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10/12/08 – Pacific League Climax Series – 1st Stage – Orix vs. Hokkaido

October 12, 2008 By Leave a Comment

October 12th, 2008

Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters 7
Orix Buffaloes 2

(Kyocera Dome)

Third-place Hokkaido advanced to the second stage of the Pacific League Climax Series with a big, series-clinching win over second place Orix. They will now face Pacific League champions, the Saitama Seibu Lions, in a five six game, best-of-”seven” series (Saitama starts with a one-game advantage) that will decide who heads to the Japan Series to square off against the winner from the Central League.

Former Tokyo Swallows starter, Shugo Fujii, started and pitched well for the Fighters. He allowed only five batters to reach base (three hits, two walks) in a little over six innings and gave up one earned run. His playoff ERA now stands at 1.50.

Tsuboi carried the offense for Hokkaido by going 4-4 with one rbi. Second baseman, Tanaka, had three hits, and Jason Botts went 2-3 with a two-run home run in the seventh.

Satoshi Komatsu (3.00 playoff ERA) started for Orix and gave up three runs (two earned) in six innings of work.

Alex Cabrera and Tuffy Rhodes had an rbi each in this game.

Hokkaido swept the series 2-0.

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About Christopher Pellegrini

Christopher is a budding sabermetrician and long-time supporter of Tokyo's more lovable team, the Swallows. He has publicly volunteered, several times, that he plans to buy the team at some point in the future. When he finally runs the joint, it is likely that he will fine any player who swings at the first pitch or sac bunts (unless it's a pitcher, of course). Follow him on Twitter: @chrispellegrini

  • http://www.transpacificradio.com/ Garrett DeOrio

    With my hopes of seeing an Orix championship now ended, I suppose I’m now backing Hokkaido. Part of that is sour grapes – I don’t want to see any of Tokyo’s rivals get that satisfaction, and I have an old Nippon Ham away jersey from the Tokyo days.

    When I first moved to Tokyo and, pretty much arbitrarily, picked a team to support, that team was Nippon Ham. By the end of that season, my support for the Fighters had been transferred almost entirely to Yakult, but I still have a bit of a soft spot for the team. Considering how sorry and unloved they were in Tokyo, I’m glad to see them doing well in Hokkaido.

  • http://jhockey.wordpress.com/ simoncurrie

    Go Lions!

    It’s actually a 6 game series, with Seibu given a 1 game advantage. The first team to “win” 4 games advances to the Japan Series.

    Lions are in an unenviable position of having to face Darvish twice due to the gap in scheduling between 1st and 2nd rounds.

  • http://www.transpacificradio.com/ Garrett DeOrio

    Absolutely right. Thanks, Simon. The mistake has been corrected.