Yomiuri got another great start from a rookie pitcher, while former Pittsburgh Pirate Gregory “El Coffee” Polanco provided the extra juice they needed in the outfield and at bat. In the Pacific League the Lions might get a new name for their dome if they keep doing that stuff they’re doing.

Friday’s games

Lions 4, Marines 3, 10 innings: At Seibu Dome, they may be calling the park “Sayonara” Seibu Dome instead of the current Seibu “Your Name Here” Dome after the Lions won for the second straight night on a walk-off home run.

On Thursday it was six-time PL home run king Takeya “Okawari-kun” Nakamura’s 448^th career homer that sank the Buffaloes. On Friday it was 29-year-old utility outfielder Seiji Kawagoe’s ninth.

Lions starter Tatsuya Imai walked the first two batters he faced and Toshiya Sato hit the first pitch he saw for his sixth home run. Lotte stranded 12 runners through the first six innings, but solved that problem by not getting any more on base the rest of the game.

Hotaka Yamaka hit his 31^st home run in the fourth off Ayumu Ishikawa, and Aito Takeda singled in the fifth and scored on a Shuta Tonosaki single. Tonosaki scored the tying run for the Lions off new pitcher Tayron Guerrero in the eighth. He drew a one-out walk and stole second before scoring on a wild pitch.

Burch Smith delivered three innings of long relief for Seibu in his first game since July 9. Kaima Taira, who’s been filling in for Tatsushi Masuda since the closer got COVID in the middle of July, worked the ninth, and Masuda (2-1) worked the 10^th in his first game since July 10.

Continue reading NPB news: Aug. 5, 2022 →