Tag Archives: Jose Osuna

NPB news: July 26, 2023

What a day, Carter Stewart Jr. squared off against Hiroya Miyagi, unheralded Carp Shota Suekane had himself a night as did Chunichi’s top signing from last year’s draft, while the Nippon Ham Fighters put a 13-game-losing streak on the shoulders of pitcher Kenta Uehara, and Norichika Aoki was hurt in a scene that brought back memories of his worst stretch in MLB>

In other news, three players were deactivated on coronavirus exemptions, two CL teams swapped under-employed players, and Chunichi has signed a journeyman former MLB pitcher. That news follows the recaps.

Wednesday’s games

Fighters 3, Eagles 2: At Miyagi Stadium, Go Matsumoto doubled in the ninth off Sora Suzuki (1-1) and pinch-runner Taiga Egoshi scored the tie-breaking run after singles by Kotaro Kiyomiya and Chusei Mannami.

Chusei Mannami ends Nippon Ham’s nightmare.

Kenta Uehara struck out six over six innings in a superb pitching duel with Rakuten’s top draft signing from last autumn, Kosei Soji, who allowed his second runner of the game when he hit Ariel Martinez to open the fifth before surrendering Alan Hansen’s fourth home run.

The Fighters took that lead into the eighth. With right-hander Takahide Ikeda on face the heart of the Eagles’ order, Takero Okajima led off with a pinch-hit double. Ikeda struck out the two most dangerous hitters, Yuya Ogo and Hideto Asamura only for Daichi Suzuki to crush a 3-1 fastball to tie it with his third homer of the year.

Continue reading NPB news: July 26, 2023

NPB news: July 15, 2023

Yoshinobu Yamamoto was lights out, and the Hawks proved that no matter how hard you hit the ball sometimes it doesn’t matter, and the Fighters played their seventh-straight one-run game, while we had three late-inning meltdowns.

Saturday’s games

Buffaloes 3, Hawks 2: At Fukuoka Dome, Yoshinobu Yamamoto (9-3) was cool under pressure in the only real threat he faced, struck out nine over eight innings, while allowing a run on eight hits. Yuma Tongu singled in Orix’s first-inning run off Kohei Arihara (3-2), and hit his 11th home run in the sixth. Tomoya Noguchi doubled in an insurance run in the ninth, which proved to be crucial after neither Soichiro Yamazaki or Yuki Udagawa could keep the Hawks from hitting the bejeezus out of the ball.

Misaki Mimori homered in the seventh for SoftBank, and after Yuma Mune turned Alfredo Despaigne’s smash into a double play, Mimori singled in his second run. Yamasaki walked another batter before Hikaru Kawase hit a bullet that Tongu gloved at first base for the final out, to gift Udagawa his first save.

The Hawks’ loss was their seventh straight.

Jet balloons are back in Fukuoka.
Continue reading NPB news: July 15, 2023