This year the Hiroshima Carp have utterly dominated our boys, no matter the venue. In Hiroshima, they have won 8 of 12, and at Koshien, they have won 7 of 9. Would playing in a different city but still being the home team reverse the Tigers’ fortunes? It reversed Takahiro Arai’s fortunes in 2015, and he used his renewed life to remind the Tigers that they aren’t a very good team this year.
Game 112 – Tuesday 8/16: Johnson Dominates, T. Arai Continues Revenge Plot
Not much to talk about in this one. Starter Atsushi Nohmi gave up a solo homer to the exiled Arai in the top of the second, then a sacrifice fly to the same man in the top of the fourth, and an RBI single to the same older brother in the fifth. Meanwhile, our hitters could not for the life of them figure out Carp starter Johnson. Just a week after looking as though they had some idea of how to beat him, the bats went silent. Just two hits in seven innings, and nary a run to show for it. Meanwhile, the Carp found a way to score two more off reliever Cody Satterwhite in the seventh, and the Tigers only knocked on the door in the eighth – but failed to put a single digit up on the board.
Final Score: Carp 5, Tigers 0. Team Record: 50-59-3. LP: Nohmi (7-10)
Game 113 – Wednesday 8/17: Uninspired Play from Start to…
It didn’t take long for the visiting crowd to get their voices warmed up. Shintaro Fujinami got two quick outs but followed it up with a walk, hit and plunk to load the bases. He got out of the jam, fortunately. And the bats gave him a little lead to play with, as Masahiro Nakatani knocked in two guys with the bases loaded in the bottom of the first. The Carp chipped away at the lead, though, putting up single runs in the third and fourth innings – a hit here, a stolen base there, an errant throw here and a bloop single there. More of the same gave the red helmets a two-run lead in the fifth. Fujinami somehow survived the sixth without giving up any more runs, but his night was over, and it was time for someone else to take a beating. Hiroya Shimamoto gave up a home run to everyone’s favorite ex-Tiger (see Game 112) and then two more before being yanked after recording just a single out. The TV went off in the T-Ray home at this point, so we’ll leave the rest to your imagination.
Final Score: Carp LOTS, Tigers FEW. Team Record: 50-60-3. LP: Fujinami (5-9)