4/7/10 – Hiroshima (Home)

April 7th, 2010

Hiroshima Toyo Carp 1

Tokyo Yakult Swallows 7

Streak: Won 1   Last 5: WWLLW

(Meiji Jingu Stadium)

This game was all about Jamie D’Antona racking up RBIs. But before I get to that, let me give you tonight’s lineup:

1. Fukuchi LF

D'Antona went 4-4 tonite with 6 rbi's.

2. Tanaka 2B
3. Aoki CF
4. D’Antona 1B
5. Guiel RF
6. Hatakeyama 3B
7. Araki SS
8. Kawamoto C
9. Tateyama P

As you can plainly see, a couple of big changes were made to the lineup that started last night’s loss to Hiroshima, the Carp’s second win of the season.

Hatakeyama started in place of the not-very-hot-at-the-moment Miyamoto, and Araki got another start at short with lefty Saito on the mound for the visitors.

But sorry, I’m getting off topic here.

Jamie. D’Antona.  Owned. This. Game.

His dominance went a little something like this:

1st inning – with Tanaka and Aoki reaching on consecutive singles, D’Antona brings Tanaka around for the game’s first run on a single to center. 1-0 Tokyo.

6th inning – Iihara, in his second at-bat as a sub for the injured Fukuchi, draws a two out walk before Tanaka comes through with his second single of the game. Aoki also draws a walk to load the bases for D’Antona. Hiroshima manager, Nomura, decides that he better work the averages and brings in a righty, Umetsu, to face Jamie with the bases juiced. Not long after that, D’Antona parks one in the bleachers in right. Grand slam. 6-1 Tokyo.

8th inning – another bases loaded situation (Iihara single, Tanaka HBP, Aoki BB), this time with no outs, and D’Antona delivers again. This time it’s by way of a sacrifice fly to center, and Iihara scores from third. 7-1 final.

Tateyama and D'Antona share "hero" duty.

In short, D’Antona was responsible for all six of Tokyo’s RBIs (one run was also scored in the fifth, but no RBI was involved) and I didn’t even mention the singles he had in the third and fifth innings. D’Antona went 4-4 on the evening.

It should also be mentioned that Tateyama had a much more praise-worthy start today than he had when collected that win last week. He lasted eight innings (129 pitches), gave up six hits, struck out eight, walked two (plus two wild pitches due to the rain), and gave up one unearned run. His record now stands at 2-0, and his ERA shrank to 2.81.

Takagi (0.00) pitched the ninth and got out of the inning on only seven pitches.

Game three is scheduled for tomorrow night – same time, same place.

Random notes:

The birds outhit the fish 12-6 in this contest.

Tokyo drew eight walks and one beanball off of Hiroshima’s three pitchers while Tateyama gave up two walks in return.

Aoki went 1-2, but he reached base three extra times via walks.

Iihara, Tanaka, Hatakeyama, and Kawamoto all reached base at least twice in this game. Tanaka actually got on base four times.