We Love Marines

Tag: Takahiro Fujioka

  • Sloppy Stop to a Sterling Streak

    Sloppy Stop to a Sterling Streak

    Aww

    Truth be told, this wasn’t a very good game. And I am not just talking about the result – a 5-3 loss to the visiting Swallows – it was just a poorly executed game all around. Eh, it happens.

    Quick Starts
    Lotte starter Yuta Ohmine came into this game on a super duper hot streak – 16 scoreless innings in a row. That streak wouldn’t last very long in this one as with two outs in the top of the first Lastings Milledge smashed a pitch over the fence in left for a quick 1-0 Yakult lead. That seemed to rattle Ohmine as he immediately walked Balentien and then Hatakeyama on 4 pitches prompting a visit from the dugout, but he escaped without further damage.

    Our Marines answered quickly in the bottom of the inning as with two outs Iguchi hooked a liner from Tokyo starter Chris Leroux neatly inside the foul pole and over the fence to make it 1-1 Lotte. Leroux was making his first start in Japan and did not factor in the decision, though he did go 6 2/3.

    Tokyo answered right back in the top of the second. Iihara drew a one out walk and make it to third on a single to right by Hiyane. Yamada grounded to Daichi who tried to turn the DP but Hiyane was too fast, beating the force at second. Iihara scored with that miss, so it was back to a 1-run Swallows lead.

    Things Get Weird
    Leroux had trouble adjusting his pre-pitch motion to the rhythms of the Japanese game. After a Kiyota single in the bottom of the second Leroux balked him to second base, and Kiyota advanced to third on a Daichi ground out. It’s up to Emura – nope! Leroux balks AGAIN and Kiyota is in to tie it at 2-2! Leroux is NOT happy.

    Hits by Emura and T OGINO are followed up by a walk to Nemoto – big chance for Kakunaka but no, nope, uh uh. A fly to left leaves the sacks full.

    Ohmine completely lost it in the second. 3 straight walks to start the inning, followed up by a deep ball to left. It stays in, but the run scores to give Tokyo a 3-2 lead. Fortunately Aikawa grounds in a DP to give Ohmine an escape, but with that he’s done for the day. 3 ER, 6 BB in 3 innings – perhaps the Ohmine Reclamation Project has some work to do.

    Running Imae
    Bullpen Problem
    Actually I’m lying a bit with that one. Ueno took over for Ohmine and was quite decent – 3 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 2 K and no runs allowed. Minami was serviceable as well – 2 walks in his inning but a DP and also no runs. But Fujioka, who took over for Minami? Very not good.

    Our Marines actually tied this one up in the 7th. An Emura walk brought on Ishimine as a pinch runner, and despite lots of attention from Leroux Ishimine swiped second anyway. With that, Leroux balked for the THIRD time sending Ishimine to third, where T OGINO brought him home with a sac fly. Nice, a 3-3 tie!

    I think the swap of Emura for Kawamoto might have played a role in the 8th inning. The pitching got good when Emura got more playing time, and with Kawamoto in, the Fujioka-as-Middle-Reliever Project went completely pear-shaped. With one out, Fujioka gave up back-to-back singles to the bottom of the order, and Yamada tripled (that ball was a solid 2 on the Okada Index1) to bring both guys in. Eeeeeek. 5-3 Tokyo lead.

    1 I’m starting a New Thing here – the Okada Index. Since Okada is rarely playing these days a rotating cast is filling in in center. Today was Kiyota.  I’m going to rate balls that weren’t caught on a 1-5 scale, 1 is no way Okada gets that, 5 is Okada gets that for sure, why is he not playing you idiot who filled out the lineup card!  Okada never would have actually caught this ball but it might not have gone to the track and scored 2.  So, I’m calling it an Okada 2.

     
    Our Marines had two more cracks at this, though. And the first batter of the 8th, Imae, got things started with a single! Hosoya in to pinch run, Fukuura at the plate – and he draws a walk! Hayasaka in to pinch run, still nobody out, Kiyota at the plate. It’s… a bunt. Well, OK. Not my choice here, but with the hot Daichi on deck maybe it makes sense. Kiyota squares and pops up. Ayyyy. It’s not caught but dangerous! With the next pitch Kiyota squares, bunts…. foul. Ayyyy Ayyyy. Kiyota then proceeds to strike out. As does Daichi. Hosoya and Hayasaka are game – Hosoya advances to third on a ball in the dirt, Hayasaka swipes second, but Kawamoto pops up to end it. Poor, poor execution.

    That’s basically it. A sloppy game and the 6 game winning streak is over. Tokyo and Our Marines play the final game of the season tomorrow night. Nishino is tasked with actually beating the Swallows for once. I took a bunch of pictures today, so enjoy!
    [slickr-flickr search=”sets” set=”72157633878697312″ type=”gallery” thumbnail_size=”small” thumbnail_captions=”on” size=”original”]

  • 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.

  • Sweep + Sweep + Sweep = First Place – 9 May 2013

    WINWINWIN

    Lotte walks off with a sayonara win in the 11th.  We now have sole possession of first place, thanks to an 8 game winning streak.

     

    More on innings 10-11 in a bit…

    Highlight of the night: Iguchi’s game tying solo HR

    It was night of missed opportunities at the plate and scrappy pitching for Lotte.

    Two quick outs were made in the home half of the 8th, and the Marines trailed 2-1.  The score had gone unchanged since the 5th, as hope was beginning to fade.

    Then, with one swing of the bat, Iguchi’s solo blast to left tied it 2-2. The score would remain that way until the last pitch of the game.

    Missed opportunities at the plate:

    The Marines wasted numerous scoring opportunities, provided in part by the second straight night of sloppy defensive play by the Lions.

    For example, Lotte had a golden opportunity in the 3rd. Kakunaka had already tied the game at 1-1 with an RBI double. But, with the bases loaded, and 1 out, Fukuura hit into an inning ending 1-2-3 double play.

    Lotte also managed to put runners at 1st & 3rd with 0 out in the 5th, but failed to score. Out 1 was made on a tag out at home on a Nemoto grounder. Out 2 came way of a Kakunaka IF fly. (Side note: That’s two nights in a row Kakunaka popped-out with the infield-fly rule in effect). Iguchi got robbed on a nice diving stop by Lions 2B Yamasaki for out number 3.

    Scrappy pitching:

    The Lions also had their fair share of chances. Marines starter Fujioka didn’t look comfortable and didn’t seem to have command of his pitches all night. But crafty pitching with runners on base by Fujioka (5IP, 2 ER, 5H, 4BB, 1K), and scoreless relief (Rosa 6th, Hattori 7th, Ueno 8th, Matsunaga 9th) kept Lotte in the game.

    Daichi Suzuki also helped the pitching with his defense at SS.  He made the defensive play of the night in the 6th. Daichi’s diving grab to his right, quick recovery, and sharp throw over to first barely beat the runner Sumitani for out number 2.

    Oh ya, extra innings…

    Top 10: Masuda came in to pitch the 10th for Lotte. He had a 1-2-3 inning.
    Bot 10: Lions reliever Randy Williams also had a 3-up-3-down inning.
    Top 11: Itoh threw a 1-2-3 inning for Chiba.

    Bottom 11. Finally, a base runner!
    -Iguchi lead off and drew a walk off of Seibu’s Ohishi.
    -A failed bunt attempt by Ishimine (pinch runner for Saburo earlier) resulted in a HBP. 2 on, 0 out.
    -An Imae bunt moved the two runners into scoring position, now with 1 out.
    -The red hot Daichi is intentionally walked to load ‘em up.
    -With the ouenseki at maximum volume, here comes T.Ogino…
    -On an 0-2 pitch…The ball goes low and way outside, and trickles through Sumitani’s legs! PINCH RUNNER KEI HOSOYA SCORES THE WINNING RUN. FIRST PLACE IS OURS!!! 8 GAME WIN STREAK CONTINUES!!!

    Ok, a wild pitch is a little anti-climactic. Lions manager Watanabe is not happy. I’m not sure why, but he appeals to second for some reason. Anyway, game over.

    On deck: A 3-game weekend series with the Rakuten Eagles.

    Look for Steve and I at QVC Marine field this weekend. I’ll be in attendance Friday night and Saturday, Steve I think all 3 games.  Rain in the forecast though.

    P.S. Glad to see Lions catcher Sumitani is OK after taking a pitch off the Adam’s apple.

  • Random Photo Post – Golden Times

    I’ve got piles and piles of old photos I’ve never posted for one reason or another. This set is from Golden Week last year – the aftermath of a 2-1 Lotte win over Daiei and another game where Nakaushiro, Masuda, and Fujioka were the heroes.

    There’s no outstanding reason that I didn’t post them before. Actually, that’s not true – I wrote a lengthy post that I was unhappy with, got frustrated, and didn’t post these or anything else for months. SERIOUS writer’s block, I suppose.

    [slickr-flickr search=”sets” set=”72157629936398337″ type=”gallery” thumbnail_size=”small” thumbnail_captions=”on” size=”original”]

  • A Series Win!

    Mr Masuda

    MY GOD. HE POSTS TWICE IN A WEEK. What can I say, I am in a chatty mood.

    Here’s what you need to know about the series with Nippon Ham: 2-1. Really, that’s the most important part. We’ve had our troubles against the Fighters in recent years but they’ve lost a lot of guys and are in a bit of a reloading phase, I think. Still, they have plenty of top line players like Nakata, Yoh, Yoshikawa, Masui, and Takeda to be damn dangerous.

    In the third game Karakawa took the hill and was by no means either consistent or dominating but you could see some of the brilliance we know him for (and was lacking in his first two starts this year) creep back in. Tonight’s line – 7 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 2 K, and only one run. That’ll usually get it done, especially with rookie Matsunaga and the ever reliable Masuda in the pen to back him up. 5 runs on 8 hits and 8 BBs by the bats helps, too. 5-1 is how it ended.

    The run scoring has been spotty all year but one thing is pretty constant – the guys are getting on base. Tonight it worked out well, last night hard-luck Fujioka couldn’t get any runs to help him out. Hopefully this smooths out over the season.

    Speaking of Fujioka, he is the Prince of Consistency, though I am not sure he’d want that title after these three starts. Check it out:

    7 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 110 pitches
    7 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 107 pitches
    7 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 112 pitches

    Sort that any way you want, it’s the same start over and over. We’d like those starts to be better but at least he’s been decent.

    Playing time for our up-and-coming stars has lead to great production so far. Daichi went on a tear again tonight, 3-5 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored. Ishimine got the start again and again delivered – 1-3 with an RBI. Give ’em a chance, that’s all I can ask for. But where is T Ogino? Hmmmmmm.

    I’m slumming in a picnic box for the first game of the set with Rakuten on Friday. Lately I’ve been mostly in the outfield and this is the first time in the picnic boxes for the year. I’m sure I’ll be back in the outfield next week. Tomorrow should be an interesting game – ace Naruse vs Rakuten’s second round pick Norimoto. Norimoto got the win in the 17-5 beatdown we took at K-Sta a couple of weeks ago, so I think it’s time we return the favor. The forecast says…. Wind blowing out and kinda strong – looks like fun.

  • Newcomers to the Rescue!

    Eight games into the season and Our Marines are off to a solid start. Every game has been close so far – only last Saturday’s 0-4 loss was decided by greater than three runs, and that was tied 0-0 into the last inning. Obviously we shouldn’t get too far ahead of ourselves but we Lotte fans have just gotta be excited by a start to the season where so many newcomers are making a difference. I’ve thought our pitching would be the strength of the team this year, and if the bats can get hot like they did in 2010 it could be another fine year.

    The heart of the first week hot start was quite clearly the influence of the newcomers to Makuhari. Rookies Fujioka (1st round), Nakaushiro (2nd), and Masuda (4th) all made the Ichi-gun roster. New foreign players (but NPB veterans) Whitesell and Greisinger have been plugged into key roles – DH and number 4 starter, respectively. In the first 8 games, all have produced very, very well.

    In fact, the pitching staff as a group has thrown a quality start in 7 of the first 8 games, the only exception being Karakawa’s start on Saturday. Actually, that is where the term “quality start” becomes a misnomer. In that game Karakawa threw 8 scoreless, only allowing 3 baserunners before tiring and imploding in the 9th. If that is not a “quality start” – by common understanding, not technical definition – then I am not sure what is.

    For my money, Nakaushiro’s debut was the most impressive. Game 2 in Sendai against Rakuten – Nakaushiro comes in in relief in the 8th inning, Lotte with a 5-3 lead. Carlos Rosa has started the inning but has gotten into a grade-A jam. It’s bases loaded and only one out. Nakaushiro not only has ton overcome his nerves in his first pro appearance, but he’s got to be nearly flawless. And nearly flawless he was – 2 up, 2 down, both Rakuten batters faced down in strikeout fashion. It was a scintillating debut and it was enough to pretty much seal the victory and get him the hero interview.

    Right behind Nakaushiro’s debut are both starts from Greisinger – 15 innings combined, 15 strikeouts, 6 hits, 2 walks, absolutely no earned runs. Amazing. And rookie Masuda? He’s become the go-to man for middle relief. He’s appeared in 5 of 8 games: 4 innings total, 4 strikeouts, no walks, only 2 hits, and again absolutely no runs allowed.

    Wow. And because of all these fantastic pitching contributions Lotte is 5-3 and in second place.

    I don’t know about you, but I am really fired up by how this season is starting!

  • Spring Camp Report – Ishigaki, Baseball Paradise

    I’ve been back from Ishigaki about a week now but the memories and good feelings about the 2012 Marines are still very fresh in my mind. There’s just something about escaping the winter chill and relaxing in the sun watching your team get ready for the season that clears the mind.

    Ishigaki goes all out for Lotte Spring Camp. There’s signs everywhere, pamphlets and special newspapers. Even my hotel had a special “Baseball Cheering” package. Once people found out I was in town for baseball, it was all anybody wanted to talk about.

    “Steve, I just don’t get last year”
    (This was within 5 minutes of my arrival at the hotel and within 30 minutes of my plane touching down)
    “Well, it was a crappy season. No runs = hard to win games”
    “Yeah, but… We threw a victory parade last spring and everything!”

    Yes, yes they did. The recent lack of success for two of Ishigaki’s favorite sons – Yuta and Shota Ishimine – was also a hot topic.

    Me, to taxi driver: “It’s nice that Ishigaki really supports Lotte”
    Taxi Driver: “Eh. Yuta’s no good. Disappointing.”
    “Well, yeah, he didn’t have much of a year last year. But Shota?”
    “Eh, he’s no good either”

    Harsh! But hey, Ishigaki is such a small place that I suppose favorite sons are very much like actual sons – everybody’s allowed to be critical. Me? Well I LOVE Marines so I like to focus on the positive. And really, there’s a whole lot positive going on in Lotte land.

    My biggest desire this training camp was to see No. 18 in action – our #1 draft pick Takahiro Fujioka. Well, I sure got to see plenty of Fujioka, right off the bat! After dropping my stuff off at the hotel and taxi-ing it to the camp site, I was just in time to catch the first action of the year, the “Kohaku-sen” intrasquad game. On the hill – Fujioka vs #2 draft pick, Yuhei Nakaushiro. Starting at short for the red team – #3 pick Daichi Suzuki. And #4 draft pick Naoya Masuda would make an appearance later in the game. All the rookies in one spot! Close to heaven, for sure.

    Fujioka went three innings and looked lovely doing so. I mentioned as much on my Facebook during the game, and not 30 seconds later Shota Ishimine smashed a HR to right. Still – lovely. Nakaushiro, not so much. He got knocked around pretty good. He’s been struggling a bit in camp so far so I think he will probably get the start in Ni-gun for the season.

    Fujioka? Rock star. Everybody I talked to expects, maybe even demands that he’s in the rotation this year. When he hit the bullpen for some simulated pitching on Sunday, everybody showed up to watch. Everybody!

    Signing session for selected fans? Despite the “random” nature of the draw, Fujioka had 2x as many lined up as anybody else. Including me!*

    *OK, I must confess that I had to pull a little Gaijin Smash to get to meet Fujioka-san. My random ticket was to meet players I had already met so I had to come up with a scheme to meet Fujioka. With some friends of mine, I schemed. “Steve, just hop in the next line and slide over at the last minute” “No, they’re checking tickets.” “Steve, just pretend you don’t speak Japanese” “C’mon, everybody knows me here.” Here’s what I did. I went to the neighboring line, stood around looking confused/upset. One staff member came to help and I said “Oh, I am supposed to be in line 3 (Fujioka’s line) but my ticket. It fell!” “Oh, just hop in!” Several people looked at me dubiously, and I still had to make it past the young gatekeeper in front of Fujioka-san. When I got to her I repeated the same story. “My ticket? Oh, it fell.” Sneer. “It fell.” “Fell.” …….. “Whatever, just go ahead”. Yay!

    In the three days I was at camp I was able to meet quite a few players, and actually talk with a few for a few minutes. Fujioka-san, not so much, but I did have a chat with Atsushi Kobayashi, Hiroki Ueno, and Shunsuke Watanabe! So cool. Kobayashi was quite laid back as he seemed content to just hang around and chat like he had nothing better to do. Ueno was funny, too:

    Ueno, signing my shiki: “Thank you!”
    “Oh, you speak English?”
    “No, only ‘Thank you'(laughs)”

    Ueno-kun and Shunsuke had plenty of fans wanting to get signatures and take pictures with them and both were relaxed and seemingly happy to spend the time chatting with the fans. Honestly, you just don’t get that when you’re at the stadium during the heat of the season – you gotta go to camp to catch the players when they are relaxed.

    We’ve had two new foreign additions as well; both are quite familiar to NPB fans. The most prominent addition is Seth Greisinger, formerly of Yakult and (grr) the Kyojin. He’s been injured most of the past two years but if he is anywhere near the form he had his first two years in Tokyo Dome, in our pitcher’s park, look out. Could be a very good pick up indeed.*

    *I talked to Seth for maybe a minute or so as he was leaving training. He was nice, and had obviously been around enough to be a bit of a politician about chatting with fans (I don’t mean that negatively at all!) I asked him if he liked his time with Lotte so far and he replied “Best fans in Japan, so yeah” Certainly it’s true!

    I got to see a bit of our other pickup in the two Kohaku games – Former Yakult slugger Josh Whitesell. Josh had a lovely 2010 season and a bit of a downer last year. He’s probably going to be sitting in the DH role for the season so hopefully he comes close to what he gave the Swallows in 2010. We could use the pop!

    Much more to come. I changed the format of my image uploads to a clickable gallery. I’m sure my large, inline images weren’t so easy to read before so hopefully this is a cleaner look. Some of these are duplicated from the last post but most are new for this one.

    [slickr-flickr search=”sets” set=”72157629330790685″ type=”gallery” thumbnail_size=”small” thumbnail_captions=”on” size=”original”]

  • Spring Comes Early to Ishigaki

    It’s cold in Chiba but warm in Ishigaki! The 2012 NPB season is starting to warm up with Spring Camp in full swing.

    Apologies if you see this article before I’ve fixed the formatting on the site! It’s a bit messed up right now.

    I’ve taken a little 3-day swing down south to check out the 2012 team and especially the new rookies! After last year’s disaster (10 games out of 5th place!) we needed a bit of optimism this offseason. It came in the form of arguably the most prized player in the draft, Takahiro Fujioka, lefty pitcher from Toyo University. Fujioka LOOKS like a star, great smile, commanding presence on the field. During the time I have seen him so far in camp i’ve felt this well of gravity around him – the press contingent, mobs of fans watching his every move. It’s safe to say that we fans expect to see him in the starting rotation on opening day, and expect him to be very good.

    So far I’ve managed to meet our top two picks this year – both Fujioka and our second pick, lefty sidearmer Yuhei Nakaushiro from Kinki University. Nakaushiro has every bit a unique delivery as our beloved Shunsuke. I can honestly say I have never seen a lefty throwing that hard from that angle before. Hopefully I can get some video today.

    Many fans I’ve talked to seem to think our third pick in the draft has a great shot at being the starting shortstop when the season opens. Daichi Suzuki was Fujioka’s teammate at Toyo University and is really being given a chance to shine this spring camp. In the two Red-White intersquad games I’ve seen so far he’s been pretty impressive. He legged out a double in Saturday’s game and made an amazing diving stab at a liner in yesterday’s game. Nice first impression.

    Our final pick in the 2011 draft has also seen some game time during the intersquad games – Naoya Masuda from Kansai Kokusai University. I honestly don’t know much about Masuda, but the two innings I saw him pitch were quite intriguing. High velocity, super duper fast delivery; violent, even. He came from the set to delivering the pitch in near record time.

    Lots more to come soon! I’m off to see more practice now.