https://ameblo.jp/eigodeproyakyu/ 日本のプロ野球の結果やニュースが、英語で読める！The Daily Yomiuriのスポーツ記者Johnが、日本で唯一の英語版プロ野球ニュースブログをお届け！英語と野球が好きな人必見。Podcastも配信中。 ja Well, not really.

I'm not sure how many people peek at the words I post each game day, but I wanted to take a moment and say thank you for stopping by to check out how I highlight what goes on game-wise in Japan Pro Baseball.

I'm on vacation and will be back to blog the games next year, at least that's the plan at the moment.

Comments are always welcome -- we'll discuss on the podcast.

Regards,


John E. Gibson ]]> https://ameblo.jp/eigodeproyakyu/entry-11367306787.html Sun, 30 Sep 2012 01:41:45 +0900 Seibu turns around one-run deficit to beat Rakuten

It was starting to get late and the natives were getting restless. A clutch two-out rally in the sixth inning restored calm to the fans and took care of the Rakuten Eagles on Thursday at Seibu Dome.

Esteban German dunked a single into right to score Hideto Asamura, who singled with two out in the sixth, and Shogo Akiyama, who walked, to put the Lions up by a run. Asamura cracked a solo homer in the eighth to pad the lead, and the bullpen made it stand up.

Hideaki Wakui saved it for Ken Togame (5-0), who worked 1.2 innings in relief of Kazuhisa Ishii [working on four days’ rest]. It was Wakui’s 28th save for the Pacific League’s second-place Lions.

The Lions had four hits -- two in the sixth and two in the eighth -- and scored runs in each inning. They remained two games behind first-place Nippon Ham [which they face in Sapporo for two on Friday and Saturday], and three games ahead of SoftBank.

The Fighters have six games left, while the Lions have nine to play.

FIGHTERS 3, MARINES 1

Yoshio Itoi slugged his eighth homer, a two-run shot in the first, and Atsunori Inaba went deep for the 10th time [his 13th consecutive season hitting double figures in longballs, 15th overall] as Nippon Ham secured a postseason berth with a win over Lotte at home.

It’s the team’s second straight trip and fifth overall appearance in the Climax Series playoffs.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

CARP 2, GIANTS 1

Soichiro Amaya’s walk-off single in the ninth scored two and pushed Hiroshima past Yomiuri at The Zoom.

Yomiuri closer Kentaro Nishimura (3-2) took the loss, putting a halt to his club-record stretch of 28 consecutive scoreless outings.

BAYSTARS 2, DRAGONS 1

Alex Ramirez homered in the fourth to move to 12 hits shy of 2,000, and Kentaro Takasaki (6-10) won his second straight decision with six innings of one-run ball as Yokohama won its series over Chunichi at Nagoya Dome.

Ramirez would be the first import player to reach 2,000 hits and qualify for the Golden Players Club.

TIGERS 12, SWALLOWS 0

Rookie Hayata Ito slugged his first pro homer, a grand slam in a five-run fifth, and Akira Iwamoto (2-0) tossed six sharp innings as Hanshin ripped Yakult at Jingu Stadium.
]]> https://ameblo.jp/eigodeproyakyu/entry-11365684971.html Fri, 28 Sep 2012 00:21:57 +0900 Eagles drop heavy loss on Lions

The Rakuten Eagles still see themselves as a playoff team. The Seibu Lions would like to see themselves atop the Pacific League standings.

The teams clashed at Seibu Dome on Wednesday night, and the Eagles saddled the Lions with a 3-2 loss.

Rakuten moved three games back of third-place SofBank for the final playoff spot after Brandon Duckworth (3-1) tossed 6.1 innings of two-run ball and Ginji Akaminai had a pair of RBI singles to help the Eagles keep their playoff hopes alive.

The loss dropped Seibu two games behind victorious Nippon Ham, and the Lions had only themselves to blame. Kazuo Matsui singled and went to third when a wild throw to second on his stolen-base attempt gave him the extra base with one out in the seventh.

He came home to score the go-ahead run when Kazuya Fujita rolled a soft single through a draw-in infield. The pen took over and Darrell Rasner worked a perfect eighth, while Koji Aoyama allowed a hit and nothing else for his single-season, club-record-tying 21st save.

Seibu’s Takeya Nakamura hit his league-leading 25th homer.

BUFFALOES 3, HAWKS 0

Third-year lefty Yuji Maeda (2-2) blanked SoftBank over five innings and Lee Dae Ho clubbed his first homer since Sept. 18 as Orix put an emphatic halt to its franchise-worst 12-game skid by shutting out SoftBank at Kyocera Dome Osaka.

Maeda, in just his fourth pro start, allowed four hits with two walks, and Yoshihisa Hirano worked two innings for his seventh save.

FIGHTERS 5, MARINES 2

Yang Zhong-shou broke a tie with a two-run single in the seventh and Yoshio Itoi followed with his second hit of the night, an RBI single, as Nippon Ham held off Lotte at Sapporo Dome.

The win helped the Fighters move two games ahead of second-place Seibu, and 4.5 in front of SoftBank after both their rivals lost.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

BAYSTARS 8, DRAGONS 2

Katsuhiko Kinjo’s three-run, pinch-hit homer highlighted a four-run eighth as Yokohama pulled away late and beat Chunichi at Nagoya Dome.

Alex Ramirez had two hits for the BayStars and is 13 shy of 2,000 with 12 games to play.

SWALLOWS 10, TIGERS 4

Yuhei Takai had four hits and scored a run, and Yuhei Nakamura had a bases-clearing double in the first as Yakult paddled Hanshin at Jingu Stadium.

Wladimir Balentien also had three hits and an RBI for the Swallows, who got a quality start from lefty Katsuki Akagawa (8-8).

CARP 4, GIANTS 0

Keisuke Imai (3-8) fired seven innings of shutout ball, holding CL-clinching Yomiuri to two hits and two walks with three Ks, and Brad Eldred homered twice as Hiroshima blanked the Giants at The Zoom. ]]> https://ameblo.jp/eigodeproyakyu/entry-11364895920.html Thu, 27 Sep 2012 00:11:05 +0900 Kikuchi shuts down Eagles, Ortiz & Carter supply the punch

Yusei Kikuchi said his fastball was as good as it has been all year. Jose Ortiz and Chris Carter were as good as usual.

The combination, along with a hire-wire act by Randy Williams in the eighth inning, helped the Seibu Lions edge the Rakuten Eagles 3-2 on Tuesday night at Seibu Dome.

The Pacific League’s second-place Lions gained a half-game on the Nippon Ham Fighters, who tied the Lotte Marines, and kept pace with the third-place SoftBank Hawks, who won on the road. The Lions are one game back of the Fighters.

“My fastball was the best it has been in recent games,” Kikuchi said in the hero interview. “I hope I can go out and do it again when my turn comes up.”

The third-year lefty (4-2) handcuffed the Eagles on two hits, with a walk and two Ks, over seven-plus innings to match last year’s career-best victory total of four.

Ortiz just missed a homer in the fourth, but got all of a Yoshinao Kamata (7-3) first-pitch fastball in the sixth and sent it out to center for his seventh homer. Carter's RBI single in the seventh proved to be the difference.

Williams came on in the eighth after Kikuchi allowed a leadoff walk and a single, and Ken Togame allowed an RBI double to Jose Fernandez. The big southpaw from Texas walked Motohiro Shima to load the bases with no outs and after getting a shallow flyout, he plunked Ryo Hijirisawa as Rakuten pulled within a run.

But Williams induced a pair of harmless groundouts to halt the rally and help Seibu keep the lead, and Hideaki Wakui kept the bases clean with a 1-2-3 ninth for his 27th save.

HAWKS 7, ORIX 0

Rookie Shota Takeda (7-1) fired his first shutout, blanking hapless Orix on four hits and a walk with seven Ks as SoftBank won at Kyocera Dome.

It was the 12th consecutive loss for Orix, the longest in team history, and the 12th time it has been shut out this season. Earlier in the day, outgoing skipper Akinobu Okada decided to step aside to let the last-place team focus on getting ready for next year.

MARINES 3, FIGHTERS 3, 10 INNINGS

Only one of Atsunori Inaba’s three hits drove in a run, and Lotte’s Josh Whitesell [this week’s guest on JBW] connected for his ninth homer, a tying solo blast in the eighth, as the Marines and Nippon Ham played to a time-limit deadlock at Sapporo Dome.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

GIANTS 3, CARP 2

Shinnosuke Abe clubbed his 27th longball [two shy of the league lead] to break a 2-2 tie in the eighth and move into fourth place all-time in club history -- seventh place in NBP -- by reaching base safely for the 41st consecutive game as Yomiuri edged Hiroshima at The Zoom.

Abe also became just the second catcher to post multiple 100-RBI seasons [Katsuya Nomura did it seven times]. Meanwhile, Shota Dobayashi set a Hiroshima club record by striking out for the 140th time.

SWALLOWS 3, TIGERS 0

Shohei Tateyama (12-8) tossed eight scoreless innings, allowing three hits and two walks, and Shinya Miyamoto doubled in a run and singled as Yakult blanked Hanshin at Jingu.

BAYSTARS 2, DRAGONS 2, 11 INNINGS

The last of Yokohama slugger Alex Ramirez’s three hits drove in the tying run in the third inning as Yokohama and Chunichi played to a 11-inning tie. ]]> https://ameblo.jp/eigodeproyakyu/entry-11364080599.html Tue, 25 Sep 2012 23:31:59 +0900 Matsui smacks walk-off HR off Okajima as Eagles win

A walk-off homer that kept his team in the Pacific League playoff picture should have made Rakuten Eagles heel-clicking happy. Instead, the grumpy version of Senichi Hoshino barked about his team’s 3-1 win in 10 innings over the SoftBank Hawks on Monday.

A pair of returnees from the big leagues were the key figures as Kazuo Matsui belted a sayonara shot off Hideki Okajima (0-2) for Rakuten’s sixth walk-off win as the fourth-place Eagles moved to within three games back of third-place SoftBank.

Eagles fans and players enjoyed the typical walk-off celebration, but Hoshino seemed in no mood to join the party.

“It was about time,” the skipper said of Matsui’s third sayonara hit this season. “I guess he felt responsible [for the game going into extra innings].”

Rakuten ace Masahiro Tanaka went pitch-for-pitch with SoftBank top pitcher Tadashi Settsu, leaving after allowing a run on seven hits with no walks and 13 strikeouts over nine innings. Settsu departed after eight innings, yielding just one run on seven hits with nine Ks.

“You can’t give up the first run when you’re pitching against Settsu, but it’s still too bad Ma-kun didn’t come of this with a win,” Hoshino snapped.

Koji Aoyama (5-4) worked a scoreless 10th to pick up the win.

MARINES 5, BUFFALOES 0

Seth Greisinger (11-8) tossed a three-hitter for his first shutout since April 21, 2009 [as a member of the Yomiuri Giants] and Yoshifumi Okada had two hits and two RBIs as Lotte kept its playoff hopes alive with a win over Orix at The Q.

Greisinger walked none, hit a batter and fanned five in his fourth career shutout in six seasons in Japan, helping to send Orix to its 11th straight loss -- its longest skid in 53 years when the franchise was the Hankyu Braves. ]]> https://ameblo.jp/eigodeproyakyu/entry-11363411242.html Tue, 25 Sep 2012 01:20:39 +0900 Japan Baseball Weekly Podcast – 9-24 …
 
Vol. 2.32, John E. Gibson and Jim Allen discuss an interview with Josh Whitesell of the Lotte Marines, talk about the final two weeks of the regular season and touch on other topics.
 
This is a link to the text of Tomoaki Kanemoto’s presser. Listener Steve, please give it a look.
http://sankei.jp.msn.com/sports/news/120912/bbl12091217380003-n1.htm
 
NOTE: My blog will end on Thursday in Japan & by the time I return to Japan, for those of you who read.
We plan to record the JBW as usual….
 
Look for us on iTunes, search for Japan Baseball Weekly and subscribe for automatic downloads.
 
Please email the show at yakyujohn@gmail.com
 
We want to invite you to send us your comments and questions via MP3 file so we can play them on the show. If you have an IC recorder, or the latest version of FIREFOX there’s an “online radio recorder” that you can use to record your message and easily transfer the file via email. If neither works for you, there’s a free software call WavePad Sound Editor that you can download and use to record your file.
 
Please keep the questions to less than one minute and we’ll play it on the show and address the issues you present….. We look forward to your MP3s!! ]]> https://ameblo.jp/eigodeproyakyu/entry-11363410658.html Tue, 25 Sep 2012 01:18:38 +0900 Nakata's power display helps Fighters avoid sweep

Backed into a corner with his team’s lead in the Pacific League hanging in the balance, Sho Nakata hit back hard.

The result was a two-run homer to get Nippon Ham even and a two-run double that virtually KO'd the Seibu Lions on Sunday, leading the Fighters to a 6-2 victory.

The Fighters, who couldn't hold leads in the first two games of the series, looked lifeless until the sixth inning. Yoshio Itoi opened the frame with a double to right -- moving to third when Yutaro Osaki bobbled the ball and fired a wild throw -- and Nakata launched a curve from Takayuki Kishi (10-11) into the seats in left.

It was the fifth-year pro's first homer at Seibu Dome, and it made the score 2-2. He came up with two aboard in the seventh and sent a back-breaking double to the fence in nearly the same spot for a 4-2 Fighters lead.

Fighters starter Masaru Nakamura looked headed for an early knockout. He allowed a first-inning run before escaping a bases-loaded jam. The righty allowed another run in the fifth, and got the hook after that frame.

Reliever Dustin Molleken (2-1) allowed a runner in the seventh but posted a zero to pick up the win.

The Fighters got a strong effort from their pen to close it out, using closer HIsashi Takeda in a nonsave situation in the ninth.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

TIGERS 5, DRAGONS 2

Matt Murton slapped an RBI single up the middle to break a 2-2 tie and Takashi Toritani had a homer and a scoring flyball as Hanshin salvaged the finale at Koshien by topping Chunichi.

Randy Messenger (8-11) held Chunichi to two runs over six innings for the win.

GIANTS 2, SWALLOWS 0

D.J. Houlton (12-7) held Yakult scoreless over seven innings as Yomiuri awakened from its title-drunk daze to win at home.

The victory clinched a winning record for the Giants over every other CL club.

]]> https://ameblo.jp/eigodeproyakyu/entry-11363409970.html Tue, 25 Sep 2012 01:17:11 +0900 Lions scratch out win, near top spot

The Seibu Lions are starting to dig in for the final stretch in the Pacific League pennant race. And they're leaving marks.

The Nippon Ham Fighters can attest to that after losing a lead for the second straight day, this one four runs in a stinging 5-4 loss at Seibu Dome on Saturday.

Esteban German rifled a single to right to tie the score and Chris Carter hit what looked like a double-play ball -- with runners on first and third with one out -- that was booted by Makoto Kaneko to give the Lions the lead.

It went into the record books as an RBI groundout, but was a room-service double-play ball that Kaneko kicked.

Hideto Asamura had three hits, including a clutch single in the seventh to make it a one-run game after the Lions were down 4-0 after an inning and a half.

“We aren’t giving up and even if we lose a game, we don’t feel like we lost,” Asamura said in the hero interview.

The Fighters popped Lions starter Kazuhisa Ishii from the get-go, Yang Zhong-shou clubbing his second-career leadoff homer to spark a three-run outburst that KO'd the lefty in the opening frame after 32 pitches.

But the Seibu bullpen, which allowed a run in the second, shut the Fighters down over seven innings. Hideaki Wakui closed it out with a perfect ninth for his 26th save.

MARINES 8, BUFFALOES 3

Ikuhiro Kiyota had a single and homer and Toshiaki Imae's grand slam backed rookie Takahiro Fujioka (6-6), who carried a shutout into the eighth before yielding three runs as Lotte romped at home.

Orix lost its 10th straight, the team’s longest skid since 2007.

HAWKS 4, EAGLES 2

Yuichi Honda's two-run single in the eighth broke a 2-2 tie and helped SoftBank edge Rakuten at The Kleenex Box.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

BAYSTARS 7, CARP 4

Takayuki Kajitani belted his second career homer -- a three-run shot -- to give host Yokohama the lead and Alex Ramirez drove in two runs without the benefit of a hit in a victory over sliding Hiroshima.

Carp rookie Yusuke Nomura (9-10) failed to reach double digits in wins and Hiroshima lost its season-worst seventh straight.

DRAGONS 2, TIGERS 0

Junnji Ito (1-0) blanked Hanshin over 6.1 innings and Hitoki Iwase, the Dragons' third reliever, notched his 31st save as Chunichi posted its 28th shutout [second most in club history] the Tigers at Koshien Stadium.

SWALLOWS 9, GIANTS 3

Hiroyasu Tanaka had three hits, including a double, and three RBIs as Yakult knocked around title-drunk Yomiuri at Tokyo Dome.

]]> https://ameblo.jp/eigodeproyakyu/entry-11361691471.html Sun, 23 Sep 2012 00:49:20 +0900 Yomiuri tops Yakult, wraps up 34th CL title

A combination of strong pitching and a powerful lineup mixed with veteran leadership and just enough youthful energy, the Yomiuri Giants came into this season as the overwhelming favorites to win the Central League title.

The team made prognosticators nationwide look smart on Friday, wrapping up its 34th league title [43 overall, counting the one-league system championships] by taking down the Yakult Swallows 6-4 at Tokyo Dome.

Ace Tetsuya Utsumi (14-6) allowed four runs in six innings, departing after allowing a tying three-run homer to Ryuji Miyade in the sixth, but still got the victory when Hisayoshi Chono smacked a two-run single in the bottom of the frame.

Skipper Tatsunori Hara gave credit where he thought it was most due for the team’s first title since 2009.

“We wouldn’t have been able to do any of this without you, the fans. On behalf of each and every one on the team I would like to say, congratulations on the championship,” Hara told the packed house at The Big Egg.

But in reality, his All-Star catcher Shinnosuke Abe -- who belted his 26th homer in the second for the first run, and added an RBI single in the third – will likely score the league MVP for his efforts this season.

The 33-year-old only trails in home runs in his quest to win the triple crown.

“We all just came together as a team,” Hara said.

That was not the case for the Swallows, who came back from an early deficit but lost the lead late and saw the game end when Shinichi Tekeuchi wandered off too far from first base [with two outs] only to get picked off by Abe.

DRAGONS 3, TIGERS 2

Tony Blanco saved Chunichi from being no-hit, smacking a seventh-inning homer [his 24th] after Masahiro Araki and Kazuhiro Wada had walked, and the Dragons came from behind to top Hanshin at Koshien Stadium.

BAYSTARS 3, CARP 1

Pinch-hitter Tatsuya Shimozono’s bases-clearing triple in the seventh helped host Yokohama come back to win [and stop a seven-game skid] over fading Hiroshima, which has dropped six straight.

PACIFIC LEAGUE

LIONS 4, FIGHTERS 2

Hideto Asamura homered to open the game for host Seibu and tied the score in the eighth with a clutch single, and Hiroyuki Nakajima slugged a two-run triple that gave the Lions a win over front-running Nippon Ham.

The rally came right after reliever Randy Williams (4-3) did a Houdini act by getting two outs with the bases loaded in the top of the eighth. Starter Ryoma Nogami got nothing for his efforts, but shut the Fighters down over his last 6.1 innings after allowing two first-inning runs.

MARINES 3, BUFFALOES 1

Katsuya Kakunaka and Saburo Omura each knocked in runs in the first, and Ikuhiro Kiyota added an RBI double in the second as Lotte backed Yoshihisa Naruse (12-10) early and the helped the lefty break a personal five-game skid in a victory at The Q.

HAWKS 1, EAGLES 1, 10 INNINGS

Kenta Imamiya’s RBI single in the second got SoftBank even with host Rakuten and neither team could push across another run as the teams played to a stalemate.

]]> https://ameblo.jp/eigodeproyakyu/entry-11360837607.html Sat, 22 Sep 2012 00:05:33 +0900 Makita leads Lions past Hawks

The Seibu Lions had to do more than show their teeth to avoid a sweep in the finale of pivotal three-game set against the SoftBank Eagles on Wednesday.

Second-year submariner Kazuhisa Makita helped them do just that, gritting out a 2-0 win with 7.1 scoreless innings for a win that kept them two games ahead of SoftBank in the Pacific League.

Makita (12-7) scattered seven hits with no walks and a half-dozen Ks, and Hideaki Wakui nailed down his 24th save by recording the final five outs [and giving Lions fans high-blood-pressure symptoms by loading the bases with two outs in the ninth before shutting it down] as Seibu stayed within 2.5 games of front-running Nippon Ham.

Esteban German broke up a scoreless battle with a triple into the right-field corner off Nagisa Arakaki (6-4) that was enough to push slow-running Jose Ortiz around from first. German scored on Masato Kumashiro’s dunker down the left-field line.

The Lions stopped a four-game slide, while the Hawks saw their three-game winning streak snapped.

EAGLES 13, MARINES 2

Akihisa Makida hit his first career grand slam to cap a seven-run first inning, and added a three-run shot in the eighth for a club-record-tying seven-RBI night as host Rakuten enjoyed a laugher at the expense of Lotte at Tokyo Dome.

It was the first two-homer game for Makida, a 12th-year veteran, and Ginji Akaminai had four hits and an RBI, while Ryo Hijirisawa had three hits and drove in a run to lead a 16-hit attack that gave the Eagles double digits in runs for a second consecutive game.

FIGHTERS 4, BUFFLAOES 2

Yoshio Itoi’s RBI single in the third put Nippon Ham up for good, and Atsunori Inaba and Eiichi Koyano capped the three-run rally by driving in a run apiece as the Fighters downed Orix at Sapporo Dome.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

GIANTS 3, DRAGONS 2

Shinnosuke Abe belted his 25th homer with two aboard in the third inning and three relievers fired 3.2 scoreless innings to help Dickey Gonzalez (4-1) beat Chunichi to put Yomiuri on the brink of its first league title since 2009.

The Giants finished 11-10-3 against the Dragons while reducing their magic number to one. Yomiuri can clinch at home on Friday.

SWALLOWS 3, CARP 1

A funky seventh inning that featured catcher’s interference, a player hit by a pitch in the head – resulting in the ejection of debut starter Shota Nakazaki (0-1) -- a bunt that went for a hit, a single on the only ball hit to the outfield and a groundout to the pitcher doomed host Hiroshima, which suffered a sweep in its showdown for third against Yakult.

Yuhei Takai bounced a soft single through the left side and Hiroyasu Tanaka added an RBI groundout in the two-run seventh, carrying third-place Yakult past Hiroshima for a six-game lead in the race for the final CLCS spot.

The Swallows have won six straight, the Carp have dropped five in a row.

TIGERS 1, BAYSTARS 0

Kentaro Sekimoto drew a bases-loaded walk in the seventh for the game’s only run, and Kazuya Tsutsui picked up his first career save with a perfect ninth as Hanshin blanked Yokohama at Koshien Stadium.

]]> https://ameblo.jp/eigodeproyakyu/entry-11359177328.html Wed, 19 Sep 2012 23:11:57 +0900