Swallows of the Week

Week 3

Last week’s vote saw the strong performances by Hiroyasu Tanaka (2B), Lastings Milledge (LF), Katsuki Akagawa (P), and Kyohei Muranaka (P).

28 people cast their vote this week, and here’s what they decided:

Player	Votes	%
Hiroyasu Tanaka	19	68
Lastings Milledge	6	21
Katsuki Akagawa	2	7
Kyohei Muranaka	1	4

Congratulations to Beavis, a very well-liked player in these parts. We’re excited to see him having a chance to swing the bat more often this season (now that he’s not on perpetual bunt duty), and we hope to see him lead a threatening top of the order for Tokyo.

Week 4

HR number four (2nd this weekend).

Tokyo played six games this week: one in Kobe, two at Koshien, and a three-game home stand at Jingu against Yomiuri.

The birds were outscored 6-10 in their series against Hanshin, but played decent baseball throughout most of those games. They then returned home for the Tokyo derby and took the series against Yomiuri.

In case you missed them, here are game reports:

April 17th vs Hanshin (Away)
April 18th vs Hanshin (Away)
April 19th vs Hanshin (Away)
April 20th vs Yomiuri (Home)
April 21st vs Yomiuri (Home)
April 22nd vs Yomiuri (Home)

Overall, the birds won four and lost two last week.

And here are the contestants for your week 4 vote:

Katsuki Akagawa (P) – The 21-year-old lefty pitched Tokyo’s first complete game shutout of 2012. In fact, it was the first time that any starter went the full nine, period. In the process, he faced 32 batters and threw 127 pitches (5 H, 6 K, 1 BB). He’s now 2-1 after four starts and leads all Swallows starters with a 0.95 ERA and .210 opposing team batting average.

Wladimir Balentien (P) – Suddenly more focused both in the field and on the basepaths, Coco got on base in all six games last week. He had six hits (two homers), three RBI, and two walks last week. When the Swallows returned to defend Tokyo against the Giants, he was switched up to cleanup in place of the ineffective Hatakeyama, and that’s when both home runs appeared.

Tony Barnette (P) – The week 2 Swallow of the Week was back at it again in week 4. He took the mound in the ninth three times last week, each time to protect a one-run lead. He allowed just one runner last week and converted all three save opportunities. His three strikeout performance on Friday was a clear indication of how well he’s throwing at the moment. His ERA remains at zero, and he has a NPB career-high seven saves which is good enough for second for second in the Central League. He was also ready to go Saturday night when Akagawa was attempting to get through the ninth on his own.

Shingo Kawabata (SS) – Tokyo’s shortstop continues to display some of the gap power that he displayed last season which was highlighted by his bases clearing triple on Saturday. Like Balentien, he had six hits and three RBI last week while mixing in a pair of walks as well. His defense at short was also solid, and he has teamed nicely with Tanaka in turning a number of clutch double plays. He currently leads the team in hits (20) and has done a good job of protecting the cleanup hitter.

Orlando Roman (P) – With a five-man rotation, someone has to pitch twice in the same week. Although the team had been able to avoid doubling any of its starters up earlier in the month, Roman became the workhorse of the week. He pitched six full innings on Tuesday and 5.1 on Sunday. During those eleven and one-third innings he allowed nine hits (two homers) and four earned runs. He worked hard in the rain on Sunday and was awarded with his first NPB win.

OK, Tsubamegun, cast your vote. Click the button for your Swallow of the Week. Please vote only once.

Roster Updates

There were no major roster updates announced by the team last week.

From the Farm

It sounds like Yoshinori’s rehab had another setback and he may not be ready to rejoin the top team until Golden Week or later. Instead, there are rumblings that Shichijo may get promoted to relieve some pressure on the starting rotation. (HT Yakyu Baka)

As for minor league performances, it seems like outfielder Jun Matsui is playing alright. He has appeared in 22 games so far and has a slash line of .345/.371/.452 with a team-leading 29 hits.

None of Tokyo’s minor league starters are exactly tearing it up at the moment, but Chikara Onodera seems to be posting serviceable numbers. Through 12 innings of middle relief, he’s posted a 0.75 ERA.

Tanaka has been clutch protecting the middle of the infield.

Around the Central

Chunichi finished the week with five wins and one loss. They took two of three from Yomiuri at Nagoya Dome and then swept Hiroshima at Mazda Stadium to make it five wins in a row. Chunichi is still in first place.

Yomiuri finished the week 1-5. Sugiuchi helped earn a series-opening win on Tuesday in Nagoya, but the Giants haven’t won since. They wrapped up their week by being swept by the Tokyo Swallows at Jingu. They remain in last place in the CL, half a game behind Yokohama.

Hanshin finished the week 3-3. They took two of three from Tokyo on their home soil but then only won a single game in Yokohama this past weekend. They remain in third place, half a game behind the second place Tokyo Swallows.

Hiroshima finished the week 3-3. With all six games played at home, they swept the Baystars to start the week and then dropped three in a row to the visiting Dragons. They are fourth in the Central, 1.5 games behind third place Hanshin.

Yokohama finished the week 2-4. After getting swept by Hiroshima away, they returned home and took two games from the visiting Tigers. They’re doing just enough to stay out of sixth place at the moment.

The Week Ahead

The birds will host current CL front-runners, Chunichi, on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. All games are scheduled for a 6PM start. Both teams swept their most recent opponents and hope to take advantage of that momentum during the upcoming matchup.

Tokyo has Friday off and will travel to Hiroshima for a three-game set with a 1:30PM first pitch scheduled for Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.

Former Swallows

Norichika Aoki finally got his first major league start and collected his first home run in the process, an inside-the-park round tripper.

He batted second and finished the game 2-4 with six total bases (HR, 2B), two runs scored, and one RBI.

Seth Greisinger has been pitching well for the Chiba Marines. He’s 2-0 through two starts and 15 innings of work. He’s averaging a strikeout per inning, and he has yet to give up an earned run.

Former Tokyo third baseman, Akinori Iwamura, played in his first minor league game on Saturday. It was his first day back in competitive action after hurting his right hamstring more than a month ago.

That’s it for this week’s snapshot. Please excuse me while I start peeling.

Drink up!

Rookie Hiyane is helping to keep things interesting in the team's quest to reconfigure the outfield.

• Tsubamegun got one hell of a shout out from fellow Japanese baseball watcher, NPB Tracker. Thanks, Patrick!
• Tokyo batting coach, Takao Ise, has been selected as one of the six coaches representing the nation as part of this year’s Samurai Japan team. One coach was selected from each of the top three teams in the Central and Pacific Leagues with Fukuoka’ Koji Akiyama taking on the role as manager. Masanori Ishikawa is the only Tokyo player on the team.
• Yoshinori, despite not being able to last an entire season (last season it was a shoulder injury), continues to be pushed hard in spring training. According to Nikkan Sports, he threw 66 pitches during batting practice. This was, of course, after he had already thrown a slightly larger number during his bullpen session. So, what do you think? 15 appearances this season? 16?
• 24-year-old rookie outfielder, Wataru Hiyane, has managed to swipe more bases than games he’s played in so far (six bags in five games).
• Tokyo has practice games in Okinawa against Hanshin on Friday and Tohoku on Saturday. Both games start at 1PM.

Former Tokyo Players

• Norichika Aoki is now taking part in his first pro spring training wearing something other than a Tokyo uniform. He will be competing against Carlos Gomez, Corey Hart, Nyjer Morgan, and possibly Logan Schafer for time in the outfield. Oh, and 2011 National League MVP, Ryan Braun, once he gets done with his suspension for a banned substance. For shits and giggles, check out this video that Nyjer Morgan starred in.
• Ryota Igarashi is hoping to earn a place on Pittsburgh’s roster. To his credit, he’s taking part in spring camp without the help of an interpreter because he says that he wants to communicate directly with his coaches and teammates.
• Former Tokyo Swallow and major leaguer, Akinori Iwamura, who now plays for Tohoku, shaved 10 kilograms from his overweight ass during the off-season. He was apparently using the “okazairu” diet which involves eating a salad before dinner. You might recall that he has been asked  repeatedly to get himself into better shape.

• The Swallows made only their second ever free agency signing (the first being catcher Aikawa), bringing over Atsushi Fujimoto over from Hanshin. Seriously underwhelming news there then. Another light-hitting infielder to go with the collection we already have, but hey, an extra body is welcome I guess. Welcome to Tokyo Atsushi. He will, perhaps fittingly, wear now-retired Tsubamegun hero Shiroishi’s number 10.
• Aaron Guiel was rewarded for his solid 2009 season (.267 avg, 27HR, 80RBI) with a two year contract worth 90 million yen in the first year with incentives. The popular Canadian could earn up to 270 million over the course of his contract. Good business by the Swallows there, and I will be glad to see Aaron back in Tokyo colours in 2010. Incidentally, Guiel has apparently expressed a desire to end his career with the birds. So maybe from this year you’ll actually be able to buy some merchandise with his name on it. No, scratch that, stupid idea.
• No news on the re-signing of infielder Jamie D’Antona, despite noises from the organization that they wanted him back for 2010 and from the man himself indicating he would like to return. Though given Jamie’s treatment at the hands of our esteemed manager at the tail end of last season, I wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t see Jamie back in a Swallows uniform this season. Let’s hope that’s not the case as, my lord, we need him.
• Apparently the Swallows are looking to change Norichika Aoki’s uniform number from the 23 he’s used in his career so far, to the number 1. The same number worn by such past greats as Tsutomu Wakamatsu, Takahiro Ikeyama and erm, Akinori Iwamura. They are looking for him to become the face of the organization (as if he wasn’t already), but was a number change really necessary?
• Salary negotiations are now pretty much done. Expect something on that to hit Tsubamegun in the near future (here are last year‘s).
• Generally not very good pitcher Yuhei Takai is currently trying to convert to an outfielder by swinging the bat hundreds of thousands of times during this offseason. He’ll be using an Ichiro model glove and a Aoki model bat. Hopefully some of the branding will rub off on the lad and he’ll make the grade. Good luck to him.
• Former Tokyo bullpen ace Ryota Igarashi who left the Swallows this offseason to take a shot at the MLB, has signed with the New York Mets. Being somewhat of a Mets fan myself this is indeed good news, but we here at Tsubamegun Towers are putting money down on when we’ll see the headline “IGARASHIT” after Ryota’s first meltdown.

That’s about it for the moment. Expect activity to increase on the site as we approach the pre-season, and please bear with us as we try to get things in order post-site re-jig.

Oh, and a belated Happy New Year to you all out there.

A couple of teams have apparentlyalready shown interest in the hard throwing right-handed pitcher: the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Texas Rangers.

Interestingly, the Pirates just acquired Akinori Iwamura in a straight-up trade with Tampa Bay. Iwamura was traded man-for-man with Jesse Chavez, a decent relief pitcher. The Rays apparently felt that Iwamura, just coming off a season cut short by a knee injury, was going to be too expensive to hold onto for a utility player. The Pirates, meanwhile, desperately need a second baseman (Iwamura played third for the Tokyo Swallows), and a healthy Aki Iwamura can definitely plug that gap for them.

If Igarashi ends up signing with Pittsburgh, then it would be a reunion of sorts for the two former Tokyo players. It would also be the first time that two former Tokyo Swallows players have ended up on the same MLB team.

Iwakuma started for Japan and had a magnificent outing, going 7 and 2/3 innings, giving up two runs off four hits while striking out six. The Koreans started with Bong, who was at the helm for Japan’s two prior defeats against them.

Japan struck first in the top of the 3rd. Nakajima singled before Aoki reached on an error from the Korean second baseman to put men on first and second with no outs. Johjima then hit a groundout to third, and Aoki was forced out at second to put men on the corners with one out.  Ogasawara then singled to right to bring home Nakajima for 1-0 Japan. Next man Uchikawa singled to load the bases before Kurihara hit into a double play to end the inning and a chance of a more generous lead for Japan.

Japan put men on first and second with no outs in the top of the 5th, but couldn’t bring home a run, and Korea would make them pay for not extending the lead in the bottom of the 5th.  Shin-Soo Choo hit a solo homer to dead centre to tie things up at 1-1.

And tied the scores would remain until the top of the 7th inning. First man up Kataoka singled off Korean reliever Hyun Wook Jong (Bong had departed in the 5th after letting Nakajima and Aoki onboard). Kataoka promptly stole second during next man up Ichiro’s at bat, and Suzuki bunt singled himself on to put men on the corners with no outs. Nakajima then singled to leftfield to bring home his Seibu teammate Kataoka and edge Japan ahead 2-1. Aoki then flew out before Johjima hit into a double play as Japan continued to waste chances to take a bigger lead.

But extend the lead they would in the top of the 8th. Ogasawara got one of his trademark flailing strikeouts to start off the inning, then Uchikawa singled. Hyunjin Ryu then took the mound for Korea. DH Inaba, who had come into the game in the 6th for Kurihara, hit a drive down the first base line, the ball appeared to hit the first base bag and ended up in the crowd, and was called a ground-rule double. That put two men in scoring position with one away.  Iwamura then hit a sacrifice fly to leftfield, Uchikawa scored and Japan looked to be home and dry at 3-1.

But the Koreans weren’t done yet, not by a long shot.  In the bottom of the 8th, a Bum Ho Lee double put a man on second with no outs. A groundout then moved him to third before pinch hitter Dae Ho Loo hit a flyball to Aoki in centre and Bum Ho Lee came home to narrow the lead to 3-2. Sugiuchi came in to get the last out of the inning.

Japan left yet another two men on base in the top of the 9th, before the stage was set for Yu Darvish. Japan’s golden boy walked to the mound needing three outs to bring home the Championship for the Japanese. It was meant to be the fairytale ending, only the Koreans had obviously not read the script.

Things started out okay as Keun-Woo Jeong struck out swinging, before things started to stall a touch. Darvish walked Hyun-Soo Kim on four straight fastballs, and then five pitches later had walked Tae Kyun Kim to put men on first and second with only one away. Yu got things back on track with the strikeout of Shin-Soo Choo to put him and Japan one out away from glory. But next man up Bum Ho Lee then smacked the third pitch he saw through the gap into leftfield and the runner came home from second to tie the game at 3-3 with the winning run now at second. Darvish managed to hold himself together though, and struck out Young Min Ko to send the game into extra innings.

At this point, despite being heavily outhit by Japan, the momentum seemed to be with Korea. But the game would take a final twist in the top of the 10th. Yakult closer Lim Chang Yong, started the inning, his second for the evening. First man to the plate Uchikawa singled before Inaba sac-bunted to put the go-ahead run in scoring position with one out on the board.  Iwamura then singled to left to put men on the corners. Kawasaki then pinch hit for Kataoka, and he flied out to short as it looked like Japan would leave yet more men stranded.

But up stepped Ichiro, and despite an indifferent WBC to that point, he came to the plate seeking his fourth hit of the game. And hit he did, hitting a line drive to centre to bring home the two runners (Iwamura from second after he had easily stolen earlier) and put Japan back in front at 5-3.

And so to the bottom of the 10th, where Darvish had a chance to do what he couldn’t manage in the 9th. And despite walking the first man he faced, a strikeout, a flyball to centre followed by the striking out of Keun-Woo Jeong was enough to spark wild scenes of celebration for the Japanese, and glum faces all around for the Koreans. 5-3 Final.

So Japan managed 5 runs off 15 hits, 0 errors and 14 men left on base.

Korea managed 3 runs off their 5 hits, 3 errors and left 5 men on.

Despite the narrow margin of victory, this was a game that Japan should have sunk far earlier than they did as they wasted chance after chance. Johjima was the main culprit, going hitless with a walk and leaving a whopping 11 men stranded. Ogasawara, despite his solitary hit and RBI was also guilty, stranding six himself with three of his trademark strikeouts. Ichiro had a four for six night, with the key hit of the game.

Well done team Japan on a magnificent performance and WBC as a whole. Some thoughts:

Ichiro: Indifferent. Blew hot and cold throughout the tournament. But it’s the clutch 2RBI WBC winning hit for which he’ll be remembered so that’s by the by.

Aoki: Featured less offensively in the final two games but has firmly established himself as NPB’s premier position player, along with Nakajima who was also magnificent. Those two will be in MLB before too long, of that there is no doubt.

Matsuzaka: What more needs to be said about this man. Was named the 2009 WBC MVP to go alongside the award he won in 2006.

Iwakuma: NPB’s premier starter, no question. Darvish take note: watch some tapes of Iwakuma’s last two starts of the WBC, and that’s what a top pitcher looks like. Able to perform under pressure on the big stage. Yu has some ways to go in that regard I feel.

Johjima: Signs of improvement over last year’s poor showing in Seattle with the bat, despite today’s woes. Added invaluable experience and nous behind the plate for team Japan though. Key player.

Ogasawara: He’s a chump but he did OKish in the end. Not convinced that he couldn’t have been replaced by any one of a number of players and the results would have been the same if not better though.

Uchikawa: Should have been used more regularly by Hara. Proved that last year’s monster year was no flash in the pan.

Sugiuchi: The SoftBank man was the key player out of the bullpen. 6 and 1/3 innings of no hit baseball. I need say no more.

Iwamura: Respectable performance with the bat, and a valuable experienced hand to have in the infield and on the team in general.

Fukudome: Unremarkable in every way, and tellingly didn’t feature at all in the final.

Inaba: Pretty good with the bat, but he’s not a cleanup man. At least not in a team with as much talent as this one.

Murata: Seemed a big loss when he limped off versus Korea in the Pool 1 seeding game, but Japan coped well without him. Proved he’s more than just a chubby slugger, hitting for good average and bringing home a lot of runs.

Tatsunori Hara: I’m torn. He did what he was hired to do and did the job no-one else (save Bobby V) wanted by bringing home the Championship. But as with Yomiuri, I can’t help feeling his teams win despite of him and not because of him. But fair play, he brought it home. He is now downgraded from a complete fuckwit to a mere chump in my eyes. At least until the NPB season starts when he’ll level back up to a fucking stupid dipshit (apologies for the language, sincerely).

Anyway, it’s over. What a tournament, and what an amazing final. Feel free to discuss WBC 2009 below and thanks, as always, for reading.

Daisuke Matsuzaka started this one for Japan, and while not at his best, did enough to take his record in WBC play to 6-0 in his six career starts. Daisuke threw 98 pitches, two off the limit for the final set of games, going 4 and 2/3 innings of five hit two run baseball with four strikeouts and three walks.

The USA opened up the scoring in the top of the 1st, as first man to the plate, second baseman Brian Roberts blasted a leadoff shot over the centrefield wall to make it 0-1 USA.

Japan tied things up in the bottom of the 2nd. DH and cleanup Atsunori Inaba worked a walk to occupy first with no outs. Ogasawara then singled to left with Inaba hustling to third to put men on the corners with none away.  After Fukudome flew out too shallow to score Inaba, next man up Johjima got the job done properly with a deep sac-fly to right, which allowed the run to come home for 1-1.

But the USA would edge their noses ahead again in the top of the 3rd inning. Jimmy Rollins hit a two out single and then promptly stole second to put a man in scoring position. David Wright then worked the count full, before hitting a double to score Rollins and it was 1-2 USA.

But in the bottom of the 4th Japan blew the game wide open.  Consecutive singles from Inaba and Ogasawara off USA starter Roy Oswalt put men on first and second with no outs. Fukudome then hit a ball between first and second that had double play written all over it, but second baseman Roberts made a hash of it (ruled an error), allowing Inaba to score for 2-2 and Ogasawara to reach third.  Johjima then hit his second sac-fly of the game to put Japan ahead 3-2 with one out. Next man up Akinori Iwamura hit a triple to score Fukudome and make it 4-2 Japan. But Japan’s batters weren’t quite done with Oswalt yet. Third baseman Kawasaki, in for the injured Murata, singled to bring home Iwamura for 5-2 Japan.  After Ichiro grounded out, moving Kawasaki along, shortstop Nakajima hit a double to bring him home and top off the scoring for the inning at 6-2 Japan.

That was the end of Oswalt’s game, and it should probably have been over much sooner as he’d pretty much completely lost the strike zone in the 4th inning, allowing Japan to dine-out at his expense.

After the departure of Matsuzaka, Sugiuchi (1 and 1/3 inning) and Tanaka (1 inning) kept the score at 6-2 before Mahara took the mound in the top of the 8th, and the American’s threatened to get back in the game.

Ryan Braun hit a one out double to leftfield, before Brian McCann earned a walk to put men on first and second. Mark DeRossa then hit another double to left, allowing Braun to score, and McCann to follow him home following an error from Aoki. Norichika lost the ball in the corner of the Dodger Stadium outfield, and also had to contend with a stadium staff and his chair, as the USA narrowed the deficit to 6-4.

But that was as close as they would get, as Japan pulled away in the bottom of the same inning. Fukudome earned a leadoff walk and was replaced with pinch-runner Kataoka. Johjima then layed down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move Kataoka to second with one out. Kataoka would make it to third on a groundout from Iwamura. Kawasaki then hit one to shortstop Derek Jeter, but the Yankee overcooked his throw to first. Kataoka was home, Kawasaki was safe, Jeter had himself an error and most importantly it was 7-4 Japan with two outs.

More misery was to come for the USA though. Ichiro came to bat, Kawasaki stole second, then Japan’s favourite Baseball Son got his nightly “rise from your grave” hit, singling to score Kawasaki for 8-4. Nakajima then wrapped up the scoring for the game, hitting a double which, due to some extremely lackadaisical fielding from rightfielder Dunn, allowed Ichiro to power home from first. 9-4 Japan.

Rather surprisingly, in came Darvish to pitch the top of the 9th, and despite giving up a hit to the always dangerous Rollins, he got his three outs and it was 9-4 Final.

So Japan managed 9 runs off 10 hits, 1 error and 6 men left on base.

The USA managed 4 runs off their 9 hits, 3 errors and left 10 men on.

The man brought over to replace Murata, Hiroshima Carp Kenta Kurihara, made an appearance in the 7th inning, pinch hitting for DH Inaba. He struck out.

Aoki was hitless for the game with an error. Nakajima, Ogasawara and Kawasaki all had two hit games, the latter reminding manager Hara why he perhaps should have been in the starting lineup sooner.

And so it’s “Japan vs Korea V” in the 2009 Final. Japan will start with the classy right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma who has an 0.73 ERA in his 12 and 1/3 innings in the 2009 Classic thus far. Korea will counter with their “Japan-Killer”, Jung Keun Bong, who can boast a 0.66 ERA in his 13 and 2/3 innings work so far. Ominously for Japan, his two victories have both come against them.

It is a mouthwatering prospect to say the least, and should be quite a game. Whatever the result, Asian baseball can be very proud of it’s progress on the world stage in 2009.

Given that both teams were going to the semi-finals in Los Angeles regardless of today’s result, Japanese manager Hara chose to shuffle his lineup for the game. Jojima started as DH batting 4th, Uchikawa was out in leftfield and batting 5th, Murata was at first and batted 6th, Abe came in to catch and Kataoka played third.

Utsumi started the game for Japan, and allowed Korea to take the lead in the bottom of the 1st, giving up two hits to give the Koreans a 0-1 lead. A double play allowed him to escape the inning without any further damage being inflicted.

But Japan would tie it up in the top of the 2nd. Second man up Uchikawa belted one deep over the fence in leftfield for a solo shot to make it 1-1 with one out on the board. Murata then singled to centre but advanced to second on a fielding error from the Korean centre fielder. Iwamura then hit a ground ball to short, but was safe at first due to a throwing error from short stop Choi, which also allowed Murata to advance to third to put men on the corners. Abe then struck out swinging before Kataoka hit a bloop single to right which allowed Murata to score and make it 2-1 Japan.

Utsumi plonked Yong-Kyu Lee in the head with one out in the bottom of the 3rd, and was gone one out later, replaced by Komatsu. The Orix man pitched a hitless 2 2/3 innings, striking out five before being replaced by Tanaka in the 6th.

And Tanaka would be the man to give up the tying run in the bottom of the 7th. A solo blast over the head of centre fielder Aoki and the outfield wall by the wonderfully named Korean Bum-Ho Lee tied things back up again at 2-2.

But Japan didn’t take long to reclaim the lead, and this time for good. An excellent bunt from Aoki got him an infield single to kick off the 8th. Inaba, pinch hitting for Jojima then stroked one to right to put men on the corners with no outs. Ogasawara then pinch hit for Uchikawa and promptly singled to right himself to bring home Aoki to make it 3-2 with men on first and second.  Kamei then layed down a sac-bunt to move the runners along for the first out. Next man up Iwamura singled to centre to bring Inaba home, and a fielding error from the Korean centre fielder allowed Ogasawara to make it home as well to extend the lead to 5-2 Japan.

Yamaguchi, Wakui and Mahara then all combined out of the bullpen to keep the Koreans hitless through the end of the 8th inning before Japan added an insurance run in the top of the 9th.

Ichiro got his first hit of the game, a double, with no outs on the board. After Nakajima moved Ichiro to third on a sac-bunt, Aoki poked one through the middle to bring him home and the score was 6-2 Japan.

In came ace closer Fujikawa who got the job done in the bottom of the 9th and that was the game.

So Japan managed 6 runs off 15 hits, 3 errors and 8 men left on base.

Korea managed 2 runs off their 6 hits, 3 errors and left 6 men on.

Korea’s three errors were one more than they had committed in the whole of the WBC to date.

The only cloud on an otherwise bright day for Japan was the injury to slugger Murata. The Baystars man pulled up with what looked like hamstring trouble after hitting his second single of the day and had to leave the game. Hopefully it isn’t too serious but it would appear that his participation in the 2009 WBC is over. A shame if true as he’s been excellent thus far and shall be sorely missed.

This result meant the two teams’ records are both 5-2 for the tournament as a whole, and 2-2 against each other in 2009.

Both teams now head to Dodgers Stadium, with Korea taking on Venezuela on Saturday before Japan tackle the USA on Sunday.

Japan rode to victory three days earlier on the back of six innings of five hit ball from starter Matsuzaka. After Darvish’s early troubles cost the Japanese dear on Tuesday, it was Iwakuma’s turn to step up to the mound with his nation’s status as WBC champs on the line.

And, what do you know, he was up to the task, matching Daisuke’s six inning and five hit shutout performance. Though Iwakuma’s performance wasn’t quite as sparkling as Matsuzaka’s, with two strikeouts (to Daisuke’s 8 ) and a solitary walk, it was exactly the performance Japan needed to get their WBC campaign back on track. Sugiuchi then came out of the bullpen to pitch three hitless innings and they had themselves a second consecutive shutout over the normally formidable Cubans.

Japan pulled in front in the top of the 4th off Cuban starter Maya. Aoki hit a one out single, followed by a double from Inaba to put men on second and third.  Murata then flew out to centre, but too shallow to score Aoki for the second out.  A huge slice of luck would then turn the game in their favour. Ogasawara came to the plate and hit a deep fly ball to centre.  Center fielder Cespedes, running back reached up with one hand to catch the ball but it bounced off his glove and rolled toward the outfield wall. Aoki and Inaba both scored on the error (both unearned) and Japan had themselves a 2-0 lead.

You could sense the atmosphere on the previously tense looking Japanese bench was revitalised from that point on.

And so it proved as they extended their lead in the next inning. Iwamura walked to open the 5th. Ichiro then popped up a bunt for the first out before Nakajima walked to put men on first and second. Aoki then singled through the middle allowing Iwamura home to put Japan 3-0 up.

Another run came in the 7th. Iwamura walked again before Ichiro singled to put men on first and third with no outs.  Nakajima then hit a sac-fly to left, Iwamura came home and it was 4-0 Japan.

And they wrapped up the scoring in the 9th, with Ichiro hitting a one out triple, Nakajima being hit by a pitch, and Aoki singling to bring home Ichiro for a 5-0 final.

So Japan managed 5 runs off 8 hits, 0 errors and 9 men left on base.

Cuba managed 0 runs off their 5 hits, 1 error and left 6 men on.

Other points of note:

Aoki is a god. The man was (aside from Iwakuma) easily the player of the game, batting 4 for 5 with 2 RBIs and a run. Unfortunately his continued excellence in the WBC means we’ll likely see him leave Tokyo quicker, so….shit what am I saying….!!? He had a mare.

Ichiro woke up with two hits, one of which was a trademark triple. When Ichiro hits, it seems to energise the team and Japan seems to win. Hopefully he’ll continue in the same vein from now on.

Iwamura also woke up, having a 2 for 2 night with two walks and two runs, while Jojima went hitless after his escapades of the previous day.

Murata had a hitless evening too after being moved from 4th to 5th in the lineup. Inaba was in the cleanup spot and had a 1 for 5 night with a run.

This was the first time since 1951 Cuba didn’t make the finals of one of the major international competitions. It seems of late, the Japanese have had the Cubans’ number, much like the Koreans seems to have theirs.

So it’s on to Japan vs Korea IV tomorrow. The loser will play Venezuela in the first semi-final at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, while the winner will face-off against the USA in the other semi on Sunday.

But Darvish calmed down after that. He started locating his slider a little bit better in the second and he struck out all three batters he faced. He also looked to be in very good control during the third and fourth innings where he was able to get four infield ground outs, an infield pop fly and a strikeout. He also recorded one strikeout and gave up only one hit during those two innings.

In the fifth he retired all three batters he faced including two guys striking out swinging. His last pitch of the game was a 94 mph heater. The Yu Darvish that left the game at the end of the fifth was a very different pitcher from the one that limped to the bench after the first.

Team Japan got a run in the top of the fifth when Ichiro managed to bring Fukudome in from third on yet another force out (Iwamura thrown out at second). 3-1 Korea.

Then the pitching changes started, and the game slowed way down. The only thing of  note to occur over the next two innings was that Johjima was ejected from the game for leaving his bat in the box in protest of a called third strike that he disagreed with. This meant that  Ishihara had to come in and catch, so only Abe was left in the bullpen. That, of course, made things more challenging for Japan’s manager, Hara, as there was no element of surprise involved with who would be the next pitcher coming out of Japan’s bullpen.

Then things fell apart a little bit more. Korea loaded the bases in the bottom of the eigth with the help of three walks–two by Wakui (the second intentional) and then one by his replacement, Iwata. Iwata then got two quick strikes on the next batter but ended up giving him a free pass to first in the end which resulted in an insurance run crossing the plate. 4-1 Korea.

In the top of the ninth, Japan’s last chance, Inaba got things started with a single up the middle, and Fukudome managed to move him over to second, but that was as far as things got. Tokyo Swallows closer, Chang-yong Lim, came in to button things up for team Korea. He got Abe (Japan’s third catcher of the night to make it into the lineup) to fly out harmlessly to left before Iwamura was called out on a check-swing third strike.

Final score: Korea 4-1 Japan.

Observations:

Korea’s first baseman, Tae-kyun Kim, has a good glove. He made three great plays at first. Nothing got by him in this game.

Darvish looked like his old self by the end of the fifth. His slider was nasty at that point, and he was flirting with both sides of the plate with a lot more confidence. Mixing in the curve ball was also a nice touch.

Ichiro still doesn’t have a hit in the second round of this tournament.

The victory was based around strong pitching, with a majestic start from Daisuke Matsuzaka. The Japanese ace pitched 6 innings of five hit ball, striking out eight and walking none. Iwakuma, Mahara and Fujikawa pitched an inning each in relief to shut out the Cuban bats that had been so frightening in the previous round.

Hara made a couple of changes to the batting lineup, Kataoka replacing his Seibu teamate Nakajima at short, Ogasawara was the DH while Uchikawa started at first.  

Young pitching phenom Chapman started for the Cubans, a man who can throw a plus 100mph heater one pitch and follow it up with a sub 80mph breaking ball the next.  Chapman was not on his greatest form Sunday though, walking Ogasawara and Uchikawa in the 2nd, but escaped as he picked off the daydreaming Ogasawara at first followed by Uchikawa trying to steal second.

Japan got on the board in the top of the 3rd. Jojima hit a single to centre to lead off the inning. Iwamura singled to put men on first and second. Ichiro then layed down one of his trademark bunts, but Jojima’s lack of speed meant he was thrown out at third, to leave two men on with one out.

Kataoka then singled to load the bases, which was the last action Chapman saw as Cuba went to the bullpen. The new pitcher Gonzalez promptly threw two strikes past Aoki before a wild pitch allowed Iwamura to score from third and the runners to advance to make it 1-0 Japan. Aoki then blooped a single to right which allowed another run to score and it was 2-0. Next man Murata hit a sacrifice fily to right to allow Kataoka to score to make it 3-0 Japan.

The bottom of the 3rd saw the sun come into play, as Ichiro droped a Paret fly ball in foul territory for a rare error, followed by Jojima dropping one behind the plate for a second error. Matsuzaka then took matters into his own hands and struck out Paret looking to let his two teammates off the hook.

Japan added on a run in the 4th. The bright conditions came into play again as a Jojima fly ball to right was lost in the sun by the Cuban fightfielder Despaigne and Jojima was able to reach second. Iwamura then singled before Ichiro brought home Jojima for 4-0.

And another came in the 5th. Murata was hit by a pitch to put him on first with one out. Ogasawara hit a line drive to right, with Murata hustling on the basepaths to put men on first and third. Uchikawa then poked one through the middle to score his Yokohama teammate and extend the lead to 5-0.

Japan’s final run would come in the top of the 9th. Kawasaki, pinch hitting for Kataoka, singled before Aoki sac-bunted to move him to second with one out. Next man Murata then singled to score Kawasaka to bring the scoring to a close at 6-0.

So Japan managed 6 runs off 12 hits, 2 errors and 9 men left on base.

Cuba managed 0 runs off their 8 hits, 0 errors and left 6 men on.

Other points of note in the game:

Iwamura, who struggled in the Tokyo round, went 2 for 3 with a run and a walk, to add valuable production from the bottom of the order.

Ogasawara, while getting himself two hits still showed his chump-like tendencies by allowing himself to be picked off at first in the 2nd. Also, while on second base in the 5th, with Uchikawa on first and Fukudome at the plate, a wild pitch that should have allowed the runners to advance almost saw Uchikawa thrown out retreating to first. Ogasawara was seemingly daydreaming again and moved not a jot, as Uchikawa made the jump toward second. Sure, Uchikawa should have followed the lead (or lack of it) of the man at second, but it was an opportunity lost because of Ogasawara’s sloth-like reactions.  Fukudome eventually singled but that would only move the Yomiuri man to third, which is as far as he advanced that inning.

Jojima seems to have brought his good form from the last round with him as he went 2 for 4 with a run. Good news for fans of both Japan and the Mariners.

I opted to avoid the endless commercials by watching the game on Satellite TV instead of Japanese terrestrial coverage. MLB international supplied the footage and English commentary to boot. Aside from the continual botched pronnunciations (Norichika AYoki anyone?), it was interesting to note that whenever stats were listed on the screen for the Japanese, the Japanese league recieved a name change from NPB to NBL. I didn’t realise that I’d been watching the Nippon Baseball League all these years! Come on MLB, is it too hard to employ someone to make sure you get the simplest of things (such as the name of the Japanese equivalent of the MLB) right?

So Japan now get a day off to watch Cuba play the loser of the Mexico-Korea matchup, and they will play the winner of said game on Tuesday evening for a place in the semi-finals.