Nichi-Bei: Game 5

Before the game on November 10, 2004, Sadaharu Oh presented Roger Clemens with a bouquet. Clemens had been named the National League's Cy Young winner earlier in the day and there was much speculation that this would be the last start of his career.

Athens Olympic Marathon winner Mizuki Noguchi threw out the first pitch. The diminutive lefty heaved the ball the full 60 feet to the plate. Leadoff hitter Carl Crawford took a swing and purposely missed. He autographed the ball for her.

Clemens threw his first pitch past everyone and it ricocheted off of the backstop. Leadoff hitter Norihiro Akahoshi never seemed to regain his composure and finished the night 0 for 4.

Buffaloes' pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma had a no-hitter through four-and-a-third innings. The only runner to reach base against him had been David Ortiz, who had walked then was doubled up on Johnny Estrada's ground ball to second baseman Makoto Imaoka. Miguel Cabrera got the first hit of the game for the Major Leaguers with one out in the fifth, but he was also doubled up.

The Japanese stars scored all their runs in the second off of Clemens. Akinori Iwamura singled and stole second. Kazuhiro Wada followed with a single to put runners on first and third with no outs. Shigenobu Shima doubled them both in, and Hiroyuki Nakajima singled in Shima. Shima's double was the only extra-base hit of the game.

Crawford scored the only run for the Major Leaguers in the seventh when he singled, stole second and third, then scored on a wild pitch by Iwakuma.

There was a weird play in the bottom of the eighth. With two outs and Iwamura on second, the batter, Atusya Furuta, seemed to get out of the way of an 0-2 pitch by Dontrelle Willis. At first it appeared that the ball hit Furuta. Then it seemed that it was wild. Iwamura had run to third. Finally, the catcher, Johnny Estrada, threw the ball to Brad Wilkerson at first base and the umpire called Furuta out. The only thing that we could figure out was that maybe it was ruled that Furuta had swung at the pitch as he was getting out of the way and the strikeout was recorded at first. [Nikkan Sports confirms a strike out.]

In the top of the ninth, Toshihisa Nishi, who had come in for Imaoka, made a nice play behind second to scoop Crawford's ground ball and retire him at first. The second batter, Hank Blalock, singled to center. Manager Oh came out and removed Hirotoshi Ishii and Ryota Igarashi was announced to the roar of the crowd. Igarashi got Vernon Wells to fly out to center fielder Akahoshi on the first pitch.

Oh came out again and put in lefty Koji Mise to face the lefty Ortiz. There were disapproving murmurs from the crowd about this move, but with the infield shifted over to the right, Ortiz lined Mise's first pitch right at first baseman Michihiro Ogasawara to give the Japanese All-Stars their first win of the series 3-1.