Tag Archives: Dayan Viciedo

NPB news: Aug. 9, 2022

Tuesday was a day for pitchers in Japan, 4.7 strikeouts per walk, a daily WHIP of 1.00 and 2.51 runs scored per nine innings.

The Fighters, currently based at city-owned Sapporo Dome, will open their 2023 season at their new team-owned retractable-roof facility in neighboring Kitahiroshima, on March 30 against an opponent to be named later, one day before 10 other teams open their season.

Tuesday also brought the talk of Japan’s first batting triple crown since 2004 into the realm of reality, and it’s Roki Eve, to boot, since he’s scheduled to duke it out against Nao Higashihama in a battle of two of this year’s four no-hit pitchers, so let’s get started.

Tuesday’s games

Fighters 5, Lions 3: At Sapporo Dome, there was a wild finish to a see-saw game.

Rookie Fighters catcher opened the scoring off Kona Takahashi with a second-inning RBI single. Takeya Nakamura hit a two-run fifth-inning home run, his seventh, off Fighters starter Hiromi Ito.

All-star Fighters third baseman Yuki James Nomura returned from a bout with COVID, and in in his first game in three weeks, scored in the eighth to tie it after his second leadoff double of the game.

Hotaka Yamakawa put the Lions up 3-2 with an RBI single off Ito in the ninth, but Bryan Rodriguez (1-1) got the final out in the inning, and Lions closer Tatsushi Masuda (2-2) surrendered back-to-back singles before Kensuke Kondo won it with his fourth home run of the season.

Continue reading NPB news: Aug. 9, 2022

NPB news: Aug. 5, 2022

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 448th 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 31st 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 10th in his first game since July 10.

Continue reading NPB news: Aug. 5, 2022