Three games were scheduled for Friday, but rain prevented the Yakult Swallows and Hanshin Tigers from playing a meaningless contest at Jingu Stadium, and forced the umps to call the Chunichi Dragons game against the DeNA Deniers in Yokohama. DeNA is one game back of the second-place Hiroshima Carp and three ahead of the fourth-place Yomiuri Giants.
The Pacific League’s lone game was meaningful for the Rakuten Eagles, who started the day 1-1/2 games back of the third-place SoftBank Hawks, who currently occupy the PL’s last playoff spot.
Off the field, Nippon Professional Baseball has approved the qualifications of one team aspiring to join NPB as a minor league team in 2024.
Friday’s game
Fighters 3, Eagles 0: At Miyagi Stadium, Nippon Ham rookie Shoma Kanemura (2-1) returned to the majors, threw 6-2/3 impressive innings and declared himself fit and cured of his strikeout fixation.
Kanemura, who was sidelined with shoulder discomfort in April after four starts in which he struck out six-plus batters each game, began pitching in the minors in July and after striking out more than one batter per inning in both the minors and the majors, fanned just three Eagles.
“I was really nervous, pitching for the first time in so long, but I was able to pitch the way I need to,” he said.
“Instead of the strange way I had been pitching well before, I was able to execute my style of pitching, which is more about changing speeds.”
Chusei Mannami opened the game with a double and scored on a double play after the Fighters loaded the bases. Gosuke Kato singled in a second run and the Fighters held on, thanks to three strikeouts in the ninth that allowed Seigi Tanaka to secure his 24th save despite allowing a double to Kazuki Murabayashi and a single to Hideto Asamura.
Nippon Ham’s Takuya Nakashima became the 79th player in Japanese pro baseball to steal 200 career bases, while the Eagles managed to hit into double plays in consecutive plate appearances in the second inning.
With one on and no out, Toshiki Abe hit into a force at second. Kato’s low throw to first was dropped, resulting in an error on Ariel Martinez – and due to baseball’s absurd rules for dropped throws, Kato was credited with participating in a double play, and Abe was charged with hitting into one. Yuya Ogo then hit into another.
Hayate223 clears 1st hurdle
A team based in Shizuoka City with a confusing name was given the go-ahead to be considered as one of NPB’s two new minor league teams for 2024. Each of the 12 NPB teams is required to field a team in either the Eastern or Western league. The EL has been a seven-team circuit since the Rakuten Eagles joined, leaving the WL with just five teams after Orix and Kintetsu merged in November 2004.
The new team, known as Hayate223 (ハヤテ223) is read Hayate Fujisan, with numerals standing in for the Japanese name for Mount Fuji. Two other teams that have applied for consideration are currently playing in Eastern Japan’s BC Challenge League, Albirex Niigata and the Tochigi Golden Braves, a powerhouse haven for former NPB players.
