3/29/09 — Saitama (away)
March 29th, 2009
Tokyo Yakult Swallows 6
Saitama Seibu Lions 9
Streak: Lost 1 Last 5: WWWWL
(Seibu Dome)
Saitama scored six runs off of seven hits in the bottom of the third to build a lead that they would not relinquish. Tokyo starter Hye-cheon Lee would leave the game after that inning having given up seven runs (all earned).
Saitama had Nakajima and Kataoka, fresh off of WBC duty, back in the lineup today, and they both hit well. Nakajima went 2-4 with a home run, and Kataoka went 3-4 on the afternoon.
While Aoki was not in the lineup again today, Chang-yong Lim and Yasuhiro Ichiba, the latter acquired in the Miyade trade earlier this month, made appearances in the closing stages of this game. Ichiba worked a scoreless seventh and Lim retired all three batters he faced in the eighth.
Replacing Lee on the mound in the fourth inning was Hagiwara. He gave up a hit but got out of the inning unscathed.
Takai worked the fifth, and he had another rough outing. He gave up a two-run blast to Akada and saw hit pre-season ERA get reinforced at 10.61.
Maruyama pitched the sixth and gave up a hit but no runs crossed home plate.
On offense, Takeuchi had a three-run homer in the third while going 1-5 at the plate.
Fukuchi reached base three times (2B, BB, 1B), and Keizo Kawashima got on base four times (1B, BB, 1B, 2B). He punctuated his afternoon with a two-run double in the eighth that helped make the final scoreline somewhat respectable for Tokyo.
Tokyo’s spring training schedule may have ended on a sour note, but the team’s pre-season record was 12-7-1. It’s not an accurate gauge of things to come, but one can always hope.
The regular season (click here for the schedule) begins for the Tokyo Swallows at Kyocera Dome (April 3-5) where they will be hosted by 2008 Climax Series qualifying Hanshin Tigers. The Swallows’ first home series is April 7-9 when the 2007 NPB Japan Series champion Chunichi Dragons are in town.
