July 20th Tsuru v Saitoh - Tigers triumphant

Carp's only good pitcher, Maeda, was supposed to start this game but it was decided to give him a rest and that Saitoh would start instead. He was pulled in the fourth after giving up two runs but Carp were surprisingly effective in restricting Tigers batters. In fact they looked to have won the game in the tenth but it all unraveled for them in the bottom. Fujihara picked up his first win in Tigers colours when he replaced the ineffective Andoh. It was a bit of a gamble to use Andoh in that situation but Tigers management were hoping that they could start him on the 21st in place of Uezono whom they would rather not start at all. Andoh though needs more time to get over his problems with his pitching and rather blew that idea out of the water. Uezono will get his start. Scores

        1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R  H E
Carp    0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 2  4  9 0
Tigers  0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 3x 5 10 1

Starting lineups

Carp
1. Higashide (Second)
2. Soyogi (Short)
3. Akamatsu (Centre)
4. Shima (Left)
5. Hirose (Right)
6. Iwamoto (First)
7. Ishii (Third)
8. Kura (Catcher)
9. Saitoh (Pitcher)

Tigers
1. Toritani (Short)
2. Hirano (Second)
3. Murton (Right)
4. Arai (Third)
5. Brazell (First)
6. Kanemoto (Left)
7. Johjima (Catcher)
8. Asai (Centre)
9. Tsuru (Pitcher)

Tsuru was impressive in Carp's first retiring the three batters he faced. Saitoh also started well and did the same. In Carp's second Tsuru walked Hirose with one out but Hirose didn't advance beyond first base and no threat materialised. Things were a bit more dangerous for Carp in Tigers second. Arai led off the innings with a two base hit. Tigers should have made more of the situation but Brazell popped up to first, Kanemoto struck out and then Johjima flew out to right to end the innings. Johjima did not have a good game this evening. Still Carp had weathered the challenge without damage. Kura led off Carp's third and hit to left. This produced a superb catch from Kanemoto who took the ball sliding just before it touched the ground. Saitoh, surprisingly, hit to centre which was Carp's first hit of the game. Both Higashide and Soyogi flew out to right and that ended the innings. Tigers third was quiet with Tsuru and Toritani striking out. Saitoh didn't look to be in much trouble at all.

Carp's fourth saw Hirose manage a two out hit to centre - his second time on base. Once again nothing came of this and so far Carp had not managed to reach second. Tigers fourth was different. Hirano led off with a hit to right but then Murton flew out. Arai had his second hit of the night putting the ball into centre - Tigers had runers on first and second. Next was Brazell who battled Saitoh for a while before directing the ball nicely between third and short for a left timely hit. Hirano was round the bases nicely 1-0 Tigers, runners on first and second. With Kanemoto at the plate Tigers then managed a double steal the Carp having some confusion about who they should throw out. It is very rare for Brazell to be involved in a steal and even rarer for him to be involved in a successful steal. In fact I believe that this was his first attempt this season. Now Saitoh faced Kanemoto with runners on second and third and he hit the ball nicely into right for another run 2-0 Tigers, runners on first and third with one out. Tigers were building momentum and needed something from Johjima - even a sacrifice fly would have been welcome. Unfortunately,, Johjima hit into a 5-6-3 double play and the innings was over. Tsuru started Carp's fifth by getting Ishii to ground out. Kura hit to centre - a straightforward take which bounced in front of Asai and reached about chest height. For some reason Asai is not confident with these balls and made a similar error when he rejoined the team earlier this year. Basically he missed the ball and allowed it to roll to the running track by the fence. Kura took advantage of this to reach third. With Amaya (pinch hitting for Saitoh) at the plate Tsuru let fly a low pitch which went between Johjima's legs and was ruled a wild pitch. Kura motored home from third 2-1 Tigers and a comedy of errors. Whilst Johjima can't stop a lot of the wild pitches he gets a pitcher of his quality should not allow a pitch between his legs. This was poor catching. Amaya then managed to fly out to centre and normal service was returned with the final out being Higashide who grounded out to Toritani. With Saitoh out of the scene Carp went with Hayashi who pitched well kept Carp's chances alive. He retired Tigers batters in order in the fifth at a time when they could be reasonably expected to accelerate and put the game beyond reach. Tsuru walked Shima in Carp's sixth but Hirose struck out to end the innings. In Tigers sixth Arai hit again but he was stranded by Brazell striking out.

Iwamoto led off Carp's seventh and he hit a solo home run to left 2-2 scores tied. There was an element of getting enough bat on the ball and it staying in in this strike but Tigers had really only themselves to blame as they had rather sat on their lead. Ishii struck out looking, Kura hit a liner and Hayashi grounded out to end the innings. Tigers still couldn't figure out Hayashi - not a particularly impressive pitcher but he struck out both Johjima and Asai looking in the seventh. Tsuru was replaced after the seventh. He had pitched very well and given up only one earned run. Mayumi though was wise to pull him at 99 pitches thrown. Kubota was next and gave up a lead off hit to HIgashide. With Kubota, whilst he does meltdown one does not feel the same kind of trepidation about this situation as one does with Andoh. Furthermore, Kubota is pitching well at the moment. Soyogi bunted Higashide to second but then Akamatsu flew out to short and Shima hit one into the glove of Asai to end the innings. Ohshima took over from Hayashi and also did well. He did give up a two out hit to HIrano but Murton who was having a rare hitless game flew out to end the innings. Kyuji Fujikawa pitched Carp's ninth and with one out gave up a one out two base hit to Iwamoto. If one doesn't worry about Kubota and runners, one worries even less about Fujikawa and so it was. Ishii's first ground out took Kimura (pinch running for Iwamoto) to third but then T. Maeda flew out to end the innings. Ohshima walked Brazell in Tigers ninth (pinch run for Uemoto) but he didn't advance beyond first. Carp really had frustrated Tigers batters for most of the evening.

As mentioned above Andoh pitched Carp's tenth and he is a pitcher one really needs to pitch with a few leads before trying him in a situation like this. Andoh started with a lead off centre hit to Huber (pinch hitter). He was pinch run for by Matsumoto who was bunted to second by Higashide. Soyogi hit to right but Matsumoto didn't attempt home and Carp had runners on first and third with one out. The double play was on for Tigers but it would need good pitching from Andoh. He didn't have the nerve and his fourth pitch to Akamatsu was nicely placed for the Carp centre to hit the ball perfectly into the left centre Koshien sweet spot. Both runners were home 4-2 Carp, runner on second. Andoh it was clear couldn't continue and Mayumi pulled him for Fujihara, no doubt with the dreams of Andoh starting again soon up in smoke. In fact one would expect Akamatsu's hit to be the winning stroke. Fujihara still had two outs to get to keep the Carp within range. Yamamoto (pinch hitter) grounded out to third and then Hirose also grounded out to end the innings stranding Akamatsu. Still it had been a good inning for Carp and they enjoyed a two run lead - things looked comfortable. Ueno pitched Tigers tenth and faced Lin. He has been hitting well but has needed to do something spectacular. He did slamming a straight solo home run into the backscreen 4-3 Carp. It was his first of the season and couldn't have come at a better time for the Tigers. Sekimoto (pinch hitter) followed and he hit to centre - possibly Tigers were in with a chance of tying the game. Ueno faced Toritani - he had hit a two run home run in extra innings last week against the Giants. Would he do it again? Ueno's third pitch was too high and drifted to left. Toritani directed it high and along the third baseline where it cleared the fence just inside the foul pole - sayonara two run home run 5-4 Tigers and victory.

Tigers had shown great spirit to come back from two runs down and take the game in the tenth. The win went to Fujihara who had handled the pressure of taking over from Andoh well. This was also Toritani's first sayonara home run since 2005. Carp had tried hard but really suffered from a chronic lack of resources. Tigers have five batters who have already hit over 50 RBIs a piece. Carp have none and their one batter is out of action. They will win some games but will struggle most of the time. The difference between Tigers and Giants remains at 0.5 games and Tigers have the chance to sweep the Carp when the two teams meet again for the final game of the series.

Mayumi is helping me with my English lessons. I can now use him as an example to teach the model sentence: "The Tigers are winning in spite of Mayumi, not because of Mayumi." As you said, ridiculous to put Andoh in in that important situation. He's been a disaster all year, so it's better to try him first in less vital situations as he gets back into form. Anyway, fortunately Lin and Toritani helped the Tigers recover and have one of our more exciting wins of the year. If Maeda does pitch tonight, it was especially important to get this win last night.

Shinoda is the scheduled starter for tonights game. The reason Maeda was being rested was his involvement in the upcoming All Star game. I do like your model sentence though.

Good that we can avoid Maeda. He's having an incredible year, although I do think we have handled him OK?

We've faced him twice 21st April when he was the winning pitcher because Mayumi pitched Kubo too long and 9th May when we beat him through the efforts of Brazell and Murton.

My limited Japanese did not allow me to fully get what the guy a few seats from me was shouting at Mayumi when he put Andoh on, but still just enough to know he was not anything nice!
Though the actual wording drew a few laughs, there seems to be a consensus around me on the discontentment.

In the end, the two home runs saved the day (I am now 2-0 at Koshien), and supporters went home happy, but the gamble clearly did not pay, and did nothing for Mayumi's popularity.

I guess the whole crowd would have understood the "in spite of" example sentence after this game!

(some photos on my blog at http://bit.ly/dBVkVM, for those interested)

Tigers fans are very demanding and opinionated. If you win you are treated a a god, if you lose you are treated like an animal. Have been to Jingu more than a few times and have been quite shocked with some of the abuse the fans were saying towards Okada when walking down the left field line between the bleachers stands and the infield stands out of the stadium after losing a game.

I do not think baseball fans are that complicated beings in general. If the result is good then thats all what matters. If Mayumi is able to win the pennant he will be remembered as a great manager. If not, then he will not be remembered as a great manager.

Hanshin still have August, when they have to give up Koshien for a few weeks to high school baseball. If they are able to survive that, I think this team might very well clinch the pennant. Looking good.

Actually Tigers fans never really took to Okada even though he did win a championship. Affection for him never reached very high levels and it was recognised that he was basically in the job because it was his turn. He did have a good record but never the adulation or worship that Hoshino had. Hoshino fits in perfectly with your definition of being treated as a god - he still is. Mayumi is in a similar situation to Okada - Japanese baseball fans are often extremely knowledgeable about the game and whilst one would not trust them to manage a team any better than Mayumi they do have the ability to recognise dross from gold. If Mayumi manages to win the pennant he will be remembered as a successful manager with a good team but not as a great manager.

Actually Tigers fans never really took to Okada even though he did win a championship.
Okada was definitely in a tough situation. Hoshino made the Tigers winners again after years of misery, so he was treated like a savior. The ironic thing is Okada actually played for the Tigers (which Hoshino never did) during their best era, but by the time he became manager the Tigers were expected to win it all, which they couldn't do.

I guess you guys are both correct. Hoshino enjoys a cult like status. Both Okada and Mayumi are rookies as far as being managers where as Hoshino had quite a few years under his belt and was already a highly popular figure in Japanese baseball who then went to Tigers and managed to bring the pennant to the Tigers for the first time since 1985. There was Hanshin fever when Hoshino managed to clinch the pennant. The country exploded. Which did not happen to the same extent when Okada managed, probably due to the fact that it was not the first pennant in 20 years.

I thought of Hoashino as a lunatic when he played for the Dragons and managed the Dragons though. He had calmed down some when he took over for the Tigers due to his age. I think most Japanese fans enjoyed his temper. That was a big reason to his popularity.

I guess it will take some time for Mayumi to reach the same level as Hohino. Sadaharu Oh was not a very popular manager when he first managed the Giants but in the end he enjoyed a tremednous respect and popualrity for the Hawks. Maybe experience also has something do with it.

On the other hand. Both Okada and Mayumi were excellent players for the Tigers, so it does seem odd that they do not get the same amount of support as Hoshino did.

Have been to Jingu more than a few times and have been quite shocked with some of the abuse the fans were saying towards Okada when walking down the left field line between the bleachers stands and the infield stands out of the stadium after losing a game.
Was interesting to read this comment, as when I saw the Tigers at Jingu last year I felt the fans seemed a bit edgier than at Koshien. Not sure if they are wanna-be Tigers fans or fans who are trying to be loud and show what they think Kansai people are supposed to be like. I've just been going to Koshien the past few years, but I find the fans surprisingly well-behaved and pleasant.

I have never been to Koshien or any stadium outside of the greater Tokyo area so cannot comment on Koshien. Need to go there though, thats for sure. In Jingu the players leave the stadium between the infield stands and bleachers, so the players have to go down the left field line unlike other stadiums where they leave behind the dugout. This then becomes a good opportunity for fans to come with opinions or vent at players, managers. While some of the abuse can be shocking, all in all I find heckling to be funny. Baseball fans are not tennis fans so some heckling and abuse is funny. Usually when I am in Jingu I tend to be in the right field. Since Hanshin fans outnumber Swallows for each game, you see from time to time Hanshin fans coming into the right field bleachers with their Hanshin outfit, walking down the aisle as if they own Jingu. Swallows fans are extreme but more mellow so you do not see anyone trying to do anything with the Hanshin fans, if some Swallows fan went into the left field bleachers with a Swallows outfit, I do not think the Swallows fan would last long. Thats just my gut feeling.

I think all teams got it´s hecklers but think Tiers fans are more extreme than other fans. When Hanshin won the pennant for the first time in 20 years, Dotonbori in Osaka exploded. I do not think any other team could make their home cities explode as Tigers did.

Lotte fans can also be negative towards their own and are also opinionated. Last season there were lots of protest banners popping up in the right field. When Nishioka criticized the fans for the banners, the fans turned against Nishioka. I think baseball would be boring without some drama but yet not too extreme as you see in some parts of Europe with hooliganism, which is just plain stupid.

There have been fights in the past when Tigers fans have invaded the Swallows 'sacred ground' but generally things are good natured. With the gaia at Jingu the toilets and in stadium food stalls are shared and you never see any trouble between the fans - it's kind of neutral ground. Jingu is unusual in that Yakult mainly caters for visiting Tigers (or Giants) fans rather than there own. The money comes mostly from the visitors. It would be impossible for a Swallows fan to get into the left gaia - the way the system of buying tickets is organised only Tigers fans and in fact only cheering groups can get access to the those. However, the opposite for the right gaia is true and Tigers fans can and do get large swathes of that at times. Any Swallows fan in the left gaia would be there by invitation (unusual but it does happen) and as such under the 'protection' of a cheering group.

Now Tokyo Dome has security guarding the exits and entrances to the gaia and fans wearing colours are not allowed into the other teams gaia during Tigers Giants games. This suggests potential for trouble.

It is not only Tigers and Giants but almost always the visiting fans outnumber Swallows fans. Even Baystars and Carp.The Swallows bleachers is probably the least lively in entire Japan. I quite like the laid backness of the gaiya in Jingu myself but... The fans are not over all very passionate compared to any other team in Central or even Pacific. In a gigantic city like Tokyo you would think that Swallows was able to get more support. They play right in the heart of Tokyo, near Shibuya, Harajuku and Shinjuku but still, they are not very popular. Swallows together with Orix might be the teams with the least support. I think Orix in Osaka gets more support than Yakult in Jingu. Despite the weak record by Yokohama, they at least are able to outnumber the visitng fans in most cases except when it is Tigers but still even when Tigers play it´s pretty much 50-50 or 60-40 Tigers and not like 70-30 like it is in Jingu.

I'm constantly intrigued by how some of these teams can keep operating. Teams like Orix and Seibu must bleed their parent companies dry. You mentioned the Swallows but do any of the contributors here think a team will soon follow Nippon Ham and leave the still-saturated Kanto market?

Surely things can't continue the way they are at the moment. I remember Seibu being unable to fill their stadium for the Nippon Series.

Figures for baseball teams are difficult to obtain but from what I have seen most do make a loss. Yakult as I mentioned rely on visiting fans, particularly Tigers fans. Orix view the team as a brand recognition device - for a long time they employed Kiyohara though he was clearly finished at an enormous salary. His name was the important thing but he didn't generate enough extra money to justify the financial cost. Both Yakult and Hiroshima restrict their players salaries as an attempt at cost control with the end result that the best players go elsewhere. Basically, the team will guarantee the brand recognition but beyond that they are not run as commercial enterprises (the exceptions being Tigers and Rakuten). The Giants do generate income but I believe that they aren't profitable either. TBS wanted to dump the BayStars because of cost and Seibu has also looked at other owners but with no takers so far.

There should though be enough potential fans for two teams in the Kanto market. It's just that the Swallows are so inept at marketing themselves and getting their fan base out. Seibu play in Tokorozawa which is actually a bit out of Tokyo and difficult to get to. However, any organisation buying Lions would probably want to move the team and the Seibu management currently don't want to sell on those terms. They want the team to stay put.

I would say that Hoshino came to Tigers as a successful manager not as a player and there is a difference. I remember a discussion on Japanese television between Hoshino and Carl Ripkin about how, just because a player was very talented did not mean he would be a good manager. The skill set was very different and not many could make a successful transition. On Hoshino I believe it was Fujimoto who said that if he got angry with you it was because you and your performance mattered.