Sugiuchi dominates as Giants extend winning streak
TOKOROZAWA, Saitama -- Toshiya Sugiuchi figured to have some success, joining a team like the Yomiuri Giants and pitching in a league with no DH. But the lefty showed why he was such a valuable weapon in the Pacific League.
Sugiuchi (6-1) won his fifth straight, tossing eight-plus shutout inning, and the Giants squeezed past the Seibu Lions 2-0 on Wednesday at Seibu Dome to win their ninth straight decision.
Reliever Tetsuya Yamaguchi extracted Sugiuchi from a no-out, two-on jam in the ninth inning to record his first save this season and post his 21st consecutive scoreless outing from Opening Day, a club record. It’s the second longest such streak.
Sugiuchi allowed four hits and four walks with eight Ks on 118 pitches.
“What’s working best for me I think is the fact that I’m not thinking too much out there,” Sugiuchi said in the hero interview.
Shichi Murata blasted his 45th interleague homer, a solo shot in the second inning, as Yomiuri extended its CL record by winning its sixth straight game to open play vs. the PL.
Former Lion Yoshihito Ishii squeezed in the second run in the eighth for an insurance run.
Takayuki Kishi (4-4) was the hard-luck loser, holding Yomiuri to two runs on three hits with no walks and 10 Ks.
MARINES 5, SWALLOWS 1
Seth Greisinger (5-1) gave up four hits and fanned four, and Katsuya Kakunaka had a two-run triple in the sixth as Lotte topped Yakult at The Q.
Toshiaki Imae had two hits, including an RBI single, to back Greisinger, who won first interleague game since June 20, 2009.
EAGLES 4, DRAGONS 0
Wataru Karashima (2-2) went six shutout innings, and Shintaro Masuda, a fourth-round draft pick in 2005, clubbed his first pro home run [a two-run shot in the fifth to break up scoreless tie] as Rakuten downed Chunichi at The Kleenex Box.
Kensuke Uchimura squeezed home a run in the seventh and Luis Garcia singled in a run in the eighth as the Eagles reached a three-year best four games over .500.
HAWKS 6, CARP 3
Nagisa Arakaki (4-1) carried a perfect game into the sixth inning before Soichiro Amaya’s solo shot broke it up, and SoftBank built up a big lead and held off visiting Hiroshima.
A sore back slowed Hiroki Kokubo, who fanned three times and walked once, but failed to get hit No. 2000.
FIGHTERS 3, BAYSTARS 1
Atsunori Inaba singled in a run and tripled, and Sho Nakata and Yang Zhong-shou each drove in runs as Nippon Ham took down Yokohama at Sapporo Dome.
Alex Ramirez had three hits and an RBI for Yokohama.
TIGERS 8, BUFFALOES 2
Matt Murton had three hits and two RBIs, and Minoru Iwata (3-5) and four relievers held Orix to a pair of runs as Hanshin won at Kyocera Dome Osaka to snap a five-game skid.
*Interleague count:
PL 20, CL 13, 1 TIE
[Edited by: jgibson on May 24, 2012 3:48 PM]
TOKOROZAWA, Saitama -- Toshiya Sugiuchi figured to have some success, joining a team like the Yomiuri Giants and pitching in a league with no DH. But the lefty showed why he was such a valuable weapon in the Pacific League.
Sugiuchi (6-1) won his fifth straight, tossing eight-plus shutout inning, and the Giants squeezed past the Seibu Lions 2-0 on Wednesday at Seibu Dome to win their ninth straight decision.
Reliever Tetsuya Yamaguchi extracted Sugiuchi from a no-out, two-on jam in the ninth inning to record his first save this season and post his 21st consecutive scoreless outing from Opening Day, a club record. It’s the second longest such streak.
Sugiuchi allowed four hits and four walks with eight Ks on 118 pitches.
“What’s working best for me I think is the fact that I’m not thinking too much out there,” Sugiuchi said in the hero interview.
Shichi Murata blasted his 45th interleague homer, a solo shot in the second inning, as Yomiuri extended its CL record by winning its sixth straight game to open play vs. the PL.
Former Lion Yoshihito Ishii squeezed in the second run in the eighth for an insurance run.
Takayuki Kishi (4-4) was the hard-luck loser, holding Yomiuri to two runs on three hits with no walks and 10 Ks.
MARINES 5, SWALLOWS 1
Seth Greisinger (5-1) gave up four hits and fanned four, and Katsuya Kakunaka had a two-run triple in the sixth as Lotte topped Yakult at The Q.
Toshiaki Imae had two hits, including an RBI single, to back Greisinger, who won first interleague game since June 20, 2009.
EAGLES 4, DRAGONS 0
Wataru Karashima (2-2) went six shutout innings, and Shintaro Masuda, a fourth-round draft pick in 2005, clubbed his first pro home run [a two-run shot in the fifth to break up scoreless tie] as Rakuten downed Chunichi at The Kleenex Box.
Kensuke Uchimura squeezed home a run in the seventh and Luis Garcia singled in a run in the eighth as the Eagles reached a three-year best four games over .500.
HAWKS 6, CARP 3
Nagisa Arakaki (4-1) carried a perfect game into the sixth inning before Soichiro Amaya’s solo shot broke it up, and SoftBank built up a big lead and held off visiting Hiroshima.
A sore back slowed Hiroki Kokubo, who fanned three times and walked once, but failed to get hit No. 2000.
FIGHTERS 3, BAYSTARS 1
Atsunori Inaba singled in a run and tripled, and Sho Nakata and Yang Zhong-shou each drove in runs as Nippon Ham took down Yokohama at Sapporo Dome.
Alex Ramirez had three hits and an RBI for Yokohama.
TIGERS 8, BUFFALOES 2
Matt Murton had three hits and two RBIs, and Minoru Iwata (3-5) and four relievers held Orix to a pair of runs as Hanshin won at Kyocera Dome Osaka to snap a five-game skid.
*Interleague count:
PL 20, CL 13, 1 TIE
[Edited by: jgibson on May 24, 2012 3:48 PM]