NPB games, news of July 17, 2019

Pacific League

Fighters 4, Hawks 0

At Kitakyushu Stadium, Kohei Arihara, the only starting pitcher FIghters manager Hideki Kuriyama trusts to face a lineup more than twice, struck out seven, while allowing four base runners over eight innings to improve to 10-4 as Nippon Ham completed a sweep of league-leading SoftBank.

The Hawks opted for a short starter, throwing Roberto Suarez (1-4), and he allowed one run in four innings but took the unlucky loss.

Game highlights are HERE.

Lions 4, Marines 3

At MetLife Dome, Seibu’s Keisuke Honda (5-3) served up three double play balls, allowing him to escape a couple of jams and allow only a run over seven innings in a win over Lotte.

But while Honda was able to get two straight comebackers to escape a no-out, bases-loaded pickle in the second, Mariners starter Kazuya Ojima (0-3) surrendered four runs in a similar predicament in the fifth, and Seibu’s bullpen held on for the win.

Game highlights are HERE.

Eagles 7, Buffaloes 3

At Kyocera Dome, Orix squandered a three-run first against Wataru Karashima (4-2), who lasted five innings, while four Rakuten relievers kept the Buffaloes from mounting a comeback.

Kohei “K” Suzuki got the short start, allowing two runs over 2-1/3 innings, but his relief was ineffective. Jabari Blash homered, reached base four times and scored twice for the Eagles.

Alan Busenitz and Frank Herrmann each worked a scoreless inning of relief for the Eagles, while lefty closer Yuki Matsui struck out two in a 1-2-3 ninth in a non-save situation.

Game highlights are HERE.

Central League

Swallows 5, Giants 4

At Jingu Stadium, HIroki Yamada (2-0) allowed three runs over five-plus innings, Norichika Aoki hit a three-run homer and Yakult’s bullpen pitched out of trouble for four-straight innings to avoid a sweep at the hands of Yomiuri.

Giants shortstop Hayato Sakamoto hit two homers and drove in three runs. He now leads the CL with his 28th. He is now 13 shy of the NPB record of home runs by a shortstop, set my Masaru Uno of the Chunichi Dragons in 1985 at home run-happy Nagoya Stadium.

Top 5 seasons, home runs by shorstops

PlayerHRsTeamLeagueYear
Masaru Uno41DragonsCL1985
Masaru Uno37DragonsCL1984
Kazuo Matsui36LionsPL2002
Takahiro Ikeyama34SwallowsCL1989
Kazuo Matsui33LionsPL2003

BayStars 3, Carp 1

At Yokohama Stadium, struggling Hiroshima put four runners on in the first inning, but scored only one run as five DeNA pitchers combined to allow three hits and five walks, while striking out 10.

Dragons 6, Tigers 4

At Toyohashi Stadium, five scoreless innings from Chunichi’s bullpen, paved the way for two eighth-inning runs off Kyuji Fujikawa (4-1) to break a 4-4 tie in a win over Hanshin.

A Yohei Oshima leadoff double, a Zoilo Almonte walk, and a two-run Toshiki Abe triple broke the tie as the Dragons won their seventh-straight game, their longest winning streak in four years.

News

Dragons lose CL batting leader Takahashi to hand injury

CL batting leader and captain Shuhei Takahashi ruptured a ligament in the little finger of his right hand on Tuesday while sliding back into first base on a pickoff throw, and was deactivated on Wednesday. A .255 career hitter, Takahashi was leading the league in batting with a .319 in his second full season.

NPB games, news of July 16, 2019

Pacific League

Fighters 3, Hawks 2

At Yafuoku Dome, reserve catcher Shingo Usami drew a two-out, bases-loaded walk in the ninth inning to lift Nippon Ham to its second straight win over league-leading SoftBank.

Sho Nakata drew a leadoff walk and was replaced by a pinch-runner. The Hawks understudy closer, right-hander Hiroshi Kaino, hit the next batter when he tried to sacrifice. The next batter did sacrifice.

Fighters manager Hideki Kuriyama pinch hit for career .209 RHB Toshitaka Yoko with career .225 switch-hitter Toshiya Sugiya, basically gaining nothing by bringing someone off the bench — except it may have encouraged Hawks manager Kimiyasu Kudo to try and set up a double play by intentionally walking the bases loaded.

After a strikeout, Kuriyama went with another pinch-hitter, Usami, who forced in the go-ahead run.

Fighters starter Toshihiro Sugiura allowed two first-inning homers and came out before his third trip through the lineup.

Game highlights are HERE.

Lions 5, Marines 1

At MetLife Dome, Sosuke Genda drove in the game’s first run with a third-inning RBI single and tripled in a seventh-inning insurance run as Seibu beat Lotte.

Game highlights are HERE.

Buffaloes 1, Eagles 0

At Kyocera Dome, Orix’s Taisuke Yamaoka (7-2) won a dynamite pitching duel with Rakuten’s Takahiro Norimoto (1-1).

The Buffaloes manufactured a first-inning run on a single, a sacrifice, a fielders choice and a Masataka Yoshida sac fly. Norimoto retired the next 19 batters, nine by strikeout, but took the loss.

Six Eagles runners reached over the first four innings, but Yamaoka got two double plays and retired the last 12 he faced. Brandon Dickson faced four batters in the ninth to record his seventh save.

Game highlights are HERE.

Central League

Dragons 3, Tigers 2

At Nagoya Dome, Zoilo Almonte drew a bases-loaded, ninth-inning “sayonara” walk, lifting Chunichi past Hanshin.

Daisuke Matsuzaka, sidelined since February after a fan gave him a particularly vigorous high five that left him with inflammation in his right shoulder, allowed two runs over five innings in his season debut for the Dragons.

Giants 6, Swallows 3

At Jingu Stadium, Yakult may want to put a bounty out on Yomiuri’s Yoshiyuki Kamei after he terrorized him for the second straight night.

Kamei iced Monday’s 11th-inning win with a two-run home run. On Tuesday, he broke a 3-3 with an RBI single in the fourth and added a solo homer in the seventh.

BayStars 8, Carp 5

At Yokohama Stadium, Kyle Regnault (4-2) walked the bases loaded with the game tied 4-4 in the seventh to set up a four-run DeNA inning as the BayStars came from behind to beat struggling Hiroshima.

writing & research on Japanese baseball

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