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Open and shut: March 3, 2020 – Sarfate returns to Fukuoka mound

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Dennis Sarfate returned to the mound in Fukuoka on Tuesday for the first time in nearly two years. In one of five preseason games (“Open sen” in Japanese) played Tuesday — all behind closed doors — the Hawks took on the Yakult Swallows in an interesting contest.

Here are the game highlights, courtesy of PL TV.

As he has in the videos he’s been posting to social media that past year or so, Sarfate looked comfortable throwing although was nowhere near regular season velocity, touching 143 kilometers per hour compared to his average fastball velocity in 2017 of 153.3. He allowed a single and got two flyouts.

Rick van den Hurk threw 3-2/3 innings for the Hawks, and looked ready for Opening Day, with his fastball touching 150 kph, and good command of all his pitches. Van den Hurk pitched in just three games last year during the regular season.

Swallows starter Hirotoshi Takanashi also looked ready for Opening Day with generally good movement and command of his fastball. Although he was a little inconsistent and a little lucky, he threw five solid innings.

Peoples makes spring debut

New import Michael Peoples made his preseason debut with the DeNA BayStars, allowing three runs over three innings in which he gave up a home run, walked a batter and hit a batter against the Rakuten Eagles in Shizuoka.

Tyler Austin resumed his hit parade with a double and a single in three at-bats, raising his spring exhibition average to .615 with three homers and three triples in 15 plate appearances. The Eagles’ Jabari Blash hit his second homer of the spring.

Lions’ Takahashi goes 5 strong

Kona Takhashi, who for an instant had been in the running to start the Seibu Lions’ opener according to manager Hajime Tsuji, struck out six over five scoreless innings against the Chunichi Dragons.

Daisuke Yamai, who at the age of 41 is trying to secure some starts this season, showed he has more work to do. He walked three while allowing four runs over two innings of relief.

Baseball, News, Paid Content

Carp cast off Batista after doping ban

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The Hiroshima Carp voided their contract with Xavier Batista on Monday, the day the slugger’s six-month suspension for doping ended, the Central League club announced.

His English language NPB is HERE.

Batista tested positive for clomiphene, a non-steroidal fertility medicine for women that is classified by the World Anti-Doping Agency as an “S4” violation, involving hormone or metabolic modulators. Clomiphene can be used to suppress the side effects of anabolic steroids.

According to the Nikkan Sports, Hiroshima’s director of baseball operations, Kiyoaki Suzuki, said, “I’ve decided to terminate the contract. We’ve been investigating this since the start, but in the end we were unable to determine the cause (for the test result).”

For five seasons, Batista toiled in the low minors for the Chicago Cubs. After he was released a friend suggested he look into the Carp’s Dominican Academy. Batista was the first product of the club’s successful new program of giving guys second chances after they failed in the U.S. minors.

After he and Alejandro Mejia tore up Western League pitching in the spring of 2017 on developmental contracts, they were signed to standard NPB contracts and signed six-year deals with Hiroshima.

Although the Carp reserved him, Batista was conspicuously absent from Hiroshima’s spring training camp and did not appear when on the club’s 2020 roster that appeared on NPB’s website.