Who are these guys? Whoever they are, I like them – alot. After weeks of frustration, missed opportunities, and men left on base like unwanted promotional items, the Lotte offense has turned into the Monsters of Makuhari. In the past week, they’ve put up games of 9, 23, and now 9 runs again as they …
Tag: Toshiaki Imae
Interleague Game 18: We Shall Fight on the Beaches
Before tonight’s game vs Hiroshima at Chiba Marine – the last game between Lotte and Hiroshima in 2009 – I imagine Bobby Valentine gave our Marines a pep talk. I think it might have gone like this: “My fellow Marines. We have seen much together these past years. These last few weeks – the battles …
Interleague Game 16: What Goes Around…
The air was still sizzling after Sunday’s 7-HR slugfest between Lotte and Yokohama, but Monday’s game in Yokohama provided even more fireworks as the two teams traded blasts, but with Yokohama coming out on top 4-3. Sunday’s two-HR hero Ohmatsu was at it yet again, cranking a 2-run shot – his 3rd HR in 2 …
Interleague Game 12: All Quiet on the Eastern Front
The Kyojin and Marines met up for battle again – not at Ypres, Verdun, or the Somme, but at Chiba Marine – to finish that which was left unfinished in Tuesday’s 0-0 tie. It’s baseball, though, not trench warfare – so why does it feel like a battle of attrition? Surely the good guys will …
Interleague Game 9: Kanto Battle part 1
Today the Swallows returned to San Juan Capistrano Chiba Marine Stadium for the first time in 2009, and the first of the 4 interleague matches. Lotte returned home in winning fashion after the 2-game sweep at the hands of Hiroshima, beating Tokyo 6-3. I certainly love to watch a Lotte win but it’s always a …
Interleague Game 5 (ver B): Catch a Tiger by His Tail
You must indulge me a bit; I’m a bit miffed I missed this game due to Sunday’s weather. I’m going to recycle some unused pictures from Sunday’s game – the real date – for tonight’s game. I’m just pretending I was there. It would have been a good game to be in the stands for …
Interleague Game 4: Dragonslayers
Game 2 of the Chunichi-Lotte series kicked off at the unusual Saturday start time of 13:00 at a hot and sunny Chiba Marine Stadium. Up on the hill was Watanabe Shunsuke, who was looking for redemption after the I-won’t-admit-it-actually-happened 18-0 shellacking at the hands of Seibu, a game which he started and took the loss. …
Interleague Game 1: Return of the Baby-Faced Killer
Yokohama cruised up the Shuto B today to visit Chiba Marine Stadium for the opening game of the 2009 Interleague season. Looking every bit like an escapee from one of the many school groups visiting tonight who jumped the fence, grabbed a uniform, and took the mound – 19-year old Karakawa Yuki mowed down batter …
Game Report: Seibu vs Lotte, 5/17
Lotte entered today’s game with Seibu needing a win to decidedly wipe the stink of Friday’s game off the weekend. With high winds in the area and rain threatening to interrupt the game the Marines put away the Lions 8-5 to take the series 2 games to 1. With this win Lotte has also won …
Game Report: Lotte vs Softbank, 5/13
Tonight the 3-game set with Softbank shifted from the Yahoo Dome to just down the road in Kitakyushu. Looking to build on last night’s tense 2-1 win, Lotte put on quite a show, pummeling the Hawks on their own turf 7-0. It was a multi-pronged attack, helped in great part by the new rule change …