Buffs Lose and Retake Lead

The second half of the season started off last Friday (7/27) with the top two Pacific League teams facing off in a three game series.  Daiei took the first two to retake first place for the first time in just over a month, but that lead was short lived as the Buffaloes retook their place on the top of the Pacific League pennant race just 18 hours and 40 minutes later.

I think that Rhodes said it best, "Thanks go to this stadium."

With preparation for a B'z concert at Fukuoka Dome, the Sunday game was slated for a beautiful afternoon under the sky at Kita-Kyushu.  Whereas Fukuoka Dome fits the new standard of large ball parks, Kita-Kyushu is only 92 meters down the lines and 119 meters to straight away center.  What would be a fly out in Fukuoka Dome will clear the fence here - and it did.

Kintetsu's Nashida-kantoku was quoted as saying, "Matsunaka's and Johjima's home runs would have made it out even in Fukuoka Dome, but the other three (home runs)... Foo hoo hoo hooooo."  The "other three" that he was talking about were Kintetsu's three 2-run home runs hit in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th by Ohmura, Yoshioka, and Rhodes respectively.  With home run accounting for all the runs on both sides, Kitetsu took the game 6-3.

The "right fly" turned home run that Rhodes hit was his 36th of the season, keeping one above Seibu's Cabrera who hit his 35th later Sunday night (in a losing cause).

Still, though, the Pacific League race looks to be close all the way down to the wire.  Even Lotte is still in the race in 5th place 5 games out.  Atsu-Pa!!!