Hanshin Crumbles

Agreed on all counts, and where was Okada-kantoku to be found while Okamoto was showing up his pitcher? I was thinking that "in the day" some MLB monster like Earl Weaver or Billy Martin would have been charging out of the dugout, kicking dirt, screaming for a game forfeit, getting thrown out and/or otherwise demanding respect for their team regardless of the football score. But there was Okada sitting calmly, stroking his chin and thinking about what to buy his wife for an anniversary present (china? bracelet?)

The umps should not have allowed this farce, either. A total embarrassment for the Tigers. And a miserable end chapter to a miserable season for us torakichi.

Well the season is not over yet and it remains to be seen where the Tigers finish (second is most likely, which is not a miserable season). Sajikihara was the third pitcher Okada had used in the innings. What do you do, bring on the fourth? Sajikihara was also able to pull himself together and get the outs as well.

The Tigers have indeed been abject of late. But man, those Dragons are strong.

Okay, so the Tigers won't win the Ce-League pennant this season, but all is not lost: we might still be able to enjoy the Giants finishing last!

Christopher, at the point in that game you mention, not only would I have been happy to see a fourth pitcher appear, I would have been happy to see Andy Sheets come out to the mound for a try. Had I been there in person I would have volunteered to chuck a few over the plate. Remember that Sajikihara threw two balls while Okamoto stood still with his bat, two feet off home plate.

Yeah, yeah, I get too emotional over this stuff, I know, but I guess I feel that the season could have gone a lot better.

I take no pleasure whatsoever in Yomiuri's woes. And given the disappointment of last year's Japan Series, I think Okada has been in the unenviable position of needing not only a CL title, but a Japan Series victory as well. The team has been capable of it since 2002 or 2003, and I don't think it's unfair to say that they have choked in the clutch.

I didn't see Okamoto bat (or, er, not bat), but I don't think he was trying to show up the Tigers pitcher as much as get his AB over with and get back on the mound.

He's a middle reliever, so he's usually replaced by a pinch-hitter when it's his turn to bat, but I guess the Drags wanted to have him pitch some more this time to see what he could do (because he hasn't done particularly well at ichi-gun this year, and because the Drags had a fair lead at that point).

Okamoto's also probably a lot more worried about his pitching than his hitting, as he and another once-reliable righty middle reliever, Eiji Ochiai, have not been very impressive this year.

And Igawa's 8th inning at-bat tonight?

Ditto, Torakichi. I was at the game last evening and my eyeballs popped on that one. Somebody tell me what is going on!

That's not sportsmanship on any level, to go through the motions. I paid a lot of $$$ for good tickets, not to see stuff like that. We want to see "ganbaru!"

Who decides what kind of score makes it OK to give up? Or for the pitcher to not even try to hit the ball? The managers? Umps? Players? Someone fill me in as to whether this is something new in NPB or some accepted practice I've not been privileged to witness before. Yeesh. Hope I am not the only one who is upset to see this.

Igawa was going to pitch the ninth, remember, and he was tired. I was surprised that he was still on with such a high pitch count. I think he obviously wanted to get the bat out of the way so he could get on with the pitching. Furthermore, it did turn out to be a difficult 9th inning.

Of course you are right, Christopher - Igawa looked flat out exhausted, and it was time for a closer in the ninth inning. This brings up my old beef with Okada, that I feel he leaves his pitchers in too long. You'll recall that crushing game about two weeks ago where a tired Igawa gave up the sayonara home run in the Tokyo Dome after pitching magnificently - another game where he should not have been on the mound in the 9th. And I feel that Darwin and Egusa have been left to sweat heavily on the mound, especially on some ghastly hot and humid Kansai evenings when they looked wholly spent and possibly dehydrated.

Regardless of all that, if you step to the plate in a big league game, I think you should be expected to put forth some effort. That's only fair to the fans, after all. I have never seen this kind of thing in MLB (pitchers not taking an AB seriously) and I suspect if it happened, the players would face some kind of repercussion in the form of a fine, scolding, maybe a game suspension, etc. Surely the manager would have a fit, at least.

Oh well, at least the Tigers won last night and again this evening. So I will temper my nit-picking for now and see if the team can get back into the thick of things in the final weeks ahead. I'm out of Japan from tomorrow until next year so my viewing will be limited - but thanks to you, mijow, torakichi, and all these other great observers - not to mention Kamisama Westbay-san - I will be on top of the Tiger tales. So keep those dispatches coming! Rokko Oroshi!

Isn't the answer pretty obvious? Igawa was made to stay in, like Shimoyanagi was with 0-out and bases loaded in the 6th inning today - because our bullpen is empty! Sniff, sniff.

I think it also shows that the Tigers have been relying so much on their bullpen to win games this season. Gambare funbare Hanshin!

After what I just saw tonight (8-2 after 2 innings, losing 11-12 in 9), I think "crumbling" barely sums up what's quickly becoming a second half debacle.