Climax Series First Stage Game 2: One Base Runner

Those 26 shutout losses during the regular season were no fluke. Today, the Hanshin Tigers managed just two hits, did not earn a single free pass, and struck out 14 times (against a pitcher-generous umpire, mind you). The first of those hits was a single by Koji Chikamoto that saw him thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. When you get just one man on base the whole game, and he’s on third with just one out, you gotta bring him home! Especially when your pitching staff — Masashi Itoh started, Junya Nishi and Kyle Keller spotted him with perfect relief — does such an outstanding job. The series will be decided tomorrow in the rubber match. Game time is 2:00 pm JST. Let’s not end our season just yet, Tigers!