The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks came into interleague play struggling. Our Hanshin Tigers came in ablaze. Amazing how the tides turned for both teams in just a few short days.
Game 45 – Tuesday 5/29: Lots of “Chance” Cheers, No Rokko Oroshi
Starting Pitchers: Randy Messenger vs. Ken Okamoto
Everyone in the stadium, and everyone watching this one on TV would have said it was one of the most boring games they’d ever seen. But they weren’t sitting in the right field stands, rigiht next to the famed oendan (cheering squad). We had trumpet being blasted in our ears intermittently through the game, and it got especially loud in the… first, fourth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings, when we got runners into scoring position. But no dice, folks. Fourteen men left on base!
Meanwhile, Randy was dealin. Two hits in the first inning, and one more the rest of the way: 8 IP, 119 TP, 3 H, 1 BB, 0 R, 7 K. Unfortunately, Rafael Dolis came out as the loser in this one. A strikeout skipped away from our catcher, who then tried to throw the runner out on his way to first, hit him in the helmet, and after that, a couple of hits put up the lone run of the game in the top of the ninth.
Final Score:
1, 
0. LP: Dolis (1-2)
Game 46 – Still No RBI Hits!
Starting Pitchers: Haruto Takahashi vs. Shuta Ishikawa
The Tigers got a first-inning lead on a sacrifice fly by Kosuke Fukudome (the run scored without us recording a hit), and we were even gifted a second run on an Ishikawa wild pitch in the third. But in the top of the fourth, Haruto crumbled some. He loaded the bases, then walked home a run and gave up a two-run single to cough up the lead. Hanshin scored it right back in the bottom of the fifth, thanks once again to an Ishikawa wild pitch.
But Haruto tossed up two home run balls in the top of the sixth, and we were cooked. Runners reached base, but once again, much like Tuesday, no one could find their way home.
6, 3. LP: Haruto (2-2)
Game 47 – Letting Them Walk All Over Us
Starting Pitchers: Takumi Akiyama vs. Kenichi Nakata
Akiyama actually did a fabulous job, allowing just one run (on a Despaigne double in the fourth) during his time on the mound. But also while he was pitching (7 IP, 90 TP, 5 H, 2 BB, 1 R, 7 K), the team managed just three base runners, none of whom made it to second base. Send in the bullpen. Suguru Iwazaki got fully rocked: walk, triple, walk, walk. Yosuke Okamoto followed that up with a walk and single allowed, pushing this one out of reach.
But wait! We’d be remiss to ignore that the Tigers finally got an RBI hit in this game in the bottom of the eighth. Hawks starter walked the bases loaded, and we responded with a sacrifice fly, then another walk to reload the bases, then a… get ready for it… run-scoring single!
福留孝介、タイムリーヒット😎⚾✨ pic.twitter.com/rs2tA3i79M
— や す ぽ ん くん@FCU (@ksmokya_fcu_21) May 31, 2018
That was all. Three runners reached base in the ninth as well, but we made their scrub of a replacement closer look Sarfatesque three straight nights.
5, 2. LP: Akiyama (4-5)
And for the record, Hanshin got 36 guys on base in this series. No extra base hits. Only five runs scored. One on a hit (the rest came on two sacrifice flies, two wild pitches). That is all. Time for these bats to wake up against the Lions on the weekend!