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Eagles vs Fighters CS Game 2 Postgame: Paradise Lost

SAPPORO DOME, SAPPORO - Two outs.  They can come in a blink of an eye, with a second baseman turning a 6-4-3 double play.  2 outs.  They can take forever, as pitch after pitch gets batted around the ball park like a pinball.  ２ アウト。 Sometimes, they never come at all.

For a minute there, it looked like everything was going to be alright for the Rakuten Eagles on Wednesday night.  After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning, they came back to take the lead 3-1, and by the seventh inning the away team led 6-1 on a bases-clearing double by Takeshi Yamasaki.  Then the bullpen went to work.  Rakuten's bullpen, that is.  And if you know anything about Rakuten's bullpen, you can kind of guess how this story is going to end.  Need a hint?  Have you ever seen the excellent horror film "The Descent"?  The U.K. release mind you, not the American one, has one of the most depressing endings of all time.  Getting the idea now?

Photo © www.sanspo.com

Somehow, implausible as it seems, it would appear that Eagles manager Katusya Nomura decided to become Yankees manager Joe Girardi, micromanaging his team to death.  After pulling starting pitcher Satoshi Nagai (0-0, 4.91 ERA) in the 8th inning with one out, he used 4 relievers to record the final two outs of the 8th, then brought on a fifth reliever, Kazuo Fukumori (0-1, 135.00 ERA, awesome!) to try to stop the bleeding in the 9th.  Fukumori got the first batter out, then proceded to surrender three consecutive hits and a walk, loading the bases and bringing the winning run to the plate in Terrmel Sledge.  The Fighters' leading home run hitter completed the epic comeback, smacking an 0-1, mediocre 85 mph fastball into the left field seats for a walk-off grand slam homerun.  You can't write a better ending to a game if you're a Fighters fan, or a more crushing defeat if you're an Eagles fan.

Pitching

The Rakuten pitching lines for last night's game:

Photo © www.sanspo.com

1. Satoshi Nagai: 7.1 IP, 8 H, 6 SO, 2 BB, 4 R, 4 ER
2. Hiromichi Fujiwara: 0.0 IP, 1 H
3. Shinichiro Koyama: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 1 SO
4. Kanehisa Arime: 0.0 IP, 0 H, 1 BB
5. Tsuyoshi Kawagishi: 0.1 IP, 0 H
6. Kazuo Fukumori (L): 0.1 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 1 HR, 5 R, 5 ER

The story plays out like a freaking broken record.  Solid starting pitching and good offense ruined by the Eagles' horrible bullpen.  It's been their Achilles Heel all season long, and will be the reason why they don't make the Nippon Series.  Why, after escaping the 8th inning and bolstered by Teppei's 2-run homer in the top of the 9th, did Nomura make yet another pitching change, replacing Kawagishi after he threw only two pitches???  Despite his regular season record (7-1, 10 SV, 2.18 ERA) Fukumori had become increasingly erratic down the stretch, often going deep into counts and giving up multiple hits.  He'd escaped relatively unscathed during that period, but was finally exposed Wednesday in Sapporo in front of 38,235 screaming fans.  With one bullpen arm just as unreliable as the next, coupled with a four run lead, why not keep Kawagishi in and see if he can't get an out or two before resorting to your "best" remaining reliever?

Hitting

12 hits, 1 home run, 8 runs.  Hitting is not the problem.  Every starter got at least one hit, and the 3/4 spots, occupied by Teppei and Yamasaki, continue to drive the offense, combining to go 4 for 9 with 3 runs scored and 5 runs batted in.  If Rakuten hopes to get back into the series they're going to have to keep cranking out the hits.  But will it be enough?  What are they going to need next time to save themselves from their own bullpen, 9, 10 runs?

Next Game

A golden opportunity was lost last night for the Rakuten Eagles.  A win would have tied the series and given them a great chance to go up 3 games to 1.  Teams rarely bounce back from a crushing defeat such as this one.  It would appear that this much is clear.  To win, the Eagles' starters need to go the distance.  Every.  Time.  Hisashi Iwakuma pitches tonight, followed by Masahiro Tanaka tomorrow, so they've got a chance at evening up the series.  But what comes after that?  I guess we'll cross that bridge if we ever get to it.

Related posts:

1. Eagles vs Fighters CS Game 5 Postgame: Sayonara
2. Eagles vs Fighters CS Game 4 Postgame: Not over yet
3. Eagles vs Fighters CS Game 3 Postgame: Meltdown
4. Eagles vs Fighters CS Game 2 Preview
5. Eagles vs Fighters CS Game 5 Preview

About Andrew

Andrew has lived in Japan since 2006, spending time exploring the Tohoku region. He frequently attends Rakuten Eagles games in Sendai. You'll find him sitting along the 3rd base line drinking Guinness wearing a #46 Teppei jersey, next to a Japanese girl in a #5 Seguignol jersey.          You can follow him on Twitter if that makes you happy.