Eagles vs Fighters CS Game 4 Postgame: Not over yet
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SAPPORO DOME, SAPPORO - It wasn't pretty, but it was enough. Ma-kun came through when the Eagles needed him most, and the lineup provided a few surprises to keep their season alive for at least one more day, beating the Fighters 3-2 Friday night. Rakuten now trails Nippon Ham three games to one in the best-of-seven series.
Eagles vs Fighters CS Game 2 Preview
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Stage 2 of the Pacific League Climax Series finally gets underway tonight in Sapporo, as the Nippon Ham Fighters host the Rakuten Eagles in this best-of-seven series. The Fighters begin the series with an automatic one game win, so the Eagles definitely have their work cut out for them as they begin this 6 games in 6 days series, having to win four games to advance to the Nippon Series.
Live from Game 1: Photos and Videos
Too exhausted to write a postgame report, but I'll include some specifics in my Game 2 Preview tomorrow morning. For now, feast your eyes and ears on the photos and videos I took from the game tonight. It was an amazing experience, and well worth the 12 hours of line waiting I had to do this week to get tickets and good seats.
Eagles vs Fighters Postgame: Sleeping on the job
Photo © www.fighters.co.jp
SAPPORO DOME, SAPPORO - The Nippon Ham Fighters finished their regular season on a high note Saturday night, taking down a Rakuten Eagles squad that was missing half of their starting lineup 7-1. Masaru Takeda (10-9) reached double digits in victories for the first time in his career, while Koji Aoyama (3-5, 5 SV) took the loss for the visitors in an error-filled defeat.
The Fighters opened the scoring in the second inning on a solo homerun by third baseman Eiichi Koyano. Things continued to get worse for Koyama the very next inning. With two outs and runners on 1st and 2nd, DH Terrmel Sledge hit a bases-clearing double to extend the lead to three.
Rakuten would get a run back in the top of the fifth, as speedy Kensuke Uchimura scored on an infield groundout, but gave the run right back in the bottom half with an error and the lead was back to three.
Tsuyoshi Kawagishi replaced Aoyama to start the 6th inning but lasted only two batters, as he was struck high up on his pitching arm on a line drive comebacker by Shinji Takahashi and was forced to leave the game. Nippon Ham would put any chance of a comeback to rest in the seventh inning, tacking three more runs off of Kohei Hasebe to put the Eagles away for good.
Pitching
The lines on the Rakuten pitchers:
- Aoyama: 5 IP, 6 H, 6 K, 2 BB, 4 R, 3 ER
- Kawagishi: 0 IP, 2 H, 0 K, 0 BB, 0 R
- Hasebe: 3 IP, 3 H, 0 K, 2 BB, 3 R, 2 ER
Overall Aoyama didn't pitch that poorly, actually striking out the side in the fourth inning. With some better defense and without the homerun he could have kept the game a little closer. Kawagishi didn't appear to be seriously injured, but definitely looked like he didn't want to remain in the game. After getting called up in August it looked as if Kawagishi had cemented the role as Rakuten's setup pitcher, but since September the opposition started to figure him out and slap him around. Speaking of getting slapped around, Hasebe's appearance last night only reinforced my evaluation of him earlier this week. He entered the game with two men on base and no outs and managed to escape unscathed. Then in the next inning the Fighters had their way with him. It's more than likely that Nomura was saving his arms for the playoffs, but should he call on Hasebe during the Climax Series... only one inning please!
Hitting
With so many regulars out of the lineup the offense never really seemed to get going. Ironically, the only Rakuten players with multiple hits were the players that committed fielding errors, Uchimura and Daisuke Kusano. Personally I would have started recently activated Norihiro Nakamura at third base over Kusano. The veteran Norihiro has played on the farm team most of the season and could've used some reps in case he's called upon during the playoffs.
Next Game
The Rakuten Eagles close out their best regular season in history tonight at home against their upcoming playoff opponent, the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks.
First pitch at 6pm local time, 2am PST.
Eagles vs Marines Postgame: You Gotta Have Wan
KLEENEX STADIUM, SENDAI - As all of Japan awaited the arrival of Typhoon Melor, the Eagles and Marines managed to squeeze in Bobby Valentine's final NPB game, although perhaps Bobby wished they didn't as Rakuten blasted the popular manager out of Japanese baseball with a 9-0 win. With the win the Eagles lowered their magic number to one!
The Eagles began the rout in the fourth inning. Marines starter Yuki Karakawa (5-8) was going along just fine, retiring the first two batters of the inning, when the home team shocked the youngster with 6 straight hits. Catcher Jin Nakatani started the scoring with a single to center, scoring Fernando Seguignol. With runners now on 1st and 3rd, CF Ryo Hijirisawa cleared the bases with a double that LF Ohmatsu failed to catch, the error putting the Eagles ahead 3-0. Hirjirisawa then scored on a Masato Nakamura single, and the lead was four.
In the fifth inning, 3B Daisuke Kusano connected for his 5th homerun of the year, depositing it into the right field seats.
The Rakuten offense continued to put the hurt on Karakawa in the seventh. With two runners in scoring position, speedy Kensuke Uchimura (the shortest player in NPB at 163cm, or 5ft 3in) lined an RBI single to left. Kusano continued his strong night, cranking a 1-1 fastball into right field for a bases-clearing double. That marked the end of the night for the 20-year old righty. Karakawa's line on the night: 6.1 IP, 10 H, 5 K, 0 BB, 8 R, 5 ER.
The Eagles completed the slaughter in the 8th, as Uchimura picked up his second RBI of the night on a fielder's choice grounder.
Photo © www.rakuteneagles.jp
Pitching
While supposed staff aces Hisashi Iwakuma and Masahiro Tanaka have been steadily worsening down the stretch drive, Sataoshi Nagai (13-7) has proven to be Rakuten's most reliable pitcher over the second half of the season. The 25-year old right hander is 5-1 over his last seven starts with a crisp 2.00 ERA. Nagai had a very economical outing Wednesday night, facing only three batters over the minimum through seven innings, fanning six Marines. With the game already in the bag, Tsuyoshi Kawagishi replaced Nagai, pitching a perfect 8th and 9th inning to close out the game.
Photo © www.rakuteneagles.jp
Hitting
Teppei who?!? The PL leading hitter's replacement in centerfield, Ryo Hijirisawa, has surprised everyone with how well he's played since replacing Teppei on Monday. He's batted .500 (4 for 8), with a pair of runs scored and RBI in two games so far. Maybe he likes the rain, who knows?
Daisuke Kusano continued his excellent season with 3 RBI and a solo homer, and even little Uchimura got into the action with a pair of RBI.
Next Game
The Eagles get a well-deserved rest today as the typhoon attacks all of Japan. Tomorrow night they're back at it, looking to continue their dominance over the cellar-dwelling Orix Buffaloes. Rakuten needs only to win one of their three remaining games to lock up 2nd place, let's hope they get it over with early!
Eagles vs Lions Postgame: Rakuten clinches in style
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SENDAI, MIYAGI - With a full moon shining above the stadium like a giant target, the Rakuten Eagles feasted on the Seibu Lions' pitching, hitting five home runs on route to a historic 14-5 victory in front of a packed Kleenex Stadium Friday night. With the win, Rakuten stormed into their first ever playoff berth, eliminating 4th place Seibu in the process.
The crowd was electric, and the Eagles gave their fans something to go crazy about right off the bat. Homeruns by Teppei Tsuchiya and Daisuke Kusano in the first inning quickly gave the home team a 4-0 lead. The Lions came back though, scoring in the 4th and 5th innings to draw within a run, including a 2-run shot by catcher Toru Hosokawa.
Rakuten put the game out of reach in the bottom of the 5th and 6th innings though, thanks to an RBI double by Todd Linden and 3-run blasts by Takeshi Yamasaki and Teppei. Linden capped off the night with a 2-run homer in the 8th, putting the Eagles ahead 14-3. In the top of the 9th, started Koji Aoyama gave up a pair of solo home runs to G.G. Sato and Tatsuyuki Uemoto, then completed the win when Yasuyuki Kataoka grounded out to shortstop.
After the game, every Rakuten starter was selected as Heroes of the Game.
Pitching
Koji Aoyama picked up his 3rd win of the year. His performance was good but not great. Luckily for him Rakuten's offense looked like they were on BALCO's finest. He gave up 11 hits over 9 innings, striking out six and walking two. The three home runs he dished up though are a bit of a concern, but the solo shots in the 9th occurred when the game was already in the bag, and if the score was closer he probably wouldn't have been pitching that late anyways.
On the other side of the coin, what the heck happened to Kazuyuki Hoashi??? After pitching the best month of his life in September he served up a steaming pile on Friday. Here's his line on the night: 4.1 IP, 10 H, 3 HR, 5 K, 1 BB, 8 ER. I guess when October rolled around his carriage turned back into a pumpkin or something. The relievers didn't fare much better; Osada and Kimura combined to surrender six runs over 2.2 innings.
Hitting
Geez, I don't even know where to start here. Yamasaki finally broke out of his 10 game slump, going 2 for 4 (1 HR, 4 RBI). He looked very, very relieved during the postgame interview, and I'm sure that he's happy that he could finally help the team.
League leading batter Teppei had a career night (4 for 5, 2 HR, 6 RBI). Like I said in his report card, if he could generate a little more pop in his bat then the results would be simply spectacular, as they were last night.
Third baseman Kusano also continued his fine season with 2 hits, 1 home run, and 3 runs scored.
Last but not least, Linden also cranked one out of the stadium to go along with his double and 3 RBI.
I know I'm a homer, but this Rakuten lineup from one to seven has got to be the most dangerous in the Pacific League right now. They're hitting everything, and their hitting their opponent's top pitchers as well. If they can carry this hot streak into the playoffs...
Here are some photos I snapped from the game last night. We were sitting on the third base line as usual, in the 7th row. I also uploaded 4 video clips to YouTube, you can check them out on my YouTube page. Enjoy!
Next Game
The Eagles and Lions complete this 2-game set this afternoon at 2pm local time, 10pm PST.
Eagles vs Lions Game 23 Preview
This matchup looked a heck of a lot more exciting a couple weeks ago when the Eagles and Lions were fighting tooth and nail for 3rd spot in the Pacific League. After dropping 4 in a row to close out September however, Seibu is going to need an absolute miracle for a chance to defend their 2008 Nippon Series title. They're 4.5 games behind 3rd place Softbank with only 5 games remaining. I've got a better chance of playing for the Eagles!
Photo © Yahoo! Japan
Pitching Matchup
Since last night's game was rained out, I was hoping to see Tanaka pitch tonight but it looks like Nomura is going to start Koji Aoyama (2-4, 5 SV, 5.59) instead. It's still an important game for the Eagles, as they could clinch their first ever playoff berth with a victory tonight. Looking at the schedule though, if Nomura follows a 5-man rotation then Tanaka should pitch tomorrow, and his next start would be on the 10th against 1st place Nippon Ham. Or maybe he's just giving him an extra day's rest.
At any rate, Aoyama will be today's starting pitcher. The 26-year old righty has been lit up like a Christmas tree against the Lions this year. In 5 appearances he's surrendered 21 hits and 13 earned runs over 8.2 innings. Just getting out of the first inning without giving up a run would be considered a huge victory for Rakuten tonight. Luckily due to yesterday's postponement the bullpen should be nice and rested if called upon.
They'll be facing Kazuyuki Hoashi (9-5, 3.23) who has been unstoppable and should be a lock for September's pitcher of the month award. The left-hander went a perfect 4-0 last month with an astounding 4 complete games! He dominated the Eagles last month as well going 2-0 with a 1.09 ERA.
Rakuten and Seibu have split the season series so far with 11 victories each.
(I'm just going to recycle the Who's Hot / Cold from yesterday's preview, since they didn't play... and I'm lazy.)
Photo © www.rakuteneagles.jp
Who's Hot
LF Todd Linden, one of last game's heroes, has been tearing up opposing pitchers. Over the last six games he's hitting .481 (13 for 27) with 8 RBI. 3B Daisuke Kusano had a great series versus Softbank, with a .417 BA and 4 runs scored. CF Teppei Tsuchiya broke out of a mini-slump last game, going 2 for 3 with a walk, home run, and two runs scored.
Who's Cold
If you've been reading this site over the past couple weeks, then you know who's name is going to come next. DH Takeshi Yamasaki continued his horrific slump last game, going hitless in four attempts. I can't even post his batting average over the last ten games, so instead I'll say that he isn't hitting .917 over this stretch. There, that looks better doesn't it?
If we can find any silver lining in the huge cloud over his head, is that he's making good contact with the ball. Two of his fly outs reached the warning track last game. Let's hope the cheers from the crowd can push the ball a little further tonight.
I'll be at the game tonight with my better half and a friend, so I'll tweet some pics and comments as the game progresses. Check out my Twitter feed, or just look at the top of this website for my latest tweet. Nippon Ham plays Lotte tonight as well, so be sure to send some good vibes over to Bobby Valentine's club as well!
Eagles vs Hawks Game 24 Preview
Photo © www.rakuteneagles.jp
After last night's thrilling back and forth affair, we're finally at the final game of what has been a very exciting 4-game homestand against the Softbank Hawks. Today's preview is brought to you by the number 2!
- Rakuten's magic number is now 2.
- The Eagles are now in 2nd place, half a game ahead of the Hawks, and four back of the Fighters.
With the Seibu Lions now virtually out of the playoff picture, all that remains is where the top 3 teams end up, and who gets home field advantage in the postseason.
Photo © Yahoo! Japan
Pitching Matchup
If you're a fan of great pitching, then tonight is one doozy of a matchup! Rakuten's 21-year old phenom, Masahiro "Ma-kun" Tanaka (14-6, 2.28) squares off against Softbank ace Toshiya Sugiuchi (15-4, 2.47) at Kleenex Stadium in Sendai.
Despite Tanaka's stellar numbers overall, he seems to have been wearing down over the last few weeks with his ERA steadily rising. Is it fatigue? Nerves? Swine flu?!?! He's performed excellently versus the Hawks this year though, 2 and 0 with one save and a crisp 1.00 ERA. No doubt he's going to be jacked up for this game, and if Seibu loses tonight I can think of no better person to lead Rakuten into their first ever playoff berth than the face of the franchise.
It won't be an easy task however. Sugiuchi is tied for the league lead in wins (15) and leads all of NPB with 193 strikeouts. The 29-year old dominated the Eagles on September 13th, striking out 11 and surrendering just a single run in a complete game victory.
Photo © www.rakuteneagles.jp
Who's Hot
LF Todd Linden, one of last night's heroes, has been tearing up opposing pitchers. Over the last six games he's hitting .481 (13 for 27) with 8 RBI. 3B Daisuke Kusano is having a great series as well, with a .417 BA and 4 runs scored against the Hawks. CF Teppei Tsuchiya broke out of a mini-slump last night, going 2 for 3 with a walk, home run, and two runs scored.
Who's Cold
If you've been reading this site over the past couple weeks, then you know who's name is going to come next. DH Takeshi Yamasaki continued his horrific slump last night, going hitless in four attempts. I can't even post his batting average over the last ten games, so instead I'll say that he isn't hitting .917 over this stretch. There, that looks better doesn't it?
If we can find any silver lining in the huge cloud over his head, is that he's making good contact with the ball. Two of his fly outs reached the warning track last night. Let's hope the cheers from the crowd can push the ball a little further tonight.
The weather calls for a little rain tonight, so I'm probably gonna puss out and watch the game from my sofa. First pitch at 6pm local time, 2am PST. Thanks to the lone commenter who chatted with me during the live blog last night as well!
Eagles vs Hawks Postgame: Nagai goes the distance
Photo © www.rakuteneagles.jp
SENDAI, MIYAGI - Softbank took the early lead again, but this time Rakuten was able to complete the comeback thanks to two Hawks errors and a strong outing by 25-year old Satoshi Nagai.
The Hawks opened the scoring in the 4th inning when third baseman Nobuhiro Matsuda cranked a 1-2 pitch over the centerfield wall. The Eagles stormed back the next inning though. Up until this point Hawks pitcher Sho Iwasaki had put together a pretty solid start, scattering four hits through four innings. Then it all went sideways as the defense collapsed. 3B Daisuke Kusano began the frame with a single, and made it to 3rd base on a Fernando Seguignol bloop into right field. With men on the corners, 2B Makoto Kosaka hit a grounder to right side of the infield. Kusano bolted for home on contact, but the infielder fired the ball to catcher Hidenori Tanoue, and suddenly Kusano was caught in a rundown. Tanoue inexplicably threw the ball into left field though, allowing Kusano to score and tie up the game. C Jin Nakatani walked on four straight pitches, loading up the bases for RF Masato Nakamura, who made up for an earlier baserunning mistake with a fly single to left field to put the Eagles ahead by one.
That spelled the end of the night for Iwasaki (4.1 IP, 7 H, 1 K, 1 BB, 5 R, 3 ER) who was replaced by Keisuki Katto. With the bases still loaded, SS Naoto Watanabe had a superb 10 pitch at-bat, culminating with a 2-run double over the head of LF Ortiz. Ortiz' adventures in left field continued, failing to corral an easy fly ball, scoring Nakamura and allowing batter Teppei to reach 2nd base. By the time Kusano struck out in this second at-bat of the inning the damage was done and Rakuten was ahead 6-1. Nagai gave up one more run in the 7th, then closed the door on Softbank, ending the game with a 6-2 victory.
Pitching
Since the All-Star break, right-hander Satoshi Nagai has turned potential into performance and is now 5-1 in his last 7 starts. His line on the night: 9 IP, 5 H, 5K, 2 BB, 2 R). During this period he's also had 3 complete games and hasn't surrendered more than three runs in each start. Does Rakuten now have a 1-2-3 punch for starting pitchers? We'll find out in the playoffs!
Hitting
Watanabe's clutch double in the 5th inning proved to be the game winner, while Nakamura, Kusano, and Seguignol all had a pair of hits last night. Seguignol's batting average is creeping towards respectability after hovering around the .200 mark for most of the season.
A special thanks as well to Hawks outfielder Ortiz, who looked like he'd never played left field before.
Next Game
It's now a 2-game series as second spot in the division is still up for grabs. First pitch tonight at 6 pm.
GO EAGLES!!!
Eagles vs Hawks Postgame: Akiyama’s gamble pays off
SENDAI, MIYAGI - A gutsy call by the Hawks manager in the bottom of the 9th, coupled with an RBI triple by second baseman Morimoto spoiled the Eagles' comeback attempt, as the Softbank Hawks drew first blood in this crucial 4-game series.
Down 5-1 at one point, Rakuten clawed back with two runs in the 6th and 7th innings to tie the game and had a chance to complete the comeback in the bottom of the ninth. 2B Yosuke Takasu led things off with a walk, and was replaced by pinch runner Ryo Hijirisawa, who stole second base. Teppei was up next, breaking his bat on an infield grounder and was out at a close play at first base. Teppei succeeded in advancing Hijirisawa to third though with only one out.
Here's where Akiyama's gamble began. He ordered the right handed pitcher Takahiro Mahara to intentionally walk DH Takeshi Yamasaki, putting men on the corners. Left handed hitting Daisuke Kusano came up to bat next, and Mahara intentionally walked him as well, loading the bases with only one out! Lumbering up to the plate next was switch hitting Fernando Seguignol, who has been enjoying an offensive revival of sorts in September. After fouling off four pitches into the 3rd base seats, he chopped a 2-2 offering to the right side of the infield. Hijirisawa was forced out at home, and Hawks catcher Hidenori Tanoue completed the rare 4-2-3 double play by firing the ball to first, long before Seguignol arrived at the bag. The strategy worked, giving Softbank the chance to win the game in the 10th inning, much to the disappointment of the Rakuten crowd, who were certain that a thrilling comeback was in the cards.
Pitching
Rakuten starter Hisashi Iwakuma had one of his worst performances of the year (6 IP, 9 H, 4 BB, 5 ER, 6 K). It's strange, many "ace" pitchers are struggling right now. We saw Seibu's Kishi and Wakui get lit up, Ma-kun got rocked in his last start, and now Iwakuma. Perhaps when the Fighters' Yu Darvish returns from the DL, all will be right again in the Pacific League pitching universe. Shinichiro Koyama took the loss for the Eagles.
Photo © www.rakuteneagles.jp
Hitting
Yamasaki finally hit one out of the park last night, and with 3 RBI eclipsed the century mark on the season. The only 2 batters to record multiple hits on the night were Naoto Watanabe and Todd Linden. Although Seguignol has been on a tear of late, I thought that Nomura should have tried for a squeeze play to win the game in the 9th. They had speed at 3rd, and the quick Makoto Kosaka on the bench. Nomura used squeeze plays with great success earlier in the year but has seemed to have abandoned them during the second half.
Next Game
The Eagles' are going to have to wash the nasty taste of this game out of their mouths quick, as they're back at it again tonight. Seibu also lost last night, so Rakuten's grip on 3rd place wasn't weakened, but the focus for Nomura's Eagles now should be to get the split in this series. A 3 games to 1 loss or god forbid a 4 game sweep would give the Hawks extra confidence and momentum leading into a probable postseason matchup between these two clubs.
2009 Playoffs, 1st Stage
16th Win 11-4
17th Win 4-1
Eagles win 2-0
2009 Playoffs, 2nd Stage
21st Loss 9-8
22nd Loss 3-1
23rd Win 3-2
24th Loss 9-4
Fighters win 4-1
2009 Season Standings
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