I don’t know if Kensuke Kondo is actually pursuing the Pacific League Triple Crown or not, given that his SoftBank Hawks are struggling every day to secure their postseason position, but if he is, his chances are gradually slipping.
On a PL-only Monday, there was one meaningless game, or at least meaningless except for Yoshihisa Hirano and perhaps Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and one game where two of the three playoff contenders, the Hawks faced off against the Rakuten Eagles, who sent Masahiro Tanaka to the mound in Fukuoka.
Monday’s games
Hawks 6, Eagles 0: At Fukuoka Dome, Tomohisa Ozeki (5-7), who started the season like gang-busters, left after allowing a first-inning leadoff single, but earned his first win since May 30. Masahiro Tanaka (7-11) allowed three runs on five hits and a walk over five innings to take the loss.
Yuki Yanagita and Akira Nakamura each had RBI singles in a two-run first inning. Kondo had an infield single and two walks while scoring twice.
Marines 7, Lions 3: At Chiba Marine Stadium, Shingo Ishikawa hit a two-run first-inning home run off Dietrich Enns (1-10) and Gregory Polanco cemented the lead, going 3-for-4 with a second-inning solo homer, his PL-leading 26th, and a two-run eighth-inning double. Lotte lefty Kazuya Ojima (9-6) allowed two runs over seven innings while striking out seven.
Buffaloes 3, Fighters 0: At Osaka UFO Dome, Yamamoto (16-6) struck out 11 over seven innings to increase his PL strikeout lead over Lotte’s Atsuki Taneichi to 169-157, virtually guaranteeing he’ll seal his third-straight PL pitching Triple Crown by leading in wins, strikeouts and ERA.
Yoshihisa Hirano worked the ninth for his 29th save and the 250th of his major league career, earning him admission to the Meikyukai, also known as the golden players club, that requires either 2,000 hits, 200 wins or 250 saves.
