Yuki Matsui reached a milestone, a missed catch and a wild pitch dooms the Fighters, the Hawks and Swallows continued to be Week 1 juggernauts, and for the first time this season the DeNA BayStars won, while the Hanshin Tigers didn’t , because they were rained out in Hiroshima.
Wednesday’s games
Eagles 1, Lions 0: At Miyagi Stadium, Matsui surrendered a leadoff double in the ninth, and walked the next batter before the Lions sacrificed both runners into scoring position, putting Matsui’s 200th career save in jeopardy.
With the fat in the fire, Matsui struck out one batter, but fell behind six-time PL home run leader Takeya Nakamura, who flied out to the warning track for the final out.
“I came out to the mound pretty tight, so I’m really glad we won,” said Matsui, who became the ninth pitcher to reach the milestone, and the youngest, at 27 years, five months.
Continue reading NPB news: April 5, 2023