Nice Night for a Game

Shimizu gets the start

Ken D., who has contributed to the Koshien chat room and helped out entering salaries over the years, has made the trip to Japan and invited Deanna and I to the April 6 ball game at Yokohama Stadium against the Chunichi Dragons. It was a beautiful day with the cherry blossoms in full bloom all over Yokohama. Ken said he'd spent the day in Kamakura, and I'd say it was the perfect day to do so.

Nonetheless, the former Lotte battery of Naoyuki Shimizu and Tasuku Hashimoto were announced soon after reaching our seats. Daisuke "I wear my sunglasses at night" Yamai and former BayStar Motonobu Tanishige were announced as the Dragon battery.

Blanco crosses home plate

After the first inning went by without incident, Tony Blanco leads off the second with a home run just within the foul pole to right field to allow the Dragons to strike first. Shimizu then loads the bases with one out and opposing pitcher Yamai at the plate. With the infield in (protecting against the bunt? Neither Ken nor I understood that move), Yamai grounds what should have been an inning ending double play ball through the left side for an RBI single. The Dragons take a 2-0 lead. Leadoff hitter (and just called up shortstop) Masahiro Araki grounded the ball back to Shimizu in front of the mound. He almost forgot to throw home first, but did, and the relay to first was in time for the double play. Hadn't we seen enough bases loaded pinches on Sunday?

Castillo dives into a double

With one out in the bottom of the third, Jose Castillo hit a high fly ball to right field. He (and pretty much everyone else) thought it was gone. However, it hit the top of the fence and came down to right fielder Kei Nomoto. Castillo turned on the gas after rounding first and dove into second just ahead of the throw. Castillo moved over to third on a ground out to second by Tatsuya Shimozono, then scored when Hashimoto beat out a ground ball to the right side. Second baseman Hirokazu Ibata made a fine play to get to the ball, but his throw was wide and just too late (scored an infield hit). We now trail 2-1, and that's all we get in the second.

Wada in a rundown

After a three-up, three-down third inning for both sides, Kazuhiro Wada dribbles a ball that Shimizu can't get in time for the out at first. Dragons' lead-off man is on. Ibata then draws a walk, and the two are moved to second and third on a sacrifice bunt by Kei Nomoto. Tanishige follows by grounding the ball to Shuichi Murata at third. Murata looks at Wada, turns to throw to first, then chases Wada a little more off the third base bag. He throws to Hashimoto and Wada is in a pickle. Hashimoto runs him back toward third, throwing to Takehiro Ishikawa. Then the strangest thing happens; Ishikawa runs Wada toward home! Never, never run the runner to the next base! Ishikawa lunges and appears to tag Wada out as he overtakes him. However, Wada crosses the plate and starts protesting that he was never touched. Ochiai-kantoku comes out and has a calm conversation with the umpire, but the call stands. Wada is out number two.

It looks like we're out of the jam with Yamai coming up next. But Yamai has other plans. He grounds the ball through the left side again, this time with the infield at normal depth. That's Yamai's second RBI of the game as the Dragons take a 3-1 lead.

Hashimoto blocks Banco

The Dragons, in the top of the fifth, get a 2-out single to center by Blanco. Then, on a double to right by Wada, Blanco tries to score from first. But the relay home is a perfect strike to Hashimoto who bravely holds his ground against the sliding Blanco. And Blanco is out at the plate! Whew.

Ishikawa scores from first

As in the top of the fifth, the BayStars get a 2-out base hit by Ishikawa followed by a double by Daisuke Hayakawa. As in the top half, the runner rounds third and heads home. But whereas the BayStars got the ball back in to nail Blanco at the plate, Ishikawa comes on home unchallenged. We've got a 1-run ball game again, now trailing 3-2.

Sanada throws the 6th-7th

Unfortunately, that doesn't last long. Former Giant Hiroki Sanada comes in to throw the sixth and seventh innings. He walks the first batter he faces, Ibata. After getting Nomoto to pop out, Tanishige does what he always does to his former team mates, hits the ball into the left field stands for a 2-run home run. That gives the Dragons a seemingly insurmountable 5-2 lead. And it started with a walk!

But what goes around comes around. Murata receives a leadoff walk in the bottom of the sixth. Terrmel Sledge follows with a single to right. Castillo, who's been hot lately, grounds into a force at second, but beats the relay to first to put runners at the corners and one out. Shimozono then hits the ball deep enough to center to get one run back on a sacrifice fly. After that came the game killer. On the second (or third?) pitch to Hashimoto, Castillo broke for second. He dove into second in what looked like plenty of time to me and everyone around me, but he was called out. Castillo got up and protested with large arm movements, not unlike Wada's protests earlier. But the second base umpire turned his back and started walking to his position out of the way between innings in shallow center field. Castillo turns and throws his helmet most of the way to first and waits for Sledge to bring him is cap and glove, all the while muttering to himself. I can't help but think that this was the start of a break-out inning.

Final score

Not much more happened thereafter. Castillo did get his third hit of the game, raising his average to .432 with the 3 for 4 performance. And former Nippon Ham Fighter Shintaro Ejiri threw the final two innings allowing just a hit and a walk. (Deanna was excited to see him, a super-nice guy apparently.)

This was the fourth of four series that we start off with a black star. We really need to start turning these 1 for 3 records around.