Playing with Pain

The Seibu Lions finished April only a half game out of first place in
the fledgling Pacific League pennant race. Manager Osamu Higashio's team
generally played sharp baseball throughout the month, even despite a rash
of early season injuries to key players.

That's the good news. The bad news is that April ended with back-to-back
home losses to lowly Lotte, setbacks that cast a chilly shadow over the
Lions' quick start.

The most publicized of Seibu's wounded is of course boy wonder Daisuke
Matsuzaka, who sprained his ankle while rushing to back-up home plate on
a play that didn't get past third. The first prognosis, which had Matsuzaka
out  for an entire month, made both the team and the fan-starved league
grimace. Not only has the teenage hurler become the main arm in the Lions
rotation, he also ranks as the biggest crowd pleaser this side of the Yomiuri
Giants.

Fortunately, 19 year old ankles heal rather quickly, with Matsuzaka's
return to the mound now set for May 6th, two weeks ahead of schedule.

The Lions also lost batters number four and five, DH Reggie Jefferson
and first sacker Ken Suzuki, to sore hamstrings. Yet, both losses were
well covered by replacements.

In Suzuki's case, left fielder Taisei Takagi was shifted back to his
natural position of first base, opening an outfield spot for former Rookie
of the Year Tatsuya Ozeki, a singles hitter who had been benched in favor
for more the more thunderous bat of Tetsuya Kakiuchi. Given a chance, Ozeki
quickly went on a tear, hitting above .300 and equaling his home run output
of all last season -- with one.

In the case of Jefferson, outfielder/DH Cory Paul was recalled from
the farm and began belting the ball at a near .400 clip, including a pair
of homers. If Paul can continue such hitting, Jefferson might end up receiving
much more rehabilitation time than he would like.

Even with the efforts of Ozeki and Paul, the twin losses to Lotte hurt,
especially the second one, an 8-2 drubbing which Higashio managed like
he was drunk.

To start, Higashio set down his number three hitter, 3rd baseman Tony
Fernandez, who had so far hit safely in all of the Lions games save one
and was leading the team in batting and run production. The 37 year old
Fernandez could use an occasional rest; however, as Seibu's three game
set with Lotte was bracketed by off days, the removal of the Lions top
hitter may have had much more to do with his recent run-ins on the base
paths than his age.

To start, late in the April 27th game against Lotte, with Seibu protecting
a slim lead, Fernandez stole third. The 15 year Major League veteran felt
certain he had caught the Marines napping and he was right. But his steal
caught the Lions napping as well, as some of his own teammates voiced surprise
that Fernandez would run in such a situation. That he eventually scored
and that Lions won the game seemed to be lost in the discussion.

Then the  following day -- in a game Seibu lost -- Fernandez scored
from third on a close play in which he slid hard into Lotte catcher Kenji
Yoshitsuru with his spikes raised. Yoshitsuru was momentarily stunned and
both benches were cleared. In the melee, Ken Suzuki, just back from his
hamstring problem, received a stomp to the foot and a cut on one finger.

While the Marines screamed that the play was "dirty baseball," home
plate umpire Minoru Nakamura said the opposite and Higashio was quick to
support Fernandez -- known in the States as both a winner and a gentleman.

But the next day, Fernandez sat for nine whole innings -- while the
roughed up Yoshitsuru started and the bruised Suzuki entered play late
as a pinch hitter.

Whether just resting his newest foreign player or protecting him from
possible Lotte reprisals or perhaps trying to teach him a lesson about
the more genteel nature of Japanese baseball, Higashio still handicapped
his team, as all game long the heart of Seibu's readjusted line-up was
unable to produce with runners on base.

Then in the sixth inning with Seibu nursing a 1-0 lead with two out
and men on first and second and pitcher Tetsuya Shiozaki working on a four
hitter, Higashio pulled his starter in favor of left-hander Hiroki Tomioka.

Who immediately walked the bases full and then gave up a bases clearing
double to Frank Bolick -- on a ball that missed being a grand slam by ten
inches.

Higashio then switched to Rafeal Dias who was quickly tagged for a two
run homer by Hiroh Ishii -- on a ball that may not have come down even
yet. Dias put two more men on base before finally ending the inning.

In the seventh the Mexican reliever struggled further, putting three
men on. Though Dias had now allowed six of the eight men to face him reach
base, Higashio chose to let him pitch to Bolick -- who walked, forcing
in a run. Higashio then allowed Dias to face Ishii -- who also walked,
forcing in still another run.

While managers are human like anyone else, Higashio still deserves credit
for this loss and not Shiozaki, who owned a shutout when leaving the mound.

The end result is that Seibu handed Lotte its first consecutive wins
all year. And the Lions, who had indeed been playing like the team to beat
in the Pacific League, were suddenly the chaser instead of the chased,
falling behind in the standings to the Nippon Ham Fighters.

Of course, there is still a long way yet to go. Plenty of time to bounce
back, for both Seibu's injured players -- and its clumsy manager.