to third which he beat out for a single. That was it for Yamaguchi, sadly, as Giants skipper Hara brought in Ochi to stem the relentless Lotte attack. Ochi did his job too well, inducing Iguchi into a DP and Sato into a grounder to end the inning.
 La La La La, La La Takehara. In the 9th Lotte couldn’t really get anything going, so the game ended in a 5-2 defeat.
On the plus side, former first round pick Uchi made his first appearance at ichi-gun in three years and only his 20th in his career. He came in as a reliever in the 6th inning and pitched about as well as humanly possible – three strikeouts looking on only 10 pitches. Dominant. If he continues to pitch anywhere like that he’ll be staying up for a while. Also in good news, Heiuchi was sighted warming up the outfielders by the dugout (though he didn’t play). He took a pitch so hard off his leg on Thursday that he needed to be carried off on a stretcher, so it’s good to see him not in a wheelchair. That’s one tough hombre.
 Uchi gets his first chance in years and makes the most of it Interleague ends tomorrow with the final game between Lotte and Yomiuri. I don’t want to give too much away, but I feel a huge Lotte win in the offering tomorrow. Of course, I am both biased and usually wrong, so make of it what you will.
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