Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters 7

Saitama Seibu Lions 4

(Seibu Dome)

Hokkaido starter, Masaru Takeda, pitched five innings (four of them remarkably strong), and that was enough cover for the Fighters to build up a 5-0 lead.

In fact, those first four innings were truly dominant. It was the fifth that was a little bit rocky.

Takeda gave up two runs in the fifth, one of them earned, off of three hits and a little bit of craziness. He earned the win despite the two runs scored in that frame (1.80 ERA, 3 K’s, 1 BB).

Saitama only managed seven hits during this contest with outfielders Kuriyama and Akada being the only hitters to reach base more than once.

The home team’s pitching, headed by Kazuyuki Hoashi, got off to a rough start with a four-run third. Hoashi (7.20) gave up five runs, four of them earned, off of five hits while recording five strikeouts and no walks.

The Hokkaido managed the enviable feat of plating at least one run every time someone got on base during this game. They only had nine hits, but most of them were clumped together. Terrmel Sledge had another home run for Hokkaido (three runs scored), and second baseman, Tanaka, also came through with a pair of rbi’s.

The series is now tied at 2-2.

Game five of this best-of-seven series is on Tuesday, and the first pitch is scheduled for 6:15 PM. This one, like all the others, is to be played at Seibu Dome.

Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters 3

Saitama Seibu Lions 10

(Oomiya Prefectural Stadium)

Half of Hokkaido’s hits were delivered by only two guys, and starter Ryan Glynn got roughed up early by an all-out Lions assault, as the home team stomped all over the visitors to make this series 2-0.*

Glynn (10 hits, 1 K, 3 BB’s) lasted four hits into the fourth inning (without getting an out) while giving up 10 earned runs. Yup, your math is correct. His playoff ERA is now 30.00. And I must say…that’s some pretty impressive patience displayed by Hokkaido manager, Nashida. Glynn was allowed to face the entire lineup in the third inning and gave up five runs during that frame before taking the mound again in the fourth.

Glynn’s counterpart, Hideaki Wakui (1.50), fared much better. He gave up one run off eight hits and had eight strikeouts and one walk.

In stark contrast to the Hokkaido offense (Tanaka and Sledge accounted for five of the team’s 10 hits), every guy in the Saitama lineup except for their number nine guy (Hiram Bocachica) had at least one hit. In fact, of the three guys that got on base only once (via a solid connection of lumber and baseball), two of them had triples and the other guy a double. Three guys reached base twice, outfielder Satou got on three times, and both first baseman Ishii and shortstop Nakajima got on base four times apiece. Nakajima had two home runs and two singles (three rbi’s) and Ishii had a walk, two singles and a double. Gotou, the DH, also chipped in with a three-run homer.

Hokkaido first baseman, Terrmel Sledge, brought in all three of Hokkaido’s runs.

Game three, like all of the remaining games in this series, will be at Seibu Dome. First pitch is scheduled for 2 PM.

* Stage two of the Climax Series in both leagues affords the league champion a one game lead from the outset of the series. Therefore the Saitama Seibu Lions entered tonight’s game with a 1-0 advantage in the series even though the two teams hadn’t yet played. It’s a seven-game series, but the maximum number of games that will actually be played is six.