Konami Cup Day Three

The Chiba Lotte Marines and China Stars faced off in the first game on Saturday, November 12. The report I got at the SABR meeting I was at was that Lotte scraped out a win 3-1. Benny's bases clearing double accounted for all three Marine runs. From what I was told, Benny and Franco were the only two regulars in the linup against China.

I attended the second game (just got home). The Samsun Lions won 4-3, but the Sinon Bulls basically gave them the game.

In the bottom of the first inning, a walk, hit batsman, throwing error, and sacrifice fly put the Samsun Lions up by a score of 3-0 - without a single hit. Samsun scored their fourth run in the bottom of the second on a throwing error (ruled an infield hit - but I disagree). That's all the runs they scored, without a legitimate hit anywhere.

Ironically, Samsun got two doubles in the third inning, but because the runner at second was touching up on the fly to the left-center gap to the wall, he was unable to score on the second double.

Taiwan also got out of a runners at second and third with nobody out jam later in the game. A ground ball to the infield kept the runners at second and third for out number one. Then the next batter grounded the ball to the right side. The runner at third got caught in a rundown. After he was tagged out, the batter was caught in a rundown between first and second - when the runner at third broke for the plate. The throw came home, and he was caught in a rundown - to be touched out for a double play. This was perhaps the defensive highlight of the game for both side.

The Bulls scored all three of their runs in the same inning - the fifth or sixth, I don't remember. They earned their runs, but it was one short of what they gave up.

I liked the hustle shown by the Taiwanese players. They ran up the first base line on all ground balls they hit. No, they didn't make it, but they went all out. There were a number of high throws to first that could have been beaten out by the Lions had they given a little more effort.

We were sitting on the first base side, a couple isles away from the Samsun cheer leaders. A lot of guys would come over, take a number of pictures of the girls, then return to their seats. I swear, there were more cameras focused on the cheer leaders than on the field.

Then, around the sixth inning, a lot of girls suddenly started coming over with their cameras. I thought, it can't be to see the break dancers. Then, there appeared to be a rock star in the audiance giving autographs. That "rock star" turned out to be Lotte's Lee Seung-Yeop (formerly of the Samsun Lions, I believe). Fans would line up between innings to get his picture and have him sign programs and sign boards, then be chased away by the staff once play started again. Lee dashed up the stairs with two outs remaining in the game, leaving behind a wake of blank faces wondering if they had just seen who they thought they saw.

So, the final on Sunday will come down the the predicted two teams: Chiba Lotte Marines (Japan) vs. Samsun Lions (Korea). I hope both teams can clean up their play and play an errorless game.