On Saturday afternoon, Western League champion Hanshin Tigers faced off against the Eastern League’s best team, the Yomiuri Giants, for the rights to be called the top farm squad of 2018. Despite both teams having won a number of pennants in the past, they apparently never once faced each other in this showdown until this year. Akihiro Yano‘s squad, which impressed fans all year with a fearless attitude, didn’t disappoint in this one.
First, the starting lineup at Submarine Stadium Miyazaki (special thanks to @Rickeilfullue for permission to use his photos):
1) Taiga Egoshi CF / 2) Fumiya Araki 2B / 3) Shun Takayama LF / 4) Yutaro Itayama RF / 5) Ryota Imanari 3B / 6) Ryosuke Ogata DH / 7) Noriharu Yamazaki 1B / 8) Kenya Nagasaka C / 9) Takahiro Kumagai SS / Starting Pitcher: Masumi Hamachi
The game started somewhat slowly in terms of offense. It took until the third for Kumagai to be our first base runner, but no run scored that inning.
Hamachi pitched fairly well but back-to-back hits to lead off the fourth resulted in the Tigers being behind… for a little, anyways.
In the bottom of the inning… Itayama knocked in a run, Yamazaki took one for the team to bring home the go-ahead run, Kumagai knocked in another, and then on what was called an error on a fly ball by Araki, the bases cleared. SIX to one!
The Giants got two back the next inning, but ultimately the lead was pushed back up to five on this Egoshi blast:
無編集で恐縮ですが…
江越選手ホームラン動画です pic.twitter.com/o1abHD0M3X— Rickeil (@rickeilfullue) October 6, 2018
And they got one final run in the ninth, and that was all. We are the champions, my friend!
Thanks again for the photo, @rickeilfullue!
MVP: Kumagai (3 AB, 2 H, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 SB)
Outstanding player: Kosuke Baba (3 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 3 K)