It might be recency bias, but the DeNA BayStars’ situation after dropping two games at home last weekend sure made it look like they were worse off than they had been seven years ago, when they started 3-0 to the Hawks.
Instead, SoftBank’s Carter Stewart Jr. came out tight and allowed just one run over four innings thanks to some timely strikeouts and excellent defense behind him. Because he couldn’t go deeper in the game, DeNA got to score three runs against the Hawks’ bullpen.
“I’m going to have that experience for the rest of my life,” said Stewart, whose parents and girlfriend were visiting for the series. “I went home, still had a great time seeing my family.”
DeNA lefty Katsuki Azuma more or less cruised, allowing one run while facing just two jams over seven innings.
“His pitches looked faster than they were,” Pacific League home run champion Hotaka Yamakawa said. “And his control was amazing.”
The BayStars ace strained a hamstring in his four scoreless innings in the BayStars’ posteason-opening victory over the Hanshin Tigers on Oct. 12. He missed the final stage of the playoffs and was unable to pitch until Game 3.
“I was frustrated about not being able to pitch,” said Azuma, DeNA’s top draft signing days before the BayStars opened their last Japan Series in 2017 in Fukuoka. He aggressively rehabbed, aware of the possibility that he might aggravate the injury.
“The team gave me the chance to pitch at this stage, and I wanted to repay that by pitching well.”
In the bottom of the sixth inning, when Azuma complained to the home plate umpire that someone was whistling loudly during his wind up, causing an announcement to be made asking fans to refrain from whistling.
Tuesday’s move to the PL champion’s park brought the designated hitter rule into play, and allowed both teams’ best run producers to play. DeNA’s Tyler Austin fouled a ball off his foot protector on Saturday, bruising a bone he’d broken years ago.
He returned as a DH on Tuesday, as did SoftBank’s Kensuke Kondo, who is coming back from a sprained ankle he suffered at the end of September. Both doubled in the first inning, and had solid offensive games. Austin, however, was ambivalent about the wisdom of his trying for second.
“Every time it gets hit there, it swells up like crazy,” he said. “Today was a must win. When I hit the ball (in the first) I didn’t know what was going to happen, but when I looked up, I said, ‘Screw it. I’m going.’ Whatever happens, happens.”
