Tokyo Yakult Swallows manager Junji Ogawa said Monday he has accepted a request to continue at the helm of the Central League club next season.The 55-year-old said he was asked to stay on as skipper by club president Tsuyoshi Kinugasa on Sunday after the Swallows' 4-4, 10-inning tie against the Yomiuri Giants at Hard Off Eco Stadium in Niigata."I am really grateful," said Ogawa, who has been offered a one-year deal. "Right now my mind is completely occupied with making the Climax Series (playoffs)."Ogawa, who is in the final year of a two-year contract, took over as acting manager in May 2010, after Shigeru Takada quit, and was made manager in 2011.
Showing posts with label Swallows. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Swallows. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Watanabe shines in victory over Swallows
Shunsuke Watanabe made himself at home on the mound at windy Jingu Stadium on Wednesday night.
How low can you go?: Mariners right-hander Shunsuke Watanabe delivers a pitch against the Swallows on Wednesday at Jingu Stadium. Chiba Lotte defeated Tokyo Yakult 6-0. KYODOUsed to pitching in the gusting winds at his home park on the Chiba bayside, the submarine righty allowed three singles and a walk over seven innings and drove in a run as the Chiba Lotte Marines beat the Tokyo Yakult Swallows 6-0."It's the best I've pitched all year," said Watanabe, who won for the first time since May 9. "I'm used to the wind, although I don't know this park well. I just concentrated as best I could."Katsuya Kakunaka broke the ice in the top of the first after Swallows starter Shohei Tateyama (4-5) retired the first two batters. A walk and a single set the table for Kakunaka, who entered the game batting .329 in interleague play. The left-handed batter smacked a 2-2 forkball into center to give Watanabe the lead.Shunichi Nemoto widened the lead in the fifth with his second homer of the season and his second in two games. With two out in the sixth, Watanabe took advantage of his chance to bat by driving in Kakunaka for the first run of his career with a single. The Marines' second run scored on a throwing error by Swallows center fielder Lastings Milledge."I don't really like batting," Watanabe said. "It was dumb luck."Kakunaka, who went 3-for-4, also singled home a run in the seventh.The victory increased Lotte's lead in the Pacific League to 1 1/2 games over the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters.Despite a Central League team winning the interleague title for the first time since the competition starting in 2005, the PL won the season series from the CL, 67-66. There were 11 ties.BayStars 6, Eagles 2At Sendai's Kleenex Stadium, Yokohama opened the scoring on back-to-back, fourth-inning doubles by veterans Norihiro Nakamura and Alex Ramirez, while leadoff man Sho Aranami went 2-for-5 with two RBIs in a win over Tohoku Rakuten.Lefty Shugo Fujii (2-2) allowed a run in 5 1/3 innings to earn the victory, while the BayStars flailed right-hander Manabu Mima (4-2) for five runs on 10 hits in five innings.
How low can you go?: Mariners right-hander Shunsuke Watanabe delivers a pitch against the Swallows on Wednesday at Jingu Stadium. Chiba Lotte defeated Tokyo Yakult 6-0. KYODOUsed to pitching in the gusting winds at his home park on the Chiba bayside, the submarine righty allowed three singles and a walk over seven innings and drove in a run as the Chiba Lotte Marines beat the Tokyo Yakult Swallows 6-0."It's the best I've pitched all year," said Watanabe, who won for the first time since May 9. "I'm used to the wind, although I don't know this park well. I just concentrated as best I could."Katsuya Kakunaka broke the ice in the top of the first after Swallows starter Shohei Tateyama (4-5) retired the first two batters. A walk and a single set the table for Kakunaka, who entered the game batting .329 in interleague play. The left-handed batter smacked a 2-2 forkball into center to give Watanabe the lead.Shunichi Nemoto widened the lead in the fifth with his second homer of the season and his second in two games. With two out in the sixth, Watanabe took advantage of his chance to bat by driving in Kakunaka for the first run of his career with a single. The Marines' second run scored on a throwing error by Swallows center fielder Lastings Milledge."I don't really like batting," Watanabe said. "It was dumb luck."Kakunaka, who went 3-for-4, also singled home a run in the seventh.The victory increased Lotte's lead in the Pacific League to 1 1/2 games over the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters.Despite a Central League team winning the interleague title for the first time since the competition starting in 2005, the PL won the season series from the CL, 67-66. There were 11 ties.BayStars 6, Eagles 2At Sendai's Kleenex Stadium, Yokohama opened the scoring on back-to-back, fourth-inning doubles by veterans Norihiro Nakamura and Alex Ramirez, while leadoff man Sho Aranami went 2-for-5 with two RBIs in a win over Tohoku Rakuten.Lefty Shugo Fujii (2-2) allowed a run in 5 1/3 innings to earn the victory, while the BayStars flailed right-hander Manabu Mima (4-2) for five runs on 10 hits in five innings.Friday, June 1, 2012
Swallows end 10-game slide
The Tokyo Yakult Swallows snapped their longest losing streak since 1973 on Thursday night as slumping Kazuhiro Hatakeyama doubled in the game's first run and fired the first shot of a three-homer salvo at Jingu Stadium.
Big blast: Swallows slugger Lastings Milledge crushes a grand slam in the sixth inning against the Fighters on Thursday at Jingu Stadium. Tokyo Yakult defeated Hokkaido Nippon Ham 10-5. KYODOOrlando Roman (3-5), allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings and doubled in the game's second run in a 10-5 victory over the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters that ended the hosts' 10-game losing streak.Hatakeyama led off the third against Fighters pitcher Yuki Saito (4-4) with his second homer of the year. After the visitors got on the board through Sho Nakata's second homer in three games, the Swallows slugged back in the bottom of the sixth.Yuji Iihara led off with his first homer of the year, and a grand slam by Lastings Milledge, his seventh jack of the year, capped the five-run bloodletting."We haven't played our kind of ball," Iihara said. "It feels good to win."Nippon Ham star Atsunori Inaba became the 44th player in Japan to play in 2,000 games. Inaba, who also reached 2,000 hits for his career in April, played his first 1,023 games for the Swallows.Giants 4, Eagles 2At Tokyo Dome, Yoshinobu Takahashi, who drove in the only runs in Wednesday's no-hit victory over Tohoku Rakuten, belted another two-run homer as Yomiuri moved eight games over .500.Edgar Gonzalez, who returned to the Giants on May 17 after playing for them in 2010, had his first two hits of the season, including an RBI single.Carp 5, Lions 3At Hiroshima's Mazda Stadium, Nick Stavinhoa had RBI singles in his first two at-bats off Seibu southpaw Kazuhisa Ishii (4-2).Rookie right-hander Yusuke Nomura (4-3) allowed three runs in eight innings. Nomura gave up eight hits but struck out nine without issuing a walk. His RBI double made it 3-0 in the sixth.Kam Mickolio nailed down his second straight save opportunity.Tigers 2, Marines 1At Koshien Stadium, Craig Brazell singled in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth as Hanshin avoided drawing with Pacific League-leading Chiba Lotte for the second straight night. Light-hitting catcher Akihito Fujii homered for the first time in a year, and Brazell dribbled a one-out single through the infield after going hitless in eight straight at-bats.Veteran Marines outfielder Saburo Omura, who attended high school at Osaka's PL Gakuen, played in his 1,500th game.Buffaloes 4, Dragons 4At Nagoya Dome, Chunichi's Ryosuke Hirata returned to action for the first time since May 19 and drove in a pair of runs as the Dragons played Orix to a nine-inning tie.Out of action due to slight back trouble, Hirata's second-inning sacrifice fly opened the scoring. His sixth-inning RBI single brought Central League-leading Chunichi to within a run.Hawks 2, BayStars 2At Fukuoka Prefecture's Kitakyushu Stadium, Brandon Mann allowed no runs on five hits and a walk over seven innings for Yokohama. Fukuoka Softbank, however, tied it in the eighth inning on back-to-back RBI singles by Yuichi Honda and Seiichi Uchikawa and the game ended in a tie.The BayStars were without veteran outfielder Alex Ramirez, who felt discomfort in his left adductor muscle. He is expected to return to the lineup at Seibu Dome on June 2, where the designated hitter rule will be in force. New Hawks import Wily Mo Pena broke an 0-for-35 skid with a fourth-inning single.
Big blast: Swallows slugger Lastings Milledge crushes a grand slam in the sixth inning against the Fighters on Thursday at Jingu Stadium. Tokyo Yakult defeated Hokkaido Nippon Ham 10-5. KYODOOrlando Roman (3-5), allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings and doubled in the game's second run in a 10-5 victory over the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters that ended the hosts' 10-game losing streak.Hatakeyama led off the third against Fighters pitcher Yuki Saito (4-4) with his second homer of the year. After the visitors got on the board through Sho Nakata's second homer in three games, the Swallows slugged back in the bottom of the sixth.Yuji Iihara led off with his first homer of the year, and a grand slam by Lastings Milledge, his seventh jack of the year, capped the five-run bloodletting."We haven't played our kind of ball," Iihara said. "It feels good to win."Nippon Ham star Atsunori Inaba became the 44th player in Japan to play in 2,000 games. Inaba, who also reached 2,000 hits for his career in April, played his first 1,023 games for the Swallows.Giants 4, Eagles 2At Tokyo Dome, Yoshinobu Takahashi, who drove in the only runs in Wednesday's no-hit victory over Tohoku Rakuten, belted another two-run homer as Yomiuri moved eight games over .500.Edgar Gonzalez, who returned to the Giants on May 17 after playing for them in 2010, had his first two hits of the season, including an RBI single.Carp 5, Lions 3At Hiroshima's Mazda Stadium, Nick Stavinhoa had RBI singles in his first two at-bats off Seibu southpaw Kazuhisa Ishii (4-2).Rookie right-hander Yusuke Nomura (4-3) allowed three runs in eight innings. Nomura gave up eight hits but struck out nine without issuing a walk. His RBI double made it 3-0 in the sixth.Kam Mickolio nailed down his second straight save opportunity.Tigers 2, Marines 1At Koshien Stadium, Craig Brazell singled in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth as Hanshin avoided drawing with Pacific League-leading Chiba Lotte for the second straight night. Light-hitting catcher Akihito Fujii homered for the first time in a year, and Brazell dribbled a one-out single through the infield after going hitless in eight straight at-bats.Veteran Marines outfielder Saburo Omura, who attended high school at Osaka's PL Gakuen, played in his 1,500th game.Buffaloes 4, Dragons 4At Nagoya Dome, Chunichi's Ryosuke Hirata returned to action for the first time since May 19 and drove in a pair of runs as the Dragons played Orix to a nine-inning tie.Out of action due to slight back trouble, Hirata's second-inning sacrifice fly opened the scoring. His sixth-inning RBI single brought Central League-leading Chunichi to within a run.Hawks 2, BayStars 2At Fukuoka Prefecture's Kitakyushu Stadium, Brandon Mann allowed no runs on five hits and a walk over seven innings for Yokohama. Fukuoka Softbank, however, tied it in the eighth inning on back-to-back RBI singles by Yuichi Honda and Seiichi Uchikawa and the game ended in a tie.The BayStars were without veteran outfielder Alex Ramirez, who felt discomfort in his left adductor muscle. He is expected to return to the lineup at Seibu Dome on June 2, where the designated hitter rule will be in force. New Hawks import Wily Mo Pena broke an 0-for-35 skid with a fourth-inning single.Thursday, May 10, 2012
Yamai guides Dragons past Swallows, into first place
TOYOHASHI, Aichi Pref. — Daisuke Yamai pitched three-hit ball over eight scoreless innings and Takuya Asao finished off the relay as the Chunichi Dragons edged the Tokyo Yakult Swallows 1-0 to take over first place in the Central League on Tuesday.
Yamai (1-3) struck out seven while walking none. Asao worked the ninth for his first save of the season.Kazuhiro Wada had an RBI single to give Chunichi the lead with two outs in the third inning at Toyohashi Stadium.The Swallows were shut out on three hits in their second straight game.Tigers 8, Carp 6At Niigata's Hard Off Eco Stadium in Niigata, Takashi Toritani hit a tiebreaking two-run home run off Kam Mickolio (1-3) in the eighth inning, lifting Hanshin past Hiroshima.Kazuya Tsutsui (1-0) got the win in relief. Nick Stavinoha belted three homers in three consecutive at-bats but the Carp's pitching was shaky throughout.Giants 7, BayStars 7 (9)At Utsunomiya's Kiyohara Stadium, Yokohama overcame a 6-0 deficit, Alex Ramirez hitting an RBI single and capped off by Yuki Yoshimura's game-tying double in the ninth inning to play out a tie against Yomiuri.John Bowker hit a solo drive for his first homer run in Japan in the sixth for the Giants.PACIFIC LEAGUEFighters 9, Marines 7At Chiba's QVC Marine Field, pinch hitter Micah Hoffpauir belted a three-run homer as Hokkaido Nippon Ham batted around in an eight-run sixth inning against starter Seth Greisinger, ending Chiba Lotte's undefeated streak at four games.Kazuhito Tadano (2-0) limited the damage to two runs, allowing seven hits in six innings of work.Greisinger (3-1) was tagged for seven runs and 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings — his previously league-leading 0.31 ERA at game time bloating to 2.08.Lions 2, Eagles 1At Sendai's Kleenex Stadium, Takumi Kuriyama had a game-tying single in the fifth inning, and Esteban German delivered a go-ahead double in the sixth as Seibu held off Tohoku Rakuten.Kazuhisa Makita (2-3) allowed one run over the distance. Wataru Karashima (1-1) took the loss.Buffaloes 3, Hawks 2At Kobe's Hotto Motto Field, Chihiro Kaneko held Fukuoka Softbank to two runs and eight hits in seven innings in his comeback from an injured lower back, and Orix rallied from a 0-2 deficit with a three-run fifth.Kaneko (1-0) struck out seven and walked one. Mamoru Kishida picked up his eighth save.Lee Dae Ho and Aarom Baldiris had back-to-back RBI singles to tie it before Hiroki Yamada's wild pitch scored the go-ahead run.
Yamai (1-3) struck out seven while walking none. Asao worked the ninth for his first save of the season.Kazuhiro Wada had an RBI single to give Chunichi the lead with two outs in the third inning at Toyohashi Stadium.The Swallows were shut out on three hits in their second straight game.Tigers 8, Carp 6At Niigata's Hard Off Eco Stadium in Niigata, Takashi Toritani hit a tiebreaking two-run home run off Kam Mickolio (1-3) in the eighth inning, lifting Hanshin past Hiroshima.Kazuya Tsutsui (1-0) got the win in relief. Nick Stavinoha belted three homers in three consecutive at-bats but the Carp's pitching was shaky throughout.Giants 7, BayStars 7 (9)At Utsunomiya's Kiyohara Stadium, Yokohama overcame a 6-0 deficit, Alex Ramirez hitting an RBI single and capped off by Yuki Yoshimura's game-tying double in the ninth inning to play out a tie against Yomiuri.John Bowker hit a solo drive for his first homer run in Japan in the sixth for the Giants.PACIFIC LEAGUEFighters 9, Marines 7At Chiba's QVC Marine Field, pinch hitter Micah Hoffpauir belted a three-run homer as Hokkaido Nippon Ham batted around in an eight-run sixth inning against starter Seth Greisinger, ending Chiba Lotte's undefeated streak at four games.Kazuhito Tadano (2-0) limited the damage to two runs, allowing seven hits in six innings of work.Greisinger (3-1) was tagged for seven runs and 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings — his previously league-leading 0.31 ERA at game time bloating to 2.08.Lions 2, Eagles 1At Sendai's Kleenex Stadium, Takumi Kuriyama had a game-tying single in the fifth inning, and Esteban German delivered a go-ahead double in the sixth as Seibu held off Tohoku Rakuten.Kazuhisa Makita (2-3) allowed one run over the distance. Wataru Karashima (1-1) took the loss.Buffaloes 3, Hawks 2At Kobe's Hotto Motto Field, Chihiro Kaneko held Fukuoka Softbank to two runs and eight hits in seven innings in his comeback from an injured lower back, and Orix rallied from a 0-2 deficit with a three-run fifth.Kaneko (1-0) struck out seven and walked one. Mamoru Kishida picked up his eighth save.Lee Dae Ho and Aarom Baldiris had back-to-back RBI singles to tie it before Hiroki Yamada's wild pitch scored the go-ahead run.Sunday, December 18, 2011
Swallows accept high bid for Aoki
NEW YORK — The Tokyo Yakult Swallows accepted Saturday a Major League Baseball bid on outfielder Norichika Aoki, who had been posted for auction, team president Tsuyoshi Kinugasa said.Kinugasa indicated that the bid was $2.5 million (around ?200 million).After Friday's 5 p.m. EST deadline, MLB said Aoki received at least one bid through the posting system but without specifying the club or the amount in accordance with its regulations.The winning MLB club will have 30 days of exclusive negotiating rights to strike a deal with Aoki after Yakult communicates its reply.Three-time batting title winner Aoki will turn 30 in January. His career batting average is .329 over eight seasons, all with the Swallows.Aoki is the only player in Japanese baseball history to have had two 200-hit seasons. He reached 500 career hits in 373 games, 30 fewer than Ichiro Suzuki.In 2011, Aoki batted .292 with four home runs and 44 RBIs in 144 games.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Lotte's Karakawa stymies Swallows
Yuki Karakawa threw one-run ball over eight innings and Tadahito Iguchi hit a two-run blast as the Chiba Lotte Marines came from behind to defeat the CL-leading Tokyo Yakult Swallows 7-1 on Sunday afternoon.
Communication breakdown: Daisuke Kusano (left) and Kazuo Matsui collide while chasing a fly ball during Tohoku Rakuten's 7-0 defeat to the Tigers on Sunday. KYODOShoitsu Omatsu and Toshiaki Imae hit consecutive run-scoring singles against Masanori Ishikawa (4-4) to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead and Kazuya Fukuura tacked on a two-run single for good measure in a four-run sixth at Jingu Stadium.The Marines strung together five singles in the big inning, which featured Omatsu's bounder over the head of first baseman Josh Whitesell with runners at the corners."I was thinking that I wanted to put runners back on first and third, since it makes it easier for Imae to hit," Omatsu said after Lotte pulled out of last place.Karakawa (6-2) allowed six hits, walked four and struck out three and matched a career high in wins. Iguchi, who went 2-for-5, went deep to the stands in left in a three-run ninth."I felt that I could probably get a hit in that situation," Imae said of his go-ahead single to right.Karakawa said at the least he hopes to notch double-digit wins this season. "I have nothing really to say about that (six wins). The team has higher expectations of me. I was able to get strikes today with my breaking ball and recovered after a shaky start. I was very relaxed," he said.Carp 2, Fighters 1At Mazda Stadium, Takahiro Iwamoto hit a tiebreaking single in the sixth inning and rookie Yuya Fukui (3-3) earned his first win since May 3, yielding one run in seven innings as Hiroshima edged Hokkaido Nippon Ham.Kenta Kurihara opened the scoring with a RBI single off Brian Wolfe (7-2) in the first inning before Atsunori Inaba's sac fly tied the game a 1-all in the top of sixth. Dennis Sarfate worked the ninth for his 13th save.Giants 10, Lions 1At Tokyo Dome, rookie Hirokazu Sawamura went seven scoreless innings and won his first decision this season on home turf as Yomiuri pounded Seibu.Sawamura (3-5) allowed five hits, struck out seven and walked two and escaped a one-out bases-loaded jam with consecutive strikeouts in the fourth. Kazuhisa Makita (2-4) took the loss.Shinnosuke Abe and Hayato Sakamoto hit two-run drives in the sixth and eighth, respectively.Hawks 9, BayStars 2At Yokohama Stadium, Nobuhiro Matsuda went 4-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs in Softbank's rout of Yokohama, which became the first team to lose 30 games in Japanese baseball this season.Matsuda had a two-run shot to open the scoring in the second and Seiichi Uchikawa and Hiroki Kokubo hit back-to-back homers in a four-run fifth against Kota Suda (1-5). Tadashi Settsu (6-3) limited the damage to two runs in seven innings.Dragons 2, Buffaloes 1 (10)At Nagoya Dome, Masaaki Koike delivered a pinch-hit game-ending homer off Mamoru Kishida (1-3) in the 10th inning to lift Chunichi over Orix.Tigers 7, Eagles 0At Koshien Stadium, Jason Standridge (4-2) made effective use of his breaking ball to throw his first shutout of the season and Takashi Toritani went 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs as Hanshin romped over Tohoku Rakuten, which fell back into last place in the PL.
Communication breakdown: Daisuke Kusano (left) and Kazuo Matsui collide while chasing a fly ball during Tohoku Rakuten's 7-0 defeat to the Tigers on Sunday. KYODOShoitsu Omatsu and Toshiaki Imae hit consecutive run-scoring singles against Masanori Ishikawa (4-4) to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead and Kazuya Fukuura tacked on a two-run single for good measure in a four-run sixth at Jingu Stadium.The Marines strung together five singles in the big inning, which featured Omatsu's bounder over the head of first baseman Josh Whitesell with runners at the corners."I was thinking that I wanted to put runners back on first and third, since it makes it easier for Imae to hit," Omatsu said after Lotte pulled out of last place.Karakawa (6-2) allowed six hits, walked four and struck out three and matched a career high in wins. Iguchi, who went 2-for-5, went deep to the stands in left in a three-run ninth."I felt that I could probably get a hit in that situation," Imae said of his go-ahead single to right.Karakawa said at the least he hopes to notch double-digit wins this season. "I have nothing really to say about that (six wins). The team has higher expectations of me. I was able to get strikes today with my breaking ball and recovered after a shaky start. I was very relaxed," he said.Carp 2, Fighters 1At Mazda Stadium, Takahiro Iwamoto hit a tiebreaking single in the sixth inning and rookie Yuya Fukui (3-3) earned his first win since May 3, yielding one run in seven innings as Hiroshima edged Hokkaido Nippon Ham.Kenta Kurihara opened the scoring with a RBI single off Brian Wolfe (7-2) in the first inning before Atsunori Inaba's sac fly tied the game a 1-all in the top of sixth. Dennis Sarfate worked the ninth for his 13th save.Giants 10, Lions 1At Tokyo Dome, rookie Hirokazu Sawamura went seven scoreless innings and won his first decision this season on home turf as Yomiuri pounded Seibu.Sawamura (3-5) allowed five hits, struck out seven and walked two and escaped a one-out bases-loaded jam with consecutive strikeouts in the fourth. Kazuhisa Makita (2-4) took the loss.Shinnosuke Abe and Hayato Sakamoto hit two-run drives in the sixth and eighth, respectively.Hawks 9, BayStars 2At Yokohama Stadium, Nobuhiro Matsuda went 4-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs in Softbank's rout of Yokohama, which became the first team to lose 30 games in Japanese baseball this season.Matsuda had a two-run shot to open the scoring in the second and Seiichi Uchikawa and Hiroki Kokubo hit back-to-back homers in a four-run fifth against Kota Suda (1-5). Tadashi Settsu (6-3) limited the damage to two runs in seven innings.Dragons 2, Buffaloes 1 (10)At Nagoya Dome, Masaaki Koike delivered a pinch-hit game-ending homer off Mamoru Kishida (1-3) in the 10th inning to lift Chunichi over Orix.Tigers 7, Eagles 0At Koshien Stadium, Jason Standridge (4-2) made effective use of his breaking ball to throw his first shutout of the season and Takashi Toritani went 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs as Hanshin romped over Tohoku Rakuten, which fell back into last place in the PL.Saturday, May 14, 2011
Balentien's power surge propels Swallows
Safe at home: The Dragons' Masahiko Morino scores a run in the fourth inning as Tigers catcher Kenji Johjima waits for the ball during Friday's game at Koshien Stadium. Chunichi defeated Hanshin 4-2. KYODO PHOTOYOKOHAMA — Wladimir Balentien homered three times and drove in five runs, leading the Tokyo Yakult Swallows to a 6-4 win over the Yokohama BayStars on Friday.The former Cincinnati Reds outfielder increased his Japanese baseball-leading home run total to 12 and finished the night 3-for-4 at Yokohama Stadium.Balentien hit a solo shot in the second inning and two-run drives in the third and eighth innings.Yoshinori Sato (4-1) held the BayStars to three runs over seven innings. Lim Chang Yong pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his fifth save.Yokohama rookie Kota Suda (0-2) gave up four runs in 6? innings. Giants 3, Carp 0At Hiroshima's Mazda Stadium, Alex Ramirez hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning and Ken Kato added a solo shot in the seventh, leading Yomiuri over Hiroshima.Giants starter Tetsuya Utsumi (4-1) went 6? innings and combined with three relievers on a six-hit shutout. Bryan Bullington (4-1) took his first loss in five starts. Dragons 4, Tigers 2At Koshien Stadium, Maximo Nelson (2-1) pitched seven innings of one-run ball and Motonobu Tanishige hit a two-run home run in the seventh as Chunichi downed Hanshin.Atsushi Nomi (2-2) took the loss. The Tigers pulled within 4-2 in the eighth on an RBI single by Matt Murton but blew a bases-loaded opportunity later in the inning. PACIFIC LEAGUEHawks 7, Lions 3At Fukuoka's Yahoo Dome, Sho Iwasaki (1-1) picked up his first career win after allowing two runs in six innings as PL leader Softbank ended Seibu's winning streak at four.The Hawks scored six runs in the sixth. Eagles 2, Marines 2 (12)At QVC Marine Field, Takeshi Yamasaki hit a game-tying solo homer with one out in the top of the ninth inning off Yoshihisa Naruse as Tohoku Rakuten played out a tie with Chiba Lotte.Naruse and Masahiro Tanaka were locked in a pitching duel, going nine and 10 innings, respectively, with 11 strikeouts each.Santo Domingo — One of the doctors who assisted in a procedure last year on Yankees pitcher Bartolo Colon that is being scrutinized by Major League Baseball denied that the treatment involved the use of banned substances.Dr. Leonel Liriano said in a phone interview on Thursday that his medical team consulted with Colon's agent and lawyers in New York before beginning the treatment in Colon's native Dominican Republic.Friday, April 22, 2011
Swallows' Tateyama hurls five-hit shutout
Wladimir Balentien got hit in the face with a shaving cream pie during his hero interview.
Shut 'em down: Swallows right-hander Shohei Tateyama holds the Dragons to five hits in Tokyo Yakult's 2-0 win on Thursday at Jingu Stadium. KYODO PHOTO
As for Shohei Tateyama? Well, he didn't get hit by much.
Tateyama tossed a five-hit shutout and Balentien hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning to help the Tokyo Yakult Swallows finish off a three-game sweep of the Chunichi Dragons with a 2-0 win on a cloudy Thursday afternoon at Jingu Stadium.
"I saw Yoshinori throw a shutout against the Dragons," Tateyama said, referring to the three-hit shutout teammate Yoshinori Sato tossed against Chunichi on Wednesday. "Watching Yoshinori pitch gave me a good idea about the Dragons' batters."
Tateyama (1-0) struck out three, walked three and threw 123 pitches. He was rarely in trouble and induced double-play groundballs after each of his three walks.
"I had a good pace today," Tateyama said.
"Everyone was playing really well behind me," he later added.
Chunichi was held without an extra-base hit and never managed more than one hit in a single inning against Tateyama.
"His control was good," Yakult catcher Ryoji Aikawa said of Tateyama. "His forkball was really effective and he was able to get outs with it. Because his forkball was good, he was able to throw strikes and get outs with his fastball, shuuto and slider."
Balentien provided Tateyama with all the run support he needed with his two-run homer in the fourth, the only extra-base hit of the afternoon.
"I feel very good to give my pitcher a push and a couple of runs," Balentien said. "Because he was pitching very well and he needed a couple of runs to win this game."
The Swallows outfielder flashed some glove in the eighth, giving chase to Motonobu Tanishige's flyball and making the grab on the run to rob the Chunichi veteran of a sure double.
"He hit it very well and I just tried to make a play on the ball," Balentien said.
Dragons starter Yudai Kawai had a decent outing, but was tagged with the loss after allowing both runs. Kawai (0-1) gave up five hits, struck out two and walked one over five innings.
There wasn't much in the way of offense for either side, with the Swallows settling for four singles in addition to Balentien's homer and the Dragons combining to hit five singles.
Joel Guzman led the way for Chunichi at the plate, snapping a 17 at-bat hitless streak with a 2-for-3 day.
Shut 'em down: Swallows right-hander Shohei Tateyama holds the Dragons to five hits in Tokyo Yakult's 2-0 win on Thursday at Jingu Stadium. KYODO PHOTO
As for Shohei Tateyama? Well, he didn't get hit by much.
Tateyama tossed a five-hit shutout and Balentien hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning to help the Tokyo Yakult Swallows finish off a three-game sweep of the Chunichi Dragons with a 2-0 win on a cloudy Thursday afternoon at Jingu Stadium.
"I saw Yoshinori throw a shutout against the Dragons," Tateyama said, referring to the three-hit shutout teammate Yoshinori Sato tossed against Chunichi on Wednesday. "Watching Yoshinori pitch gave me a good idea about the Dragons' batters."
Tateyama (1-0) struck out three, walked three and threw 123 pitches. He was rarely in trouble and induced double-play groundballs after each of his three walks.
"I had a good pace today," Tateyama said.
"Everyone was playing really well behind me," he later added.
Chunichi was held without an extra-base hit and never managed more than one hit in a single inning against Tateyama.
"His control was good," Yakult catcher Ryoji Aikawa said of Tateyama. "His forkball was really effective and he was able to get outs with it. Because his forkball was good, he was able to throw strikes and get outs with his fastball, shuuto and slider."
Balentien provided Tateyama with all the run support he needed with his two-run homer in the fourth, the only extra-base hit of the afternoon.
"I feel very good to give my pitcher a push and a couple of runs," Balentien said. "Because he was pitching very well and he needed a couple of runs to win this game."
The Swallows outfielder flashed some glove in the eighth, giving chase to Motonobu Tanishige's flyball and making the grab on the run to rob the Chunichi veteran of a sure double.
"He hit it very well and I just tried to make a play on the ball," Balentien said.
Dragons starter Yudai Kawai had a decent outing, but was tagged with the loss after allowing both runs. Kawai (0-1) gave up five hits, struck out two and walked one over five innings.
There wasn't much in the way of offense for either side, with the Swallows settling for four singles in addition to Balentien's homer and the Dragons combining to hit five singles.
Joel Guzman led the way for Chunichi at the plate, snapping a 17 at-bat hitless streak with a 2-for-3 day.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Hatakeyama, Ishikawa lift Swallows past Dragons
Saluting the fans: Infielder Kazuhiro Hatakeyama (left) and pitcher Masanori Ishikawa helped the Swallows earn a 4-2 win against the Dragons on Tuesday. KYODO
Tuesday turned out to be unexpectedly cool in Japan's capital city, but the Tokyo Yakult Swallows may have finally started to heat up.
Kazuhiro Hatakeyama homered for the third time in two games and starter Masanori Ishikawa did just enough as the Swallows beat the Chunichi Dragons 4-2 on a cloudy afternoon at Jingu Stadium.
After going winless in their first four games to start the year, the Swallows have now won two straight.
"We're happy to win," Ishikawa said. "We didn't want to drop this game today."
Ishikawa is a native of Akita Prefecture, while Hatakeyama hails from Iwate Prefecture, giving both special incentive to do well this year.
"We're both from Tohoku," Hatakeyama said. "So we really want to do our best for the people back there."
Hatakeyama hit a deep solo homer off Chunichi's Kenichi Nakata in the second inning and added an RBI single in the fifth in a 3-for-4 performance at the plate. The homer was his third of the year after his two-home run performance on Sunday against the Yokohama BayStars in Yakult's first win of the season.
"He's a good pitcher," Hatakeyama said of Nakata. "I just put a good swing on it, that's all. My timing was good."
Hiroyasu Tanaka and Shinichi Takeuchi also drove in runs for Yakult.
Ishikawa (1-1) won for the first time this year, scattering five hits over six innings and allowing a pair of runs. Ishikawa struck out seven and walked four.
"I was able to use my fastball effectively," Ishikawa said.
"I was just following Aikawa-san's lead," he added, referring to catcher Ryoji Aikawa.
Lim Chang Yong worked the ninth for his first save of the year.
Pregame speculation had Dragons hurler Kazuki Yoshimi, who was injured during the spring, making his first start of the year against the Swallows in the series opener. Instead, it was Nakata taking the mound for manager Hiromitsu Ochiai.
Nakata (1-1) took the loss after allowing four runs — three earned — on eight hits with a pair of strikeouts and a walk in five innings.
Second-year player Yohei Oshima was among the few bright spots at the plate for the Dragons, finishing 2-for-4 with an RBI. Chunichi hitters Masahiro Araki and Joel Guzman, on the other hand, had a horrible day that saw Araki finish 0-for-5 with four strikeouts and Guzman go 0-for-4 and strike out three times.
Carp 5, BayStars 3
Tigers 3, Tigers 2 (10)
PACIFIC LEAGUE
Marines 2, Lions 0
Eagles 2, Hawks 1 (10)
Fighters 8, Buffaloes 2
Tuesday turned out to be unexpectedly cool in Japan's capital city, but the Tokyo Yakult Swallows may have finally started to heat up.
Kazuhiro Hatakeyama homered for the third time in two games and starter Masanori Ishikawa did just enough as the Swallows beat the Chunichi Dragons 4-2 on a cloudy afternoon at Jingu Stadium.
After going winless in their first four games to start the year, the Swallows have now won two straight.
"We're happy to win," Ishikawa said. "We didn't want to drop this game today."
Ishikawa is a native of Akita Prefecture, while Hatakeyama hails from Iwate Prefecture, giving both special incentive to do well this year.
"We're both from Tohoku," Hatakeyama said. "So we really want to do our best for the people back there."
Hatakeyama hit a deep solo homer off Chunichi's Kenichi Nakata in the second inning and added an RBI single in the fifth in a 3-for-4 performance at the plate. The homer was his third of the year after his two-home run performance on Sunday against the Yokohama BayStars in Yakult's first win of the season.
"He's a good pitcher," Hatakeyama said of Nakata. "I just put a good swing on it, that's all. My timing was good."
Hiroyasu Tanaka and Shinichi Takeuchi also drove in runs for Yakult.
Ishikawa (1-1) won for the first time this year, scattering five hits over six innings and allowing a pair of runs. Ishikawa struck out seven and walked four.
"I was able to use my fastball effectively," Ishikawa said.
"I was just following Aikawa-san's lead," he added, referring to catcher Ryoji Aikawa.
Lim Chang Yong worked the ninth for his first save of the year.
Pregame speculation had Dragons hurler Kazuki Yoshimi, who was injured during the spring, making his first start of the year against the Swallows in the series opener. Instead, it was Nakata taking the mound for manager Hiromitsu Ochiai.
Nakata (1-1) took the loss after allowing four runs — three earned — on eight hits with a pair of strikeouts and a walk in five innings.
Second-year player Yohei Oshima was among the few bright spots at the plate for the Dragons, finishing 2-for-4 with an RBI. Chunichi hitters Masahiro Araki and Joel Guzman, on the other hand, had a horrible day that saw Araki finish 0-for-5 with four strikeouts and Guzman go 0-for-4 and strike out three times.
Carp 5, BayStars 3
Tigers 3, Tigers 2 (10)
PACIFIC LEAGUE
Marines 2, Lions 0
Eagles 2, Hawks 1 (10)
Fighters 8, Buffaloes 2
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