We Love Marines

Tag: Naoya Masuda

  • One Giant Leap

    One Giant Leap

    Image: Shunichi "Flying Nemo" Nemoto snags a run-saving inning-ending grab in the 7th.
    Shunichi “Flying Nemo” Nemoto snags a run-saving inning-ending grab in the 7th.

    The Marines were able to contain a late game awakening by the Giants bats to preserve a win for starting pitcher Yuki Karakawa.   With 4 runs coming in the form of a pair of 2-run home runs by Iguchi and Daichi Suzuki, the Marines defeated the Yomiuri Giants 4-3. The Marines and Giants went into the game tied with the best records in the NPB.  Now, Lotte has sole possession of that honor. The win also guarantees at least a season split with Giants, as well as maintaining our position of 1/2 game out of the inter-league title and 3 games atop the Pacific League.

    Starting Pitching

    It’s been an up and down year for tonight’s starter Karakawa, as he came into tonight’s game with a 2-3 record and a 4.08 ERA.  He was also fresh off a 7-run (5 earned) loss to the Hanshin Tigers.  Karakawa answered the call tonight against the Central League’s first place Yomiuri Giants.  Karakawa effectively shut down the Giants lineup through 6 innings, giving up just three hits and no runs.

    Karakawa ran into some trouble in the 7th.  After surrendering a lead-off single to Abe and a HBP to Murata, the Giants were threating with 2 on and no out.  Kamei sent a high fly ball to right center for the first o….OH NO! Kiyota (CF) and Kakunaka (RF) oh so gently bump into each other.  However, the impact was just hard enough to force the ball out of Kiyota’s glove.  Thanks to the error, Giants now had the bases full, with no out.  Never fear though! Karakawa got the next batter Lopez to hit in to a broken bat 5-4-3 double play.  A run came across, but the Giants were still 3 runs behind.  Still, there was a runner on 3rd.  The pinch hitter Ishii sent rocket that was seemingly headed for right field.  But, Nemoto leapt and snagged the ball out of the air to end the inning (image above).  Fine Play!

    At the Plate

    The Marines scored 4 runs on 9 hits.  Lotte got on the board first thanks to an Iguchi home run.  In the first inning, he hit a line drive that just wrapped around the left field foul pole, knocking in Nemoto for a 2-run dinger (10th of the year).  Later in the 4th, Daichi Suzuki hit a towering fly toward the opposite foul pole.  Daichi’s ball also stayed on the fair side of the pole, knocking in Saburo for his own 2-run blast (2nd of the year).  Both Daichi and Iguchi are now leading the team, each hitting .318.

    From marines.co.jp

    It was also a two-for-four night for outfielders T.Ogino and Kiyota.  Ogino hit two doubles, Kiyota a triple and a single.

    Late Innings

    Karakawa was pulled after giving up an RBI single to Chono to make the score 4-2 in the 8th inning.  Matsunaga came in, inheriting runners on 1st and 3rd with 1 out.  Matsunaga got Abe to pop-up left of the third base bag to Imae for the second out.  Murata followed with an RBI single to left to pull the score closer at 4-3.  With 2 outs and runners on first and second, Kamei grounded a 3-2 pitch to short. The inning was over, and Matsunaga held the potential win for Karakawa.  Karakawa was charged with both runs, his final pitching line reads: 7 1/3 IP, 117 Pitches, 7H, 2 ER (3R), 5K, 0BB.

    Masuda came in for his NPB record tying 18th appearance of May.  After a 1-out hit by Ishii (came in as a PH in the 7th), Ino (came in as a PR in the 8th) sacrificed the runner over to second.  Leadoff hitter Sakamoto came to the plate with the tying run in scoring position and 2 out.  Masuda induced a fly to right for the final out.  That’s 17 saves for Masuda on the season, his 10th of May.  Game over!

    The Giants and Marines have their final battle of the year tomorrow afternoon.  It was nice to be in attendance tonight, but tomorrow’s ticket proved to be too difficult to obtain.  Thankfully, Lotte fans were not outnumber in their home park by Giants fans – the same may not be able to be said about the Hanshin series.  Hopefully, Giants fans didn’t buy up all the tickets for the Saturday afternoon game.

    Tomorrow’s starters (Should be a good one): Marines – Naruse 5-1, 2.19 ERA vs. Giants Sugano 5-1, 2.51 ERA.

     

  • Never Yield An Inch!

    From Sponichi
    From Sponichi

    Here’s what you need to know about the pitching of Messrs. Abe, Fujioka, Rosa, Matsunaga, and Masuda: 9 IP, 6 hits, 3 walks, 4 Ks, one teeny tiny little run. In the first inning.

    Yes, ladies and gents, Our Marines gave another stunning ensemble pitching performance – for the second night in a row throwing a wet, lead-filled blanket on the Chunichi bats and cruising to a victory. This one featured no come-from-behind heroics, just runs when they were needed and pitching all night long. When the last out was recorded, it was a nice 3-1 Lotte victory and the 4th win in a row. Outstanding.

    Quick Start
    Lotte jumped out in front really quickly. Yamai started for the Dragons for the first time in about a year, and with one out in the first Kakunaka said “Welcome Back!” to a 3-1 pitch and dropped it into the right field stands. Instant 1-0 Lotte lead.

    Kazunari Abe started for Our Marines – his third of the year and his first since the unfortunate start against Hanshin a week ago. He got rid of Oshima and Ibata quickly to start the first but a deep double by Morino (starting at second??) and an RBI single by Luna tied the game at 1-1. Luna got thrown out between first and second after Morino scored – not that you would know since J Sports declined to show a single replay or decent camera angle of the play.

    An aside – what was up with Chunichi fans? Morino’s double elicited only polite applause, not an excited roar. It seemed like Chunichi fans were really quiet all night, and I don’t just mean in comparison to Lotte fans. Odd.

    Getting the Lead Back
    Lotte had a golden chance again in the second with a T OGINO leadoff walk and rapid steal of second. Emura got Ogino to third with a 1-out single but Abe and Nemoto couldn’t bring him in.

    In the top of the 4th, Kiyota chased a super high hanging curve from Yamai and blasted it into the Lotte fans in left! Tie no more, it’s a 2-1 Lotte lead!

    That’s all that was needed. Abe went only 5 innings for some reason – his final line: 5 IP, 4 hits, 2 Ks, 2 walks, 1 earned run and only 60 pitches. Maybe it wasn’t a Quality Start but it was a quality start nonetheless.

    Putting It Away

    From Sponichi
    From Sponichi

    Fujioka (??!??) took over for the second night in a row and was sterling yet again – this time a 3 up, 3 down one inning in relief. Actually the Lotte pen was almost boringly good, there wasn’t any feeling that Chunichi was going to mount a charge. Credit for that goes to Emura behind the plate – he’s showing the ability to control a game behind the plate that is far superior to what you’d expect from a 21-year-old.

    Our Marines weren’t quite done for the evening. In the 7th Daichi gapped another ball to the same spot as the night before, this time standing up at second with a double. Emura battled hard, first to bunt Daichi over and then swinging away, and with a full count he sacrificed Daichi over. Hosoya Kei in as the pinch hitter, and reliever Okada bounces the first pitch to Hosoya in the dirt and to the backstop. Daichi scores easily and the Lotte lead stretched to 3-1.

    Really the only iffy point in the pitching staff was Masuda as closer. Of course, he was making his **17th appearance of the month** so I think he might be a wee bit tired. Masuda gave up a leadoff single to Ibata in the 9th and a long, long fly out to Morino before walking Luna on 4 pitches. Wada flied out to deep left and Tanishige to right to end it though.

    With the win Our Marines move to 11 games above .500 and a tie for the best record in NPB. Wow! Only 0.5 games out of the interleague top spot, too. The first 12 interleague games are in the books – up next is a 4 game set at QVC against Gomiuri and Tokyo Yakult.

  • Comeback Marines Are At It Again!

    Comeback Marines Are At It Again!

    Timely Daichi! My favorite baseball memory took place in Nagoya Dome. With 2 outs in a tight game, an emerging young Lotte played lofted a ball deep into the gap in right center, driving in what would turn out to be the winning run. That was game 7 of the 2010 Nippon Series and the hero was of course Okada. 30 months later Daichi Suzuki launched a ball to much the same spot scoring two Men in Black and propelling Our Marines to a great come from behind 3-2 win over the Chunichi Dragons. Sometimes history keeps repeating itself, and when it comes to stirring victories like this one, history can keep repeating repeating itself.

    Winning the Arms Race
    With the exception of a three-batter-in-a-row lull in the second, Lotte pitchers completely befuddled the Chunichi bats tonight. Yuji Nishino got the start, and he and his mates in the bullpen took care to not leave the Dragons even the slightest opportunity to score after that stretch in the second.

    Nishino, Fujioka (?!?!), Nakagoh, Hattori, Matsunaga, and Masuda combined to retire 23 of the last 25 batters faced. The only blemishes were a walk to Luna in the 6th and a single by Fujii in the 7th. That is serious domination. Even Masuda looked like give-them-no-hope Masuda of a few weeks ago, only requiring 9 pitches to shut the door in the 9th for his 15th save.

     

    Smack Smack Score Score
    It’s odd how anomalous the two runs that Chunichi scored were. All of a sudden in the bottom of the second Nishino gave up back-to-back-to-back doubles to right, the last two by Ibata and Fujii scoring a run each. The offense came from nowhere and left as swiftly as it came for the Dragons. But could Lotte score runs of their own?

    Cabrera started for Chunichi and looked quite strong for 5 innings (with an exception mentioned below). In the 6th, Imae hit a nice 2-out double, and Kiyota followed up with a timely single to center to score Imae and make it 2-1 Chunichi.

    That was it for Cabrera – Tajima came in from the pen and immediately plunked T Ogino. HEY DON’T DO THAT but we’ll take the base runner. Daichi up – and Daichi smacking a 2-2 pitch to right center scoring Kiyota and T Ogino! A 3-2 Lotte come-from-behind lead!

    That was it for the Lotte offense but when the pitching was as unyielding as the Lotte pen was, the 3-2 lead is all that was needed.

    From Nikkan Sports
    From Nikkan Sports

    Huh?
    The win would go not to Nishino, though but to Fujioka as Nishino was pulled for a pinch runner in the 5th. Let that one soak in for a moment. Given how well Our Marines have played in the last month it’s hard to criticize Itoh-kantoku for anything but I must confess I have absolutely no idea what was up with that.

    The scene: T Ogino awesomely leads off the Lotte 5th with a single. Even more awesomely, he swipes second without even the thought of a throw from Tanishige. Two outs later, Nishino is up and draws a walk and Ishimine is in to pinch run for him. If he didn’t injure something strolling to first, I can’t for the life of me imagine why you would let the pitcher hit then pull him for a runner, especially when he was looking strong.

    Ishimine pilfered second, and Nemoto rocketed a liner down the 3rd base line – but rather amazingly speared by Luna to end the inning. Of course this all worked out in the end as Our Marines won the game but I am quite curious as to why such a decision would be made.

    Hotness
    Daichi, of course. Not only did he have the game winning hit but he was super solid in the field all night.

    Imae continued his torrid play in the #4 spot. Since being moved to cleanup he is 16-39 with 5 HR and 9 RBI. Yeah.

    Fujioka looked fantastic in his two innings of work, his first ichi-gun time in 3 weeks.

    Less So
    You can’t say enough good words about Emura behind the plate but he needs to work on his discipline at it. 0-4 on the evening.

    Nemoto had some super bad luck – 3 straight liners to Luna – but 0-5 isn’t exactly what’s needed in the leadoff spot.

    Tomorrow’s game features the third start of the year for Abe against… Yamai? Who is not really a starter these days but there you are. He is tomorrow.

  • Marines Take 2 in Yokohama

    Marines Take 2 in Yokohama

    IMG_1424edit The Marines finished the year 2-0 at Yokohama Stadium as they closed the books this afternoon on a 4-1 win over the BayStars. The Eagles and Lions both lost today, growing our lead to three games atop the Pacific League.

     

    Starting Pitching

    Today’s starter, Yuta Ohmine, fresh off his complete game shutout a week ago, tossed 7 innings of shutout ball. Perhaps he could’ve gone the distance again if the game was played in a PL park.  However, the DH was not in effect, and Ohmine was lifted for a pinch hitter in a close game after just 105 pitches.  Nonetheless, 7 innings was enough to earn Ohmine the win and the honor of being today’s hero.

    Ohmine didn’t have a particularly dominating pitching performance today. He only struck out 2 batters while walking 4. However, pitching to contact was the name of the game today.  He navigated his way through the BayStars lineup by inducing 5 double plays while not surrendering an extra-base hit all afternoon.

    One crucial moment of the game came on a double play in the bottom of the 5th.  The Marines only led 1-0 at the time, and Yokohama was threatening with runners on the corners, and one out.  With the rookie pitcher Mishima up (and the top of the lineup waiting in the wings), BayStars manager Nakahata called for a squeeze play.  However, the plan backfired, as Mishima weakly popped up in front of the mound to Ohmine.  With the runner from 3rd just steps from home, Ohmine could walk the ball over to 3rd and toss it to Imae for the inning ending 1-6 double play.

    Offense

    For their part, the Marines were victims of 3 double plays themselves (including a “strike-em-out-throw-em-out” DP to end the 6th).  Lotte’s first run actually came on a double play in the 4th.  With runners on the corners, Iguchi hit a ball right to Yokohama shortstop Yamazaki. Yamazaki elected to step on second and throw to first, letting Nemoto score from third in return for two outs.

    Nemoto got on base thanks to just missing his 3rd HR of the year on a smash to center. To the naked eye – I was sitting in the first row, one seat to the left of the CF scoreboard…sober as a bird at the time – Nemo’s ball smacked into the yellow trim lining the top of the wall. Nemo literally missed his 3rd homerun of the year by an inch, if not a centimeter.

    Lotte added another run in the 7th on a solo shot to left by Imae.  Unlike Nemoto, Imae managed to get enough air under the ball to put it about 15 rows up into the seats.  Imae was big for us this weekend in Yokohama, with 2-run HR yesterday too.

    Two more runs came in the top of the 9th, thanks to my vote for offensive hero, T Ogino.  Kakunaka lead off and poked a base hit to center.  Next, Iguchi knocked a base hit to left.  The third batter of the inning, Imae, hit a grounder to second.  The second baseman Uchimura bobbled the ball twice, allowing Iguchi and Okaka (PR for Kakunaka) to advance to second and third.  With the table set, Ogino lined a ball into the left center field gap, giving Lotte a definitive 4-0 lead going into the bottom of the 9th.

    Relief

    Ohmine was relieved by Carlos Rosa in the 8th, with the Marines still clinging to a 2-0 lead at the time. Rosa has been a pleasant surprise this season, rebounding from a rough 2012.  He sent Yokohama down 1-2-3, making it 6 innings without giving up a run so far this year.  He did benefit from a nice defensive play by Daichi.  The short stop grabbed a high back-spinning ball on a one hopper up the middle, and flung a strong off balance throw to beat the pinch hitter Goto to first.

    On the other hand, Masuda, had to deal with some trouble in the 9th inning. He came in with a 4-0 lead, and gave up a double (it should have been a long single, but got stretched into a double), then recorded two outs.  But after an RBI single by Blanco and a walk the score was now 4-1, and the tying run represented by Kinjoh was at the plate with 2 out.  However, Masuda got Kinjoh to a harmlessly pop-up to Daichi to put the game away.  I question the wisdom of sending the 23 year old Masuda out for this 25th appearance of the young season in a non-save situation. There were plenty of rested arms in the bullpen thanks to the extra off days built into interleague schedule.

    —

    Here are some photos I took today of the scene at Yokohama Stadium.  Yesterday and today were my first two games visiting Yokohama.  On first impression, it’s a great location and setting for a ball park.  However, the outfield seating has more than its fair share of inconveniences, ranging from a lack of concessions to being an absolute death trap.  Sorry, all I got to work with for a camera is an iPhone 4…

  • Duel in the Drizzle

    From marines.co.jp
    From marines.co.jp

    On this damp Monday evening at QVC young righty Yuji Nishino was handed the ball with a tall task: go head-to-head with arguably the best pitcher in Japan – Hiroshima’s Kenta Maeda – and keep Our Marines in the game in the hopes that Itoh’s small ball could scratch out a run or two against the visiting Carp. The Carp are not a dangerous offensive team but no matter – when Maeken is pitching they are always in the game. Nishino did more than his fair share of the lifting tonight, delivering a masterwork of control and power, nearly silencing the Carp attack and boosting Our Marines to a stirring 3-2 victory.

    Ace Under Pressure
    I’ve mentioned before the slowly-igniting awesomeness coming from young Nishino. Nishino, he of humble origins in NPB, was pushed into a starter’s spot from the Ikusei world and into the clearly second best starter this year on the first place Marines. Nishino, youngest pitcher on the team yet he’s gifted with a veteran’s poise. Nishino, looking in the other dugout and seeing Maeken, out Maeken’ed Maeken by simply mowing down 8 batters via strikeout in the first four innings alone. First 10 batters – see ya. Hiroshima finally got the first runner on via Nakahigashi single in the 4th but Nishino wasn’t going to give up runs so easily. He gave up a single to Hirose then calmly took Nick Stavinoha and Fred Lewis via K. Lewis couldn’t believe the strike three call (though it was clearly a strike) and, to use a medical term, lost his shit. He immediately started jawing obscenities at umpire Yamaji. Yamaji-san may not be fluent in English but pretty much everyone knows what being called a “M$&#!$F#$&!!” means, so bye bye Lewis.

    Nishino wasn’t quite as sharp after that but he was still damn fine. Over the next 4 innings Nishino scattered three hits and a walk, the only Carp chance coming in the 6th with 2 on, 1 out, but Nick helpfully grounded into a double play to send Our Marines back to the dugout happy. Much appreciated.

    Nishino was pitching so well that he stayed in for the 9th inning even though he was pushing 130 pitches. How’d that go? ….

    Battling Maeken
    One thing I’ve noticed over the past two games is the Carp defense is, well, stinky. Maeda gave up a lead off walk to Nemoto in the first, and after coaxing a ground out from T Ogino managed to convince Iguchi to pop up to deep left center. But Lewis and Nakahigashi just kind of stared at each other as if trying to decide who should order the pizza and plop! In for the cheapest double in all recorded history. Tough for Maeda, great for Lotte. Imae grounded in Nemoto and Kiyota opened up some early breathing room by calmly slapping a single to left. A quick and surprising 2-0 Lotte lead in the first.

    And… Well honestly, that’s about all for Lotte chances for a long, long time. Maeken, he of the 0.64 ERA and 7/1 K/BB ratio coming into the game, just pummeled his way through the Lotte bats for the next 7 innings. Sure there were baserunners, but Maeda just picked them off, almost picked them off, shut down the next batter with a whimper, and just generally intimidated his way through the bottom of each inning. Quite impressive to watch, honestly.

    Our Marines got another chance in the 8th. With two outs, both Iguchi and Imae singled – Katoh came in to pinch run for Iguchi (and almost got picked off not once, not twice, but three times). Fukuura drew a walk on some very nibbly pitches from Maeda to bring up Kiyota. Kiyota waited, waited, and waited some more – finally drawing ball 4 and making it 3-0 Lotte!

    Dramaticus Maximus
    As I mentioned Nishino came back out for the 9th. He looked utterly gassed from the very first pitches, though. Hirose grounded out after 5 pitches but Nick fought for a walk. Still, in stayed Nishino. Gutsy call by Itoh to keep Nishino in, but he wanted to get the second complete game shutout in a row. Mukae at the plate, up 2-0 early, then 3-1, then fouling, fouling, fouling – and lining a double down the left field line…. Nick is over to third and with that, Nishino is pulled for Masuda.

    Masuda is tasked with getting two outs and hopefully preserving the shutout. He’s looking good – he’s got Matsuyama down 1-2 early but Matsuyama really battles. Foul, foul, foul, foul that Daichi almost gets to, and on the 10th pitch NO A DOUBLE TO RIGHT. No no no. Nishino’s shutout is gone. 2 runs in. Matsuyama is at second and Masuda is in a whole pile of trouble again. He’s got to face Soyogi – and Soyogi immediately dribbles a grounder to Masuda. NICE. So Masuda vs Dohbayashi now – and on a 2-2 pitch Masuda gets him swinging! It’s not a shutout but it’s a 3-2 Lotte win!

    Nishino’s final line: 8 1/3 IP, 143 pitches, 6 hits, 2 walks, 2 runs (sadly~~~!) and simply mind-boggling 12 Ks. Guau! And that was a streak of 20+ innings with no runs allowed by the Lotte staff. VERY nice.

    The win keeps Lotte in first by 1.5 games. Up on Wednesday – a visit from the hot Hanshin Tigers and their always boisterous fans. If you don’t like loud games, don’t bother tuning in to this one!

  • They Might Be Giants

    Yomiuri Giants walk off with a 5-4 win to split the series. The Marines were looking for their third straight come-from-behind win. For the second straight night, they rallied back from a 3-0 deficit to take the lead in the Tokyo Dome. But tonight the Giants would get the last laugh on a 2RBI walk-off double by Chono. It was a night of ups and downs for Chiba, here’s the recap:

    Veteran Seth Greisinger was called upon to make his first start of the year, after beginning the year recovering from an injured shoulder. Despite a 2-run 2nd inning, and a solo line drive HR given up to his former catcher Abe, Greisinger left the game in line for a win. His final pitching line: 5IP, 3ER, 6H, 2K, 2BB.

    On a night in which he faced his former team, the most memorable moment for Greisinger actually occurred on the base paths. With the bases loaded and 2 outs in the top of the 2nd, Seth came up to the plate. Greisinger hit what seemed to be a base hit to right for the first run(s) of the game. However, the hard hit ball was quickly scooped by the shallowly positioned RF Chono (more to come from Chono later). Chono’s throw beat Greisinger to first by an eyelash, and the inning was over.

    Lotte had 13 hits on the night, but failed to send runners home until the 6th inning. Playing without a DH in a Central League ballpark, the Marines were unfortunate to have Greisinger come up again and strike out with the bases loaded and 2-outs in the 4th. Iguchi’s double play with 0-out and two runners on in the fifth, followed by an inning ending basket catch by Giants SS Sakamoto, added to the list of blown chances.

    Lotte did all of their damage at the plate in the top of the 6th. Pinch-hitter Fukuura (for Greisinger) hit an RBI single up the middle, to cut the Giants deficit to 3-1. Next, last night’s hero Nemoto poked an opposite field 3-run homerun over the left field wall.  It was another timely at bat for Nemoto, this one resulting in his first homerun of the year. The Marines led 4-3, and it was beginning to look like we might finish with 2 wins in the only two games of the season scheduled at Tokyo Dome.

    Nakagoh came in relief for Lotte and pitched a perfect 6th & 7th. Matsunaga overcame two 2-out Giants hits in the 8th to protect our 4-3 lead going into the 9th.

    In came Masuda to close in the 9th. Surely Masuda would not blow his second save in 3 chances. After a lead-off single by Ishii, PH Tateoka sent a potential double play ball up the middle. Second baseman Nemoto, poised for back-to-back nights as the hero, attempted to backhand the ball. Instead, he flicked the ball into shallow left field (it looked like it could have been called an error to me, but was originally ruled an infield single). The play resulted in runners on 1st and 3rd and 0 out, leadoff man Chono coming to the plate. Chono smacked a ball in to the right-center field gap. The throw home was too late to catch the trailing runner Tateoka, and the Giants walked off with a 5-4 win. Disgusting.

    Overall, it must be said that the Marines fought hard the last two nights.  Tonight, the breaks just didn’t go our way.  Watching the Giants celebrate a sayonara win was a tough pill to swallow for sure.

  • Gatecrash the Tokyo Dome!

    Relax and celebrate

    Plenty of people thought Yomiuri would be leading the Central League at the start of interleague play, but who are these guys in first in the Pacific? Weren’t they supposed to be horrible? Shouldn’t the Lotte-Kyojin series in game 1 & 2 of interleague feature the first vs last teams?

    Nope.

    Our Marines have played way above expectations in these first 6 weeks of the season, enjoying the same 1.5 game lead that their well-financed Kanto rivals have with a few older veterans and bunch of young guys who haven’t been told they are supposed to stink. And with the never-say-quit attitude of the underdog, Our Marines crashed through the gates of the Big Egg and beat Yomiuri in comeback fashion 5-3 to take the interleague opener.

    Youth in Abundance
    The starting lineup for Lotte was one of the younger ones that could be fielded. 22-year-old Nishino was the starting pitcher, and catching him was 21-year-old Emura. At short was 23-year-old Daichi and in center was 22-year-old Katoh. T Ogino (starting in right) is practically a grizzled vet by comparison at 27!

    Nemoto poked the first pitch of the game to right but otherwise Lotte went down quietly in the first. Despite a few bumps Nishino handled the pressure of facing Yomiuri quite well, I thought. Sakamoto drew a 2-out walk off Nishino in the bottom of the first. As he has done to so many other pitchers over the years, Abe made him pay and drove home Sakamoto to make it a quick 1-0 Giants. This didn’t shake Nishino at all, though, as he sent the next 7 batters back to the bench in order.

    Lotte had a golden chance to strike in the third as Emura poked a single off Yomiuri starter Sugiuchi. Nemoto drew a one out walk, and eternally awesome T Ogino beat out a fantastic infield single to load up the bases for Iguchi. However, Iguchi and Saburo couldn’t bring in a run and this chance was wasted to leave Lotte down 1-0.

    Sakamoto and Abe again teamed up to get something going in the bottom of the 4th with back-to-back singles to start off the inning. A ground-out by Lopez, another by Kamei (and a fine play by Iguchi at first on the ball) and a fly out by Murata snuffed that threat.

    Nishino was not so fortunate in the 5th, though. A single by Fujimura and an RBI double by SUGIUCHI (repeat: SUGIUCHI – though what the box score doesn’t tell you is that Saburo played a fly ball very, very badly) and a triple by $#&%##!!! Chono – all with no outs – put the Giants up 3-0 and Nishino in a very tight spot. He got out of it with just the two runs, which was actually a nice bit of pitching.

    The Roar of the Jet Engine
    Lotte fans hate the Giants. We love filling our allotted seats in left at Tokyo Dome and being louder than 40,000+ Giants fans. Up 7-0, down 3-0, doesn’t matter. The volume is always at 11. I think especially in the domed stadiums the sheer force of Team 26 can start to wear down opposing teams a bit. Right? Maybe I take a rose-colored glasses view of fandom but I’ve seen time and again Lotte fight hard and opponents wilt when we all keep the pressure on.

    The 2013 Lotte squad is a good fit for that sort of onslaught. The batters have really been getting on base, forcing opposing pitchers to work hard on not making mistakes. But enough of that pressure and cracks start to form. In the Lotte top of the 6th, the first cracks appeared.

    Saburo led the 6th with a single and Imae ju-u-ust missed a homer off the top of the right field fence. First and second, nobody out, Katoh at the plate. He hits a grounder and they’re trying to get Saburo between third and home. But the tag is missed, nobody is covering home, and Saburo (?!?!?) wins a footrace with Murata to home plate. The Yahoo play-by-play actually wrote it up as “Strange play, fielder’s choice”. I wrote it up as 3-1 Giants.

    Kiyota pinch hit for Nishino as we needed a hit and Kiyota murders left handers, but he drew a walk instead to load the bases. Another chance. The Lotte fans whip out Chance 1. Louder. Louder. Nemoto’s up. He quickly drops into a 0-2 hole but he’s not quitting. He takes the next three pitches for balls – Sugiuchi really wanted them to be strike 3 – and proceeded to foul off the next 4 pitches off a tiring and clearly frustrated Sugiuchi. Louder. Louder. Louder. Next pitch – ball 4! Lotte has drawn to within a run and it’s now 3-2. T Ogino flies to short right but it’s OK, the game is much closer now.

    Into the Pens
    Yet again the Lotte pen delivered when it was needed. Carlos Rosa, Minami, Matsunaga, and Masuda pitched the next 4 innings, giving up a combined 4 hits and a walk and absolutely no runs. Tough, really tough. The best part is the Giants pen couldn’t do what the Lotte pen could.

    Matheison did a fine job as the first pitcher in for Sugiuchi but Yamaguchi was gloriously awful as the next pitcher in. In the 8th, Ishimine pinch hit for Daichi (struggling a bit at the plate as of late) and dropped a single to left. Katoh bumped him over with a sac grounder and Hosoya walked to make a nice little chance. Kiyota up next. Kiyota, murderer of lefties vs lefty Yamaguchi. Kiyota, first pitch from Yamaguchi – BAM! down the right field line, much like Imae’s hit on Sunday. Ishimine in, Hosoya at third Kiyota at second one out, and Lotte sitting even at 3-3.

    Nemoto up next – a hit and a pair of walks so far. We can’t waste this chance, not with a reeling Yamaguchi still on the hill. 1-0 pitch, smacked up the middle bringing in both runners and pushing Lotte to a 5-3 lead! Fighting!!!

    That’s all that was needed. The pressure was too much, too many Men of Lotte on base, too many Men of Lotte throwing great pitches, too many Fans of Lotte screaming their guts out. This one was over with Nemoto’s hit – doesn’t matter that Yomiuri had their chances after. You could feel it.

    It’s a great start to interleague for sure. Up next is the second game vs Yomiuri, Greisinger with his first start of the year vs Sawamura. How nice it is that we’ve played so well so far and our number 2 starter has yet to even pitch in a game!

  • Go Forth to Interleague, O Men of Lotte!

    It's So Outta Here

    Running, hitting Men of Lotte! Throwers, fielders, base stealers! Go forth, Men of Lotte, go forth as the number one team in all of the Pacific League! Go forth with your 8-1 May record, press on with your crafty attack, head out to the stadiums of the Central League and bring back the Interleague Crown!

    I cannot help but wax poetic after a day like today. The last game for Lotte was filled with woe – this one was in strong doubt up until the deciding moment but ultimately, Our Marines squeezed out a dramatic, come-from-behind, sa-yo-na-ra 5-4 victory over the Rakuten Eagles! And with a loss by Seibu Chiba Lotte is sitting pretty atop the Pacific League standings.

    I didn’t anticipate this sort of drama early on. Who would? Naruse was on the mound! And while our ace didn’t give up a single run and struck out 7 he was in trouble in every inning and racked up a huge pitch count early on. Itoh-kantoku had to go to the pen in the 7th inning, and that’s when things got very dodgy indeed. But I get ahead of myself.

    A Fresh Face
    The starting lineup today was an interesting one due to injuries in Friday’s game to Kakunaka (removed from the roster with a hamstring strain) and Iguchi (not starting but came in as a pinch hitter) so Fukuura got the call at first and rookie Shohei Katoh started in right. Katoh was drafted in the 4th round out of Jobu University last year and is considered a bit of a project. I am no expert on Japanese University baseball but it seems Jobu University’s baseball team is pretty far from top-flight competition. But in ni-gun this season Katoh-san was really raking it – .303 average, 4 HR, 6 doubles, 1 triple, 9 stolen bases. Still, it’s a long way from low-level amateur competition to top-level pro competition, right? Right?

    Perhaps not for young Katoh. He came up to bat for the first time in the 3rd to hearty applause from Lotte fans and promptly smashed the first pitch from Rakuten starter Nagai into the right field stands. WOW. Just like like it’s nothing at all, Katoh gives the game its first score! I don’t need to tell you what our reaction was, you can just look it up in the audio version of the dictionary under “excitement”. You can see Katoh-kun’s reaction as the ball is in the air in the lead photo (I was taking a bunch of photos until my battery died). 1-0 Lotte at this point.

    Chiba’s second big scoring chance came in the very next inning as Saburo (starting in the cleanup spot as the DH) stroked a two-out single followed immediately by Imae doing the same. That set the stage for Fukuura, who has had a miserable homestand at the plate. But not right now – Fukuura lines one to center, Saburo is in, Lotte is up 2-0! And who’s up next but Mr I-Only-Need-One-Pitch Katoh… And he grounds one to McGehee at first. Too bad. Except McGehee is a bit slow getting to it and Nagai is also a bit slow getting to the bag, and WOW Katoh beats out the sure out for a single! We love Marines, but we LOVE this kid! Kanazawa grounds out to end the inning immediately after, but who cares? We’re so excited for the debut of Katoh!

    Lotte got another in the 5th thanks to some great baserunning by Nemoto, a good hit by Ogino (Ta! Ka! Shi!), and fantastic hustle by Saburo to force a bad throw from Takasu at third and allow Nemoto to score. That made it 3-0 Lotte, and with Naruse on the hill 3-0 might as well be 8-0, right?

    When 3-0 Isn’t Good Enough
    As I mentioned earlier Naruse didn’t really have his best game going. Sure, he had 7 Ks and no runs but he sure left a lot of hittable pitches over the plate, and while Rakuten batters did hit him they couldn’t plate anyone. But with the 107 pitches through 6, Naruse was gone, and in an interesting experiment Ohmine came out of the pen to relieve him. I admit I praised this move on Twitter, and I do think it was a good move at that time. It would give the usual pen a bit of a rest and give Ohmine some work since it was unlikely he would be in the rotation in interleague play. But oh did it not work. Ohmine couldn’t find the plate at all – three walks to three batters – Hattori and Nakagoh had to clean up the mess. They tried – Hattori was strong, Nakagoh was OK – but the hole was deep and two Rakuten gents scored as they climbed out of it. 3-2 Lotte after 7.

    Itoh took over in the 8th and was… Not good. Three base hits including the capper by Friday’s hero Fujita and suddenly, it’s a tie game.

    Katoh came up again in the 8th with a chance to do something heroic, but he grounded to short… And beat that throw out AGAIN! How about that for a debut? 3 hits including a homer and two infield hits. I look into the future… And see… Katoh in Tuesday’s starting lineup….

    It’s the 9th, and Masuda’s in. I’m kitted out in my new Masuda jersey, he’s smarting after his hard appearance on Friday. Can he bounce back? Masuda gives up a leadoff single to Andruw Jones, but gets two quick outs to bring the end of the inning within reach. Moriyama bats one to Imae, who scoops, throws to Hosoya (in for Fukuura) at first, out. But NO umpire Hashimoto says he’s SAFE which is completely unbelievable! It was clearly an out when watching it live and even more clearly an out when watching it on replay. Oh no oh no don’t let another run score but OH NO Shima singles to put Rakuten ahead. Oh my. Poor Masuda, jobbed by the ump. 4-3 Rakuten. Oh no.

    Oh Yes
    This isn’t a bunch of quitters, though. Our Marines are fighters. They’re not going to win every game but they’re not going meekly.

    Nemoto gets a little something going after an Okada fly-out thanks to a walk off Aoyama (“He’s nothing but a blue mountain!!!” says friend Chie on Twitter). That brings up my buddy T Ogino. T-kun. I have unwavering faith in Ta! Ka! Shi! – and of course he delivers! A looping double down the line, Nemoto to third, Hoshino-kantoku getting verrrry nervous. He demands a walk to Daichi to load the bases. He wants no part of him. He wants Aoyama to get Saburo instead, which he promptly does via strikeout. Hmm.

    It’s up to 2-time Nippon Series MVP Imae to do something. 2 outs. 2 strikes. Do something. Come on Imae. He makes contact on a slider and it’s deep and down the right line. Teppei’s in pursuit but he’s not getting it! Nemoto in, Ogino in, Marines win 5-4!

    What an exciting finish! What a great way to end the first section of the Pacific League season. We’ve all got to be feeling good about how this season is starting now.

    Up next is Gomiuri at the Big Egg on Tuesday. I think it is Nishino getting the call in the first game. Let’s hope Lotte can keep this hot May going and bring home the interleague title!

    I took a bunch of photos today before my battery died (and my backup battery was also dead, well played, Steve) so I hope you enjoy.

    [slickr-flickr search=”sets” set=”72157633461812655″ type=”gallery” thumbnail_size=”small” thumbnail_captions=”on” size=”original”]

  • At Least We’re Still in First, Right?

    QVC

    I won’t say I am surprised Our Marines’ 8 game win streak snapped like a small tree getting hit by a bus. It’s baseball – losing’s a part of the game. But man o man o man this was an ugly way to get that first loss of May out of the way. Ineffective bats and the first blown save by Masuda – in spectacular fashion – made this 5-3 loss to Rakuten a game to put in the Insta-Forget-O-Matic.

    Here’s the good stuff: Lotte continues to fill the sacks with pinstriped gentlemen – 18 men on base tonight on 9 hits, 8 walks and a very controversial hit by pitch. Karakawa was, well, not bad – great early on but sooo shaky in the 5th, 6th, and 7th – but only gave up two runs. Saburo got a little offense going with a nice RBI double in the 5th. Hattori and Matsunaga were solid as the first men out of the pen. And Craig and I had a blast cheering with some kids from Kesenuma on a school trip to QVC.

    But the bad – oh lord. You are good at math; you can tell that only 3 runs were managed out of those 18 baserunners. It was worse than that! 3 times Lotte juiced the bases, and only one run came from those loaded bags, a bases loaded walk to Daichi in the third. The rest? Left at the altar.

    And the worst part? Ever reliable Masuda – perhaps a bit worn from a whole lot of recent outings, perhaps distracted but the ever increasingly gusty wind throughout the 9th inning, perhaps just having an off day – got killed to the tune of 4 hits and a walk and three runs courtesy of a bases-clearing double with two outs in the 9th by Fujita (!!!!). The sad thing is that while Masuda was far from his best, Okada would have easily caught the double off Fujita’s bat had he been playing at a normal depth. But instead he was playing shallow, Fujita lined a two-out, 1-1 pitch right over Okada’s head, and just like that the lovely 8 game streak was kaput.

    Hey, this happens. It’s a super young team – nobody but Iguchi in the starting lineup was over 30 (including just-turned-21 Emura behind the plate) so we expect some ups and downs.

    I just would have preferred the end of the streak came some different way.

    Revenge comes quickly as ace Naruse faces Duckworth on Saturday in an afternoon tilt at QVC. Look for more runs to be scored this time by Our Marines, and for Lotte to start another winning streak!

  • 7 Wins-in-a-Row is a Good Thing, Right? – 8 May 2013

    Untitled

    Steve’s Note: This is Craig’s first post here. He’s a huge Chiba Lotte fan – more games than me this year, even – and loves to chat about Lotte. He’s made a short introduction in the About section, so please check it out!

     

    An 8-4 win puts us 1/2 game out of first!  The first place Seibu Lions are back in town tomorrow for game 2 of a two-game stint.

    Reality Check Time:  It’s early May, and not late September.  Inter-league play is up on the horizon, not post-season play.  Still, I’ll take it.

    Here’s the recap:

    Starting Pitching

    The 22 year old Yuji Nishino took the mound tonight. After 7 1/3 shutout innings a week ago in Osaka, he’s 3-1 with a 1.76 ERA in his first year at the Ichi-gun level.  The former ikusei player went into the 7th tonight with a 6-0 lead.  Perhaps in an effort to save the over-worked bullpen, he endured a 3-run 7th inning.  With a little additional help from the offense, he departed with a 7-3 lead going into the 8th. All things considered, he did a good enough job to earn his 4th win.

    Hitting: 4-run Bottom of the 2nd

    Speaking of the offense, it was a great night at the plate for the Marines: Lotte plated 8 runs on a whopping 17 hits. A 4-run 2nd inning for Lotte was the difference in tonight’s game. Here’s the summary of the bottom of the 2nd:

    With back-to-back 1-out hits to center by speedsters Daichi Suzuki & T.Ogino, the Marines were ready to roll.  With said runners on first and second, Emura hit a potential double play ball back to the pitcher.  However, the throw to second sailed into center.  Daichi scored from second… it was 1-0 Marines, and it was all downhill from there. The look on the Lions manager Watanabe (who took over for current Lotte manager Itoh) says it all (above image).

    Okada hit a single to load the bases for lead-off hitter Nemoto.  It was bases-loaded, still 1 out.  Nemoto’s RBI single to center made it 2-0.   Next up, last year’s Pacific League batting champion Kakunaka hit an infield-fly to SS for the second out, but the bases remained loaded. Iguchi’s 2-RBI blooper fell between the between CF and SS to made it 4-0.  After that, a Lotte victory never felt in doubt.

    …Fast forward to the 8th inning…

    Matsunaga pitched a scoreless 8th.  Nakagoh played the role of effective-ish middle reliever/failed closer by giving up a run and leaving with the bases loaded (tying run at the plate), and 1 out in the 9th.   Last year’s rookie of the year, and this year’s closer, Masuda entered.  Masuda cleaned up the mess, and Lotte won by a final score of 8-4.