2001 Nihon Series Game 3

Nakamura leads off the 5th against Yakult starter Iriki with a line drive into the right-center gap. He jogs into second with a stand up double!

Isobe fouls out to Iwamura between home and third for the first out.

Yoshioka followed with a base on balls.

Kawaguchi hits a come backer up the middle and into center field. Nori is being waved around, and scores as Miyamoto makes the cut off at second. Kinetsu answers with a run! Stampede coming!

Furukubo, who's 0 for 4 so far this Series, watches strike three for out number two. Nice curve, Iriki.

Rookie Abe, of whom this is the first time I'm seeing him, fouls off Iriki's first two pitches to him. After taking a ball and fouling off another, Abe swings and misses a low-outside pitch to retire the side. (I'm guessing he was pinch hitting for Burgman.)

But Kinetsu got on the board with Nakamura's lead off double and Kawaguchi's RBI single. Going to the bottom of the fifth, the score is Kintetsu 1-2 Yakult.

Kohda comes in to pitch for Kinetsu, so I think my guess about Abe pinch hitting was right.

The first batter he faces is a glasses-less Dobashi. And Dobashi hits a line drive to the left-center gap! Rhodes reaches out, but isn't anywhere near it. The ball goes to the fence before being picked up by Rhodes and fired in to hold Dobashi to a double. Well, that's a pair of lead off doubles this inning.

Soejima comes in to pinch hit for Iriki, and while the announcers complain that Yakult would be better off with Iriki bunting, he pops the ball up to Kohda in front of the mound for the first out.

Manaka gives the ball a ride up the first base line, and with the semai confines of Jingu, there's no doubt about it, that ball is gone! (Would have been off the fence at Osaka.) Yakult extends their lead to 1-4.

Miyamoto, with no one to sacrifice, rips a base hit through the right side. And we've got a pitching change. Left handed Sekiguchi comes in.

Inaba strikes out on three pitches, the last one way up high, for out number two.

Petagine comes up. He's walked and struck out so far. This time he rips a line drive to center. It's over Ohmura's head and off the base of the fence! Miyamoto rounds third and comes home. The throw is off line as he slides in to score, and Peta-chan heads to second on the throw.

Furuta apparently singled in Petagine his first at bat. By the replay, it looks like a good throw would have had him. This time, Sekiguchi walks him on four pitches, though.

Iwamura, flown out to left and center his two previous at bats, takes two pitches before Sekiguchi hits the outside part of the plate for his first strike in a while. After and "excuse me" foul ball, Iwamura rips a line drive just fair up the first base line. Peta-chan comes in to score, and Furuta, still complaining about pain in his left knee, holds at third. Yakult is now up 1-6. Is this a safe lead?

With the announcers jabering on wondering why Nashida-kantoku doesn't change the pitcher, I notice that I've got the TV sound on the sub-channel, which is some geinojin chat room. After switching to listen to the "real" announcers, Ramirez strikes out swinging to retire the side.

But Yakult increased their lead to 5 runs, not up 1-6.

Newman comes in to pitch for Yakult. And he gets Ohmura on a ground out to short right away for the first out. Newman looks like a giant out there on the mound.

Mizuguchi hits a high bounder to short. Miyamoto gets it on a short second hop and throws on to first for the second out.

Rhodes hits a broken bat comebacker to Newman. The 198cm tall lefty avoids the bat and grabs the ball. The toss to first is in plenty of time, and the side is retired in order. Nice pitching.

While Fuji TV was off at commercial, Dobashi reached first base. (I hate when they do that.)

Newman comes up to bat for himself, and fails to bunt three pitches, being rung up by the third base ump for going around on that third one way up high. (And it isn't easy to throw one high to him.)

Manaka, who hit that big two run home run last inning, hits a long fly ball to right. This one is staying in the grounds, though, and it taken in for out number two.

Miyamoto, 5 for 10 in the Series so far (why have him bunt so much with that bat?), grounds a ball deep to the hole at short. While the shortstop gets to the ball, there's no where for him to throw it, and Miyamoto has an infield base hit. Now, isn't more of that better than a sacrifice bunt?

Sekiguchi loses his control again and walks Inaba on five pitches. Nashida-kantoku isn't moving, so he'll stay in there to face Peta-chan with bases loaded.

And Sekiguchi throws two straight pitches way low out of the strike zone before coming in down the middle. Peta-chan connects and hits the ball back up the middle, just missing Sekiguchi's outstreched leg. One run is in, two runs in.

Furuta continues the parade by grounding his first offering to the right side, driving in one more. Yakult now has a 1-9 lead while the Swallows fans continue to sing Tokyo Ondo non-stop.

Iwamua does us a favor and strikes out swinging to retire the side. But not before the Birds of Jingu take a commanding 1-9 lead.

If anyone can start the fire, it's "Full Swing" Nakamura. And he lifts it high and deep! The fans think it's going for a while, but Ramirez waits for it at the warning track in left, and makes the catch. Aw.

Isobe, still hitless on the Series, hits a high bounder to Petagine at first. He takes it to the bag himself, and there are two down.

Yoshioka, also hitless on the Series, comes through with a base hit through the hole on the left side! Two out baserunner.

Kitaguchi comes up to pinch hit for Furukubo (I believe). And hits a two bound bullet to Iwamura at third. He doesn't field it cleanly, and the throw to first is wide! It's ruled an E-5.

Takano comes in to pinch hit for Sekiguchi rips the ball up the middle and into center, base hit! Yoshioka scores from second, and we have a two out rally going!

Abe hand cuffs the ball to second. The only play is to first, and it's in time for the final out. Well, Kintetsu managed one run and now trails by just 2-8.

Morita takes over on the mound for Kintetsu. And with the conclusion of Tokyo Ondo by the fans, Ramirez steps up to the plate.

And Ramirez fans for the first out.

Dobashi lifts a fly ball to shallow center after the first base umpire allowed him a second chance when I thought he went around. Nonetheless, Ohmura takes in the fly for the second out.

Bun-Bun Maru, Ikeyama, steps up to the plate much to the delight of the Jingu crowd. He lifts the ball to right field. The crowd gets excited, but it isn't that deep. It's pulled in, and the Birds go down in order. Nice pitching, Morita.

Yakult's "other Ishii," Ishii Hirotoshi, takes over on the mound.

Ishii faces the top of the Buffaloes' order in Ohmura, hitless so far this evening. And he takes four straight balls to reach base. That's what the Buffs need, base runners.

After Furuta has a short chat with Ishii, Mizuguchi steps up. He took a few pitches that looked pretty good, but were called balls, much to Furuta's disagreement. With the count full, Mizuguchi grounds to Petagine at first. He throws to second for one, the relay back to Ishii covering first is in time, and we now have two down and nobody on. Argh. The setting changed awfully fast.

Rhodes battles the count full before grounding to Petagine behind the first base bag. His shovel to Ishii covering retires the side. There was a lead off walk, but three up, three down in the end. Kintetsu is down to just one more chance.

Shibata comes in to throw the bottom of the 8th for Kintetsu.

And he faces the top of Yakult's line up in Manaka. With a high pitch, Shibata gets Manaka swinging off ballance. That was a bad looking swing for out number one.

Miyamoto can't hold up on a pitch that almost hits his right shin, and there are two down.

Inaba, though, rips his first offering just left of center for a two out base hit.

Petagine lifts a 2-2 pitch the other way to left, but right at Rhodes, and the side is retired. Well, it's Kintetsu's last chance, needing 7 to keep the game going.

Yakult goes to Kawabata to close the game with a 7 run lead.

Nakamura fouls out to Peta-chan for the first out. That's not the way to start a rally, Nori.

Isobe continues his hitless streak, now 0 for 12 as he grounds out to short for the second out. Time for another two out rally!

Yoshioka lifts a high fly ball in front of the Swallows dug out on the first base side. Peta-chan is over, and makes the catch to retire the side.

And that's the ball game, folks. Yakult wins Game 3 by the score of 2-9.