A mysterious decision to call Friday’s game because of rain that never came meant this series was just a two-gamer. The first one was a tight game, and the Tigers kind of blew a big chance in the bottom of the sixth inning. Having already tied the game on a Yusuke Ohyama RBI double, there were two runners in scoring position for Sato. He struck out, leaving Johan Mieses with a chance. He hit a fly ball to center, which was deep enough to score Sheldon Neuse (who was on 3rd). However, Ohyama also took off for third, and the cut-off man astutely threw him out – just a fraction of a second before Neuse stepped on home. Three outs, no go-ahead run. The Swallows won the game in the very next inning. Sunday was another nerve-racking affair, with both teams threatening but never scoring. Enter rookie Shota Morishita in the bottom of the eighth. It was his fourth at-bat of the game, and he took the first pitch he saw for a ride into the left-field stands. His first career home run proved the difference and allowed for the Tigers to head into their off-day on a winning note. Up next is the second-place Baystars. These aren’t quite must-win games, but it sure would be nice to win them and get back to holding a comfortable lead in first!
