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Michael Westbay
(aka westbaystars)
Founder
Our starter, Kai-wen Cheng, had his best start of the season. Cheng allowed just 1 run in the 2nd inning when the Lions got going with a double, single, and sacrifice fly to take a 1-0 lead. Cheng allowed a 2-out single in the 3rd and walked the leadoff batter in the 4th, but he was doubled up to prevent any damage. The effective 5 inning outing (replaced for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the 5th) lowered his ERA to 7.50 in 3 appearances.
Hiroshi Kobayashi held a couple of Lion attacks back for two innings, then Shun Yamaguchi, returning from a stint on the farm, threw a 3-up, 3-down 8th inning while striking out two.
Yokohama managed to tie the game in the bottom half of the 8th as Kensuke Uchimura led off the inning with a single up the middle. He stole second, then moved to third on a ground out to the right side. Nori then grounded the ball to Esteban German at third base who threw home. Uchimura slid around the blocking Ginjiro Sumitani at the plate -- who missed the ball! We managed to get a run in! It's a tied ball game!
But wait, Sumitani looks hurt.
This didn't look like a dangerous "take out the catcher" event to me. Uchimura didn't bowl into the catcher, he slid around him. It appears to me that Ginjiro got some dirt in his eye. If he's wearing contacts, I can see how that could be painful. The only report I've seen says that he was checked out at a local Yokohama hospital and has a "damaged" left eye. The extent of the damage is unclear, as is how the damage occurred.
Jorge Sosa pitched the 9th, allowing a 2-out single but no other damage. Then he hit for himself with 2 out and nobody on in the bottom of the 9th, striking out swinging. So back on the mound, he immediately gives up a leadoff triple off the right-center field wall by Yuji Onizaki, Nyjer Morgan just missing on his running leap at the wall. Sosa got pinch hitter Tatsuyuki Uemoto to strike out swinging, then Shogo Akiyama grounded to Uchimura at second, who looked the runner back (while bobbling the ball) and threw to first for out number two. Whew. Looks like we might escape this jam.
But it wasn't meant to be.
Yasuyuki Kataoka drills the ball to the left side. Takayuki Kajitani makes a great diving top, but has nowhere to throw to when he comes up. The go-ahead run has scored and Kataoka has an infield hit. Lions take the lead in the 10th.
The top of the BayStars order went down 1-2-3 in the bottom half of the inning, and all was lost.
Final: Yokohama 1 - 2 Lions (10 innings).