Japan has a new league leader Thursday, when Masahiro Tanaka‘s progress toward There’s also an injury update on Norichika Aoki.
Fighters 9, Eagles 5: At Miyagi Stadium, Nippon Ham made a meal of Masahiro Tanaka (5-6), breaking a 2-2 fifth-inning tie in a six-run inning, that the Eagles starter did not survive. Maikel Franco doubled and scored the tying run for Rakuten in the fourth, and with the Eagles trailing 8-2 in the fifth, he belted a two-run homer, his seventh.
Japan was no country for old pitchers Tuesday, when home runs were flying. And after one epic butt-kicking pitcher who managed a rare and unfortunate feet under his former skipper, repeated it with his new one, Gregory Polanco managed a true walk-off in a game when it became clear the Seibu Lions have not been doing their homework.
Also, Leandro “Leo” Cedeno, hit his first homer in Japan, and it was a pip.
Buffaloes 9, Eagles 7: At Tokyo Dome, a week after he won a duel with 42-year-old Tsuyoshi Wada at the same venue, 34-year-old Masahiro Tanaka got a caning at the hands of Yuma Tongu, who hit a first-inning grand slam and a fourth-inning two-run shot for his 10th homer of the season. Leandro Cedeno, who drew a bases-loaded walk in the first, got what they’ll call a “memorial arch,” his first Japan home run off Tanaka in the second. Tanaka (4-5) allowed nine runs on 11 hits and two walks over four innings.
The nine runs were the most Tanaka has allowed in a Japan game, after allowing seven runs in four-plus innings against the Buffaloes on May 23.
“I’ll do what I have to do while figuring out the cause of that,” Tanaka said.
Hideto Asamura made the scoreline look a bit better with a third-inning RBI single and a fourth-inning grand slam.
