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NPB games, news of Aug. 11, 2019

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The Nippon Ham Fighters entered Sunday’s game trailing the SoftBank Hawks by 4-1/2 games, having been in second place since July 7 with the Seibu Lions hard on their heels a half-game further back…

As a result of a narrow loss to the Hawks and a come-from-behind win by Seibu in Sendai, the FIghters fell out of second place for the first time in over a month.

Pacific League

Hawks 2, Fighters 0

At Yafuoku Dome, Nippon Ham stranded 12 runners, three each in the third and fourth innings against Cuban lefty Ariel Miranda (6-3), and SoftBank snuck two runs across in the fifth inning against Bryan Rodriguez (6-3).

“If your pitchers don’t give up any runs, you’re going to win games,” Hawks manager Kimiyasu Kudo said.

Game highlights are HERE.

Lions 4, Marines 2

At Zozo Marine Stadium, Seibu’s 35-year-old Takumi Kuriyama broke a 2-2, eighth-inning tie with a two-run home run, the 100th of his career, in a come-from-behind win over Lotte that propelled the Lions into second place, five games back of the Hawks.

The veteran pumped his fist uncharacteristically upon giving his team the lead.

“It’s all about the situation, you know. I got excited,” he said.

Game highlights are HERE.

Eagles 8, Buffaloes 2

At Rakuten Seimei Park, Rakuten shortstop Eigoro Mogi delivered the big blow, a sixth-inning grand slam, moments after Orix’s Stefen Romero hit a two-run homer to tie it in Sendai.

Game highlights are HERE.

Central League

Giants 7, Swallows 1

At Tokyo Dome, Yomiuri won a duel of left-handed starting pitchers named “Takahashi,” as Yuki (4-4) beat Yakult rookie southpaw Keiji (4-4) with the help of two home runs and four RBIs from Alex Guerrero.

Yuki, who last won three months earlier, struck out nine while allowing a run over six innings.

New Giant and two-time reigning CL MVP, Yoshihiro Maru, reached 20 home runs in a season for the fourth-straight year.

Game highlights are HERE.

Dragons 10, BayStars 7

At Yokohama Stadium, Nobumasa Fukuda broke a 5-5, sixth-inning tie with a grand slam as Chunichi overcame a 5-1 deficit to avoid being swept by DeNA.

The BayStars came from behind in the second inning to give lefty Shota Imanaga a commanding lead on a two-out Masayuki Kuwahara two-run single and a three-run homer from Yoshitomo Tsutsugo. But Imanaga left after throwing 82 pitches through five innings, and the bullpen collapsed behind him.

Game highlights are HERE.

Tigers 6, Carp 5

At Kyocera Dome, Hanshin came back against the Hiroshima bullpen in the late innings for the second-straight night.

Jefry Marte and Yangervis Solarte set the table with no-out singles in the eighth against Takeru Imamura. Yusuke Oyama, who hit the three-run, sayonara homer that ended Saturday’s game brought the Tigers within a run with two-run double.

With one out, Kento Itohara doubled off closer Geronimo Franzua to tie it. A misplay put the lead runner on third and scored on a fielder’s choice.

Kyuji Fujikawa worked a 1-2-3 ninth to record his sixth-straight save.

Game highlights are HERE.

Baseball, Free, News

NPB games, news of Aug. 10, 2019

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Pacific League

Hawks 8, Fighters 4

At Yafuoku Dome, Kohei Arihara (11-6) blew a 4-0 lead as Nippon Ham lost to league-leading SoftBank. Kodai Senga (11-4) struck out 10 while walking two and allowing four runs over seven innings.

Ryo Watanabe capped a four-run Fighters’ fourth with a three-run home run, but Senga retired seven of the last eight batters he faced to earn the win.

Shuhei Fukuda got the Hawks on the board in the sixth, walking, stealing second and scoring on a single, and Arihara surrendered two, two-out RBI singles. The Fighters’ defense fell apart in a three-run seventh and that was the ball game.

Game highlights are HERE.

Lions 8, Marines 3

At Zozo Marine Stadium, Kona Takahashi (8-5) repeatedly pitched out of trouble to allow three runs, two earned, over 6-2/3 innings, while Takeya Nakamura drove in three runs and Sosuke Genda — back at short for the first time in six games — drove in two as Seibu walloped Lotte, hammering Kota Futaki (6-8) for six runs over four innings.

Game highlights are HERE.

Buffaloes 8, Eagles 4

At Rakuten Seimei Park, Rakuten’s pitching played a similar refrain as starter Shu Sugahara cruised through the opposing order twice and then got hammered. Orix overcame a 2-0 deficit by scoring two off Sugahara and three more off reliever Yuya Kubo (2-1) in the sixth.

The Buffaloes started journeyman Sachiya Yamasaki, who was fortunate to allow just two runs over four innings because scheduled starter and PL ERA leader Yoshinobu Yamamoto felt discomfort in his left oblique muscles and was taken to a hospital in Sendai to be examined.

Game highlights are HERE.

Central League

Giants 8, Swallows 4

At Tokyo Dome, Yakult starter Tomoya Hoshi (0-1) walked six batters and allowed six runs in 1-2/3 innings and Yomiuri held on to win its third straight. Hayato Sakamoto tied his career-high with his 31st home run to open the scoring and Alex Guerrero doubled in two runs in the Giants’ three-run first.

Toshiki Sakurai (6-2) allowed two runs over six innings to earn the win for the Giants.

Game highlights are HERE.

BayStars 5, Dragons 4

At Yokohama Stadium, rookie Yukiya Ito started at second and DeNA’s second draft pick out of Rissho University homered twice, tying it with a two-run shot in the eighth as the BayStars battled back from a 4-0 deficit to beat Chunichi.

Tomo Otosaka won it in the ninth with a sacrifice fly. Yamato Maeda, who has a solid portfolio of late-inning heroics this season, led off the ninth with a double and scored the winning run.

Talking the talk

Ito proved he knows how to speak hero, given the chance to stand on the postgame heroes podium. Here’s an excerpt.

“My name’s Yukiya Ito. (cheers from the crowd). I like Korean barbecue set meals.”

“I failed to produce in my first two at-bats, so I wanted to expand our scoring chance after that (translation: I wasn’t trying to hit home runs, but rather I was focussed only on playing small ball).”

In a country where children are told that trying to hit home runs is wrong, saying you tried to hit a home run is almost the same as Babe Ruth asserting he called his shot in the World Series and is a fundamental of yakyu doubletalk.

Game highlights are HERE.

Tigers 6, Carp 5

At Kyocera Dome, Hiroshima closer Geronimo Franzua blew a two-run, ninth-inning lead as Yusuke Oyama followed a leadoff single and a walk with a three-run sayonara home run to win it for Hanshin.

Game highlights are HERE.