Give me some Mo: Fukuoka Softbank's Willy Mo Pena salutes the crowd after hitting a two-run double in the fourth inning on Monday. KYODOHe'll have a hard time forgetting this one.Pena hit a two-run double in the fourth inning, Seiichi Uchikawa added an insurance run in the eighth, and the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks won the Pacific League Climax Series first stage with a 3-2 victory over the Seibu Lions in Game 3 on Monday night at Seibu Dome."I was trying to help my team," Pena said. "In my first two games, I didn't get a hit. That's why I was trying to stay positive and just help our team."We've got to take the next step. We had to play these games first, and now we have to move on to the next stage and try to get back to the championship like we did last year."The defending Japan Series champions advanced to the final stage of the climax series with the win. They'll face the PL champion Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in Sapporo for the right to represent the PL in the Japan Series."We played the way we played throughout the season," said Hawks infielder Yuichi Honda. "That will be the key for us, to play like that in Sapporo."Softbank will have to hit the ground running as the Fighters will have an automatic 1-0 advantage in the series as the league champions."We play one game at a time, and now we have advanced and can finally think of the next challenge," Hawks manager Koji Akiyama said. "That's how you have to operate in this business."Pena had been hitless in the first two games and, after a flyout to center in the second inning was 0-for-9 in the series before ripping his two-run double to left."I will thank the manager for the rest of my life," Pena said. "I told him it was going to be different. He believed in me and that's what happens when you believe in somebody. It will pay off."The Hawks were sitting pretty after Uchikawa made the score 3-1 with an RBI single in the top of the eighth."I'm so exhausted," Uchikawa said. "We were desperate to get another run, so I put all of my pent-up energy from this year into that hit. It was a huge hit for us."The Hawks may have given themselves some breathing room, but the Lions weren't going to let them off the hook that easily.With runners on first and second with two outs, PL home run leader Takeya Nakamura pounced on a slider from reliever Masahiko Morifuku and hit a ball toward the spot where his solo homer in the fourth cleared the wall.For a moment it looked as if Nakamura had turned the tide of the game with a go-ahead three-run home run, but Ryuma Kidokoro made the catch a few steps in front of the center-field wall to end the inning.Lions infielder, and former Hawks player, Jose Ortiz hit a solo shot off Hideki Okajima to lead off the ninth to cut the lead to one run. Okajima retired the next three batters to end the game."That one run really hurt us," Lions manager Hisanobu Watanabe said. "We wanted to prevent that. But our players went all out and played such a great game."In a short series, you can't give your opponent a run. We weren't good enough to come back from the deficit."Hiroyuki Nakajima finished 0-for-3 with a walk in what may have been his final game in a Lions uniform.Nakajima is expected to purse a career in the major leagues next season. The Lions shortstop was posted last year, but returned to Japan when contract negotiations with the New York Yankees fell apart. Nakajima, a career .302 hitter with 162 home runs and 738 RBIs in 11 professional seasons, is free to negotiate with any team of his choosing this time around.Hawks starter Kenji Otonari threw five innings of one-run ball to earn the win."As a starter, I should have been on the mound longer, but I'm relieved that I left with our team ahead," Otonari said.Reliever Sho Iwaski worked two scoreless innings and Morifuku survived his close call to keep Seibu off the board in the eighth. Okajima earned the save despite allowing a run.It was a short outing for Lions starter Kazuhisa Ishii, who entered the game 5-1 with a 2.01 ERA in 12 career postseason appearances.Ishii was charged with a pair of runs over 3? innings. He struck out two and walked one.Staff writer Kaz Nagatsuka contributed to this report.NAGOYA — The Chunichi Dragons' hopes of going to a third straight Japan Series remained alive Monday when they came from a run down in the eighth on a Tony Blanco grand slam to clinch the first stage of the Central League Climax Series.Trailing 1-0, Blanco slammed a 3-1 pitch from Tony Barnette with the bases loaded into the stands in left field and the Dragons beat the Yakult Swallows 4-1 to win the best-of-three first stage 2-1 and advance to the Climax Series final stage against the league champion Yomiuri Giants at Tokyo Dome starting Wednesday.Barnette, who earned a two-inning save when the Swallows squared the series at 1-1 with a 1-0 victory on Sunday, came in with two on and one out in the bottom of the eighth. He walked the first batter he faced and threw three straight balls to Blanco.For the second time in the game, a 3-0 count with runners on was an invitation for the Dominican slugger to swing as hard as he could. He missed the first pitch from Barnette but got all of the second one."That was the best ball I've ever hit in my life," Blanco said in the on-field hero interview. "I went up with the intention of driving a pitch to the outfield to tie the game with a sacrifice fly."The Swallows took the lead in the second inning off 47-year-old Masahiro Yamamoto. Shinya Miyamoto singled to open the inning and stole second with one out on the first pitch to Ryoji Aikawa, who did the honors with a single to right. It was the fourth hit of the series for the Swallows catcher.The Swallows came within inches of a second score in the inning, but were denied by Dragons left fielder Kazuhiro Wada, who snared a two-out sinking liner in the web of his glove that would have plated Aikawa.Yakult lefty Kyohei Muranaka repeatedly pitched out of jams with a combination of good pitches, good luck and good fielding and allowed no runs in 5? innings.The Swallows survived a one-out, two-on jam in the sixth — when Golden Glove third baseman Shinya Miyamoto robbed Blanco with a diving snag of a low-flying rocket headed for the left-field corner. Katsuki Akagawa worked a 1-2-3 seventh but surrendered Yohei Oshima's ninth hit of the series to lead off the eighth.With one out and the tying run on second, Tetsuya Yamamoto walked the only batter he faced and Barnette, whose 33 saves tied for the CL lead, walked Wada to load the bases before falling behind to Blanco.Yamamoto took the loss, while Takuya Asao, who worked the final two innings for the Dragons, collected the win.
Showing posts with label Hawks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hawks. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Pena comes good to send Hawks into next round
TOKOROZAWA, Saitama Pref. — Wily Mo Pena said he couldn't remember the last time he was in an elimination game.Give me some Mo: Fukuoka Softbank's Willy Mo Pena salutes the crowd after hitting a two-run double in the fourth inning on Monday. KYODOHe'll have a hard time forgetting this one.Pena hit a two-run double in the fourth inning, Seiichi Uchikawa added an insurance run in the eighth, and the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks won the Pacific League Climax Series first stage with a 3-2 victory over the Seibu Lions in Game 3 on Monday night at Seibu Dome."I was trying to help my team," Pena said. "In my first two games, I didn't get a hit. That's why I was trying to stay positive and just help our team."We've got to take the next step. We had to play these games first, and now we have to move on to the next stage and try to get back to the championship like we did last year."The defending Japan Series champions advanced to the final stage of the climax series with the win. They'll face the PL champion Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in Sapporo for the right to represent the PL in the Japan Series."We played the way we played throughout the season," said Hawks infielder Yuichi Honda. "That will be the key for us, to play like that in Sapporo."Softbank will have to hit the ground running as the Fighters will have an automatic 1-0 advantage in the series as the league champions."We play one game at a time, and now we have advanced and can finally think of the next challenge," Hawks manager Koji Akiyama said. "That's how you have to operate in this business."Pena had been hitless in the first two games and, after a flyout to center in the second inning was 0-for-9 in the series before ripping his two-run double to left."I will thank the manager for the rest of my life," Pena said. "I told him it was going to be different. He believed in me and that's what happens when you believe in somebody. It will pay off."The Hawks were sitting pretty after Uchikawa made the score 3-1 with an RBI single in the top of the eighth."I'm so exhausted," Uchikawa said. "We were desperate to get another run, so I put all of my pent-up energy from this year into that hit. It was a huge hit for us."The Hawks may have given themselves some breathing room, but the Lions weren't going to let them off the hook that easily.With runners on first and second with two outs, PL home run leader Takeya Nakamura pounced on a slider from reliever Masahiko Morifuku and hit a ball toward the spot where his solo homer in the fourth cleared the wall.For a moment it looked as if Nakamura had turned the tide of the game with a go-ahead three-run home run, but Ryuma Kidokoro made the catch a few steps in front of the center-field wall to end the inning.Lions infielder, and former Hawks player, Jose Ortiz hit a solo shot off Hideki Okajima to lead off the ninth to cut the lead to one run. Okajima retired the next three batters to end the game."That one run really hurt us," Lions manager Hisanobu Watanabe said. "We wanted to prevent that. But our players went all out and played such a great game."In a short series, you can't give your opponent a run. We weren't good enough to come back from the deficit."Hiroyuki Nakajima finished 0-for-3 with a walk in what may have been his final game in a Lions uniform.Nakajima is expected to purse a career in the major leagues next season. The Lions shortstop was posted last year, but returned to Japan when contract negotiations with the New York Yankees fell apart. Nakajima, a career .302 hitter with 162 home runs and 738 RBIs in 11 professional seasons, is free to negotiate with any team of his choosing this time around.Hawks starter Kenji Otonari threw five innings of one-run ball to earn the win."As a starter, I should have been on the mound longer, but I'm relieved that I left with our team ahead," Otonari said.Reliever Sho Iwaski worked two scoreless innings and Morifuku survived his close call to keep Seibu off the board in the eighth. Okajima earned the save despite allowing a run.It was a short outing for Lions starter Kazuhisa Ishii, who entered the game 5-1 with a 2.01 ERA in 12 career postseason appearances.Ishii was charged with a pair of runs over 3? innings. He struck out two and walked one.Staff writer Kaz Nagatsuka contributed to this report.NAGOYA — The Chunichi Dragons' hopes of going to a third straight Japan Series remained alive Monday when they came from a run down in the eighth on a Tony Blanco grand slam to clinch the first stage of the Central League Climax Series.Trailing 1-0, Blanco slammed a 3-1 pitch from Tony Barnette with the bases loaded into the stands in left field and the Dragons beat the Yakult Swallows 4-1 to win the best-of-three first stage 2-1 and advance to the Climax Series final stage against the league champion Yomiuri Giants at Tokyo Dome starting Wednesday.Barnette, who earned a two-inning save when the Swallows squared the series at 1-1 with a 1-0 victory on Sunday, came in with two on and one out in the bottom of the eighth. He walked the first batter he faced and threw three straight balls to Blanco.For the second time in the game, a 3-0 count with runners on was an invitation for the Dominican slugger to swing as hard as he could. He missed the first pitch from Barnette but got all of the second one."That was the best ball I've ever hit in my life," Blanco said in the on-field hero interview. "I went up with the intention of driving a pitch to the outfield to tie the game with a sacrifice fly."The Swallows took the lead in the second inning off 47-year-old Masahiro Yamamoto. Shinya Miyamoto singled to open the inning and stole second with one out on the first pitch to Ryoji Aikawa, who did the honors with a single to right. It was the fourth hit of the series for the Swallows catcher.The Swallows came within inches of a second score in the inning, but were denied by Dragons left fielder Kazuhiro Wada, who snared a two-out sinking liner in the web of his glove that would have plated Aikawa.Yakult lefty Kyohei Muranaka repeatedly pitched out of jams with a combination of good pitches, good luck and good fielding and allowed no runs in 5? innings.The Swallows survived a one-out, two-on jam in the sixth — when Golden Glove third baseman Shinya Miyamoto robbed Blanco with a diving snag of a low-flying rocket headed for the left-field corner. Katsuki Akagawa worked a 1-2-3 seventh but surrendered Yohei Oshima's ninth hit of the series to lead off the eighth.With one out and the tying run on second, Tetsuya Yamamoto walked the only batter he faced and Barnette, whose 33 saves tied for the CL lead, walked Wada to load the bases before falling behind to Blanco.Yamamoto took the loss, while Takuya Asao, who worked the final two innings for the Dragons, collected the win.
Give me some Mo: Fukuoka Softbank's Willy Mo Pena salutes the crowd after hitting a two-run double in the fourth inning on Monday. KYODOHe'll have a hard time forgetting this one.Pena hit a two-run double in the fourth inning, Seiichi Uchikawa added an insurance run in the eighth, and the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks won the Pacific League Climax Series first stage with a 3-2 victory over the Seibu Lions in Game 3 on Monday night at Seibu Dome."I was trying to help my team," Pena said. "In my first two games, I didn't get a hit. That's why I was trying to stay positive and just help our team."We've got to take the next step. We had to play these games first, and now we have to move on to the next stage and try to get back to the championship like we did last year."The defending Japan Series champions advanced to the final stage of the climax series with the win. They'll face the PL champion Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in Sapporo for the right to represent the PL in the Japan Series."We played the way we played throughout the season," said Hawks infielder Yuichi Honda. "That will be the key for us, to play like that in Sapporo."Softbank will have to hit the ground running as the Fighters will have an automatic 1-0 advantage in the series as the league champions."We play one game at a time, and now we have advanced and can finally think of the next challenge," Hawks manager Koji Akiyama said. "That's how you have to operate in this business."Pena had been hitless in the first two games and, after a flyout to center in the second inning was 0-for-9 in the series before ripping his two-run double to left."I will thank the manager for the rest of my life," Pena said. "I told him it was going to be different. He believed in me and that's what happens when you believe in somebody. It will pay off."The Hawks were sitting pretty after Uchikawa made the score 3-1 with an RBI single in the top of the eighth."I'm so exhausted," Uchikawa said. "We were desperate to get another run, so I put all of my pent-up energy from this year into that hit. It was a huge hit for us."The Hawks may have given themselves some breathing room, but the Lions weren't going to let them off the hook that easily.With runners on first and second with two outs, PL home run leader Takeya Nakamura pounced on a slider from reliever Masahiko Morifuku and hit a ball toward the spot where his solo homer in the fourth cleared the wall.For a moment it looked as if Nakamura had turned the tide of the game with a go-ahead three-run home run, but Ryuma Kidokoro made the catch a few steps in front of the center-field wall to end the inning.Lions infielder, and former Hawks player, Jose Ortiz hit a solo shot off Hideki Okajima to lead off the ninth to cut the lead to one run. Okajima retired the next three batters to end the game."That one run really hurt us," Lions manager Hisanobu Watanabe said. "We wanted to prevent that. But our players went all out and played such a great game."In a short series, you can't give your opponent a run. We weren't good enough to come back from the deficit."Hiroyuki Nakajima finished 0-for-3 with a walk in what may have been his final game in a Lions uniform.Nakajima is expected to purse a career in the major leagues next season. The Lions shortstop was posted last year, but returned to Japan when contract negotiations with the New York Yankees fell apart. Nakajima, a career .302 hitter with 162 home runs and 738 RBIs in 11 professional seasons, is free to negotiate with any team of his choosing this time around.Hawks starter Kenji Otonari threw five innings of one-run ball to earn the win."As a starter, I should have been on the mound longer, but I'm relieved that I left with our team ahead," Otonari said.Reliever Sho Iwaski worked two scoreless innings and Morifuku survived his close call to keep Seibu off the board in the eighth. Okajima earned the save despite allowing a run.It was a short outing for Lions starter Kazuhisa Ishii, who entered the game 5-1 with a 2.01 ERA in 12 career postseason appearances.Ishii was charged with a pair of runs over 3? innings. He struck out two and walked one.Staff writer Kaz Nagatsuka contributed to this report.NAGOYA — The Chunichi Dragons' hopes of going to a third straight Japan Series remained alive Monday when they came from a run down in the eighth on a Tony Blanco grand slam to clinch the first stage of the Central League Climax Series.Trailing 1-0, Blanco slammed a 3-1 pitch from Tony Barnette with the bases loaded into the stands in left field and the Dragons beat the Yakult Swallows 4-1 to win the best-of-three first stage 2-1 and advance to the Climax Series final stage against the league champion Yomiuri Giants at Tokyo Dome starting Wednesday.Barnette, who earned a two-inning save when the Swallows squared the series at 1-1 with a 1-0 victory on Sunday, came in with two on and one out in the bottom of the eighth. He walked the first batter he faced and threw three straight balls to Blanco.For the second time in the game, a 3-0 count with runners on was an invitation for the Dominican slugger to swing as hard as he could. He missed the first pitch from Barnette but got all of the second one."That was the best ball I've ever hit in my life," Blanco said in the on-field hero interview. "I went up with the intention of driving a pitch to the outfield to tie the game with a sacrifice fly."The Swallows took the lead in the second inning off 47-year-old Masahiro Yamamoto. Shinya Miyamoto singled to open the inning and stole second with one out on the first pitch to Ryoji Aikawa, who did the honors with a single to right. It was the fourth hit of the series for the Swallows catcher.The Swallows came within inches of a second score in the inning, but were denied by Dragons left fielder Kazuhiro Wada, who snared a two-out sinking liner in the web of his glove that would have plated Aikawa.Yakult lefty Kyohei Muranaka repeatedly pitched out of jams with a combination of good pitches, good luck and good fielding and allowed no runs in 5? innings.The Swallows survived a one-out, two-on jam in the sixth — when Golden Glove third baseman Shinya Miyamoto robbed Blanco with a diving snag of a low-flying rocket headed for the left-field corner. Katsuki Akagawa worked a 1-2-3 seventh but surrendered Yohei Oshima's ninth hit of the series to lead off the eighth.With one out and the tying run on second, Tetsuya Yamamoto walked the only batter he faced and Barnette, whose 33 saves tied for the CL lead, walked Wada to load the bases before falling behind to Blanco.Yamamoto took the loss, while Takuya Asao, who worked the final two innings for the Dragons, collected the win.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Lions rout Hawks to even series
TOKOROZAWA, Saitama Pref. — A number of Seibu Lions fans spent their time outside Seibu Dome looking into a television camera and imploring their team to get a win. The Lions' players weren't quite ready for the season to end yet either. 
Pitcher Takayuki Kishi (left) and shortstop Hiroyuku Nakajima wave to the crowd after the Lions' 8-0 win on Sunday at Seibu Dome. KYODOIn the end, everybody got what they wanted. Well, maybe not the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks. The Lions broke open a scoreless affair in a seven-run third inning and never looked back, staving off elimination with an 8-0 win over the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in Game 2 of the Pacific League Climax Series first stage on Sunday afternoon at Seibu Dome. "We were fortunate to win, but it won't mean anything if we drop tomorrow's game," Lions shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima said. "We definitely want to win."The victory evens the series at 1-1. The teams will meet in a decisive third game Monday, with the winner advancing to face the PL champion Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in the final stage. As the higher seed, Seibu would advance in the event of a tie. Nearly everyone chipped in for the Lions. Eight of Seibu's nine starters finished with a hit, and all but three recorded an RBI. The Lions' Yutaro Osaki finished 1-for-3 with a pair of RBIs, and Ginjiro Sumitani had two hits and drove in a run.Lions starter Takayuki Kishi got off to a shaky start, putting runners on the corners with one out in the first, but with all the run support behind him it didn't matter."I was only trying to get out of it without giving up any runs," Kishi said. "Overall, my fastball felt good, and my curves were good as well."Kishi allowed six hits and struck out eight without walking a batter over six scoreless innings.Hawks rookie Shota Takeda had a much rougher time on the mound. The 19-year-old rookie got off to a good start, but his command failed him in the third. Struggling to hit his spots, he helped set the stage for the Lions' big inning before being pulled out of the game. Takeda took the loss and was charged with five runs — four earned — on two hits. He walked four and struck out three. "Overall I was pressing," Takeda said. "I didn't have the inner strength and things got worse as I went. Since I was given the task of starting such an important game, and couldn't keep us in the game, I feel sorry for the team. I'm so frustrated." Seibu batted around in the third, and had eight of its nine starters get on base during the frame.Sumitani walked to begin the inning, and Takuya Hara moved him over with a sacrifice bunt. Sumitani took third on a passed ball, and Hideto Asamura drew a walk to put runners on the corners. Shogo Akiyama drove in the first run of the game with a single, and Nakajima doubled to make the score 2-0. "I'd watched his (Takeda's) fastball and watched him throw sliders against other batters," Nakajima said. "So I'd seen his pitches and tried not to chase one that would be difficult to hit."Takeya Nakamura drew a walk to load the bases, and Jose Ortiz followed with an RBI single to left. Esteban German struck out for the second out of the inning, but Osaki plated a pair with a double to right. Sumitani stepped to the plate for the second time in the inning and hit an RBI single to make the score 6-0. The Lions then executed a double-steal, with Osaki swiping home, before Sumitani was thrown out at the plate while trying to score on a single by Hara.Nakamura added to the lead with an RBI single in the fourth. The Hawks will send lefty Kenji Otonari (12-8) to the mound to start Game 3. Kazuhisa Ishii (10-5) is scheduled to toe the rubber for the Lions.Staff writer Kaz Nagatsuka contributed to this report
Pitcher Takayuki Kishi (left) and shortstop Hiroyuku Nakajima wave to the crowd after the Lions' 8-0 win on Sunday at Seibu Dome. KYODOIn the end, everybody got what they wanted. Well, maybe not the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks. The Lions broke open a scoreless affair in a seven-run third inning and never looked back, staving off elimination with an 8-0 win over the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in Game 2 of the Pacific League Climax Series first stage on Sunday afternoon at Seibu Dome. "We were fortunate to win, but it won't mean anything if we drop tomorrow's game," Lions shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima said. "We definitely want to win."The victory evens the series at 1-1. The teams will meet in a decisive third game Monday, with the winner advancing to face the PL champion Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in the final stage. As the higher seed, Seibu would advance in the event of a tie. Nearly everyone chipped in for the Lions. Eight of Seibu's nine starters finished with a hit, and all but three recorded an RBI. The Lions' Yutaro Osaki finished 1-for-3 with a pair of RBIs, and Ginjiro Sumitani had two hits and drove in a run.Lions starter Takayuki Kishi got off to a shaky start, putting runners on the corners with one out in the first, but with all the run support behind him it didn't matter."I was only trying to get out of it without giving up any runs," Kishi said. "Overall, my fastball felt good, and my curves were good as well."Kishi allowed six hits and struck out eight without walking a batter over six scoreless innings.Hawks rookie Shota Takeda had a much rougher time on the mound. The 19-year-old rookie got off to a good start, but his command failed him in the third. Struggling to hit his spots, he helped set the stage for the Lions' big inning before being pulled out of the game. Takeda took the loss and was charged with five runs — four earned — on two hits. He walked four and struck out three. "Overall I was pressing," Takeda said. "I didn't have the inner strength and things got worse as I went. Since I was given the task of starting such an important game, and couldn't keep us in the game, I feel sorry for the team. I'm so frustrated." Seibu batted around in the third, and had eight of its nine starters get on base during the frame.Sumitani walked to begin the inning, and Takuya Hara moved him over with a sacrifice bunt. Sumitani took third on a passed ball, and Hideto Asamura drew a walk to put runners on the corners. Shogo Akiyama drove in the first run of the game with a single, and Nakajima doubled to make the score 2-0. "I'd watched his (Takeda's) fastball and watched him throw sliders against other batters," Nakajima said. "So I'd seen his pitches and tried not to chase one that would be difficult to hit."Takeya Nakamura drew a walk to load the bases, and Jose Ortiz followed with an RBI single to left. Esteban German struck out for the second out of the inning, but Osaki plated a pair with a double to right. Sumitani stepped to the plate for the second time in the inning and hit an RBI single to make the score 6-0. The Lions then executed a double-steal, with Osaki swiping home, before Sumitani was thrown out at the plate while trying to score on a single by Hara.Nakamura added to the lead with an RBI single in the fourth. The Hawks will send lefty Kenji Otonari (12-8) to the mound to start Game 3. Kazuhisa Ishii (10-5) is scheduled to toe the rubber for the Lions.Staff writer Kaz Nagatsuka contributed to this reportSettsu fires Hawks past Lions in playoff opener
TOKOROZAWA, Saitama Pref. — Tadashi Settsu was a long way from Fukuoka, wearing his road uniform and standing on the mound in another team's stadium.
Strong outing: Softbank starter Tadashi Settsu pitches against Seibu in Game 1 of the first stage of the PL Climax Series on Saturday. KYODODespite all that, the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks ace felt right at home.Settsu threw eight scoreless innings, and reliever Masahiko Morifuku pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth to help the reigning Japan Series champion Hawks edge the Seibu Lions 2-1 in Game 1 of the first stage of the Pacific League Climax Series on Saturday at Seibu Dome."I wasn't really thinking too much about anything as I pitched," Settsu said. "My mind was blank. Even after I got some run support, I kept pitching as if it didn't happen."The victory gave the Hawks a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series. Softbank can advance to the final stage against Hokkaido Nippon Ham with a win or a tie in Game 2 on Sunday.Settsu has owned the Lions at their place, improving to 7-0 with a 1.60 ERA and 39 strikeouts in his last eight starts at Seibu Dome.Settsu is 6-1 overall in seven starts against the Lions this season."We knew he was a good pitcher," Seibu manager Hisanobu Watanabe said. "When you play like we did against him early in a game, you get beaten. So at the end of the day, we should've played differently."On Saturday, Settsu allowed four hits and struck out five. He left the game after the eighth, and that's when things got interesting.Reliever Brian Falkenborg walked Takeya Nakamura to start the inning and gave up a double to former teammate Jose Ortiz that put runners at second and third. He then walked Esteban German to load the bases, prompting Hawks manager KojiAkiyama to bring lefty Morifuku out of the bullpen with the bases loaded and none out."I have no excuses," Falkenborg said. "That's just not very good pitching. "I just gotta throw strikes. Coming in, 2-0 lead, you gotta put the ball over the plate. I was extremely lucky today that Morifuku came in and did an outstanding job."Lions pinch hitter Chris Carter hit an RBI groundout to cut the lead to one, but Tatsuyuki Uemoto popped out to short for the second out of the inning. Morifuku then retired Hisashi Takayama to end the game."I was pretty nervous out there," Morifuku said. "I was told to be the back up (in case Falkenborg struggled), so I was ready to go."The Hawks needed a good performance out of Settsu, because they didn't do much with their bats. Softbank had six hits after three innings, but didn't record another until the ninth.Kenta Imamiya gave the Hawks the lead with a squeeze bunt in the second and Seiichi Uchikawa doubled the advantage with an RBI single in the third.Seibu starter Kazuhisa Makita kept the Hawks at bay with a valiant outing in defeat. The submarine hurler went the distance, allowing two runs on seven hits and striking out five. He retired 13 consecutive batters at one point.Hawks third baseman Nobuhiro Matsuda collected the first of his two hits leading off the second. Matsuda took third on a hit by Hitoshi Tamura and came home when Imamiya was able to connect with a low pitch to lay down his squeeze bunt."I tried to make contact by any means," Imamiya said.Yuichi Honda kicked off the third with a triple and Uchikawa's RBI single later in the inning made the score 2-0."Honda came up with the triple and (Yuya) Hasegawa didn't follow (with a hit), so I wanted to do whatever it took to give ourselves a run," Uchikawa said.Before coming out, Settsu pitched himself into a jam in the eighth. He walked Takuya Hara to start the inning, then retired Hideto Asamura.Shogo Akiyama reached on an error by first baseman Kenji Akashi, leaving Settsu to deal with runners on first and second with one out and Hiroyuki Nakajima and two-time defending PL home run champion Nakamura due up in the order.Nakajima worked the count full, but hit a grounder to third, where Matsuda scooped it up and started an inning-ending double play, leaving Nakamura on deck.The Hawks will try to wrap up the series on in Game 2 on Sunday. Softbank rookie Shota Takeda (8-1, 1.07 ERA) will take the mound against Seibu's Takayuki Kishi (11-12, 2.45).Staff writer Kaz Nagatsuka contributed to this report.NAGOYA — Kazuhiro Wada drove in three runs and scored two to lead the Chunichi Dragons to a 6-1 victory over the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in Game 1 of the Central League Climax Series' first stage on Saturday. The Dragons can now clinch a spot in the second stage with either a win or a tie.Wada opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the fourth inning after Swallows southpaw Masahiro Ishikawa walked the leadoff man. Wada singled with one out in the sixth and scored the Dragons' third run, and singled in a run in their three-run seventh."I was just trying to build a rally," Wada said. "I wasn't thinking about who was coming up behind me and was able to make a very smooth swing."The right-handed hitter dove into a low sinker over the plate and drove it into the stands in left.Right-hander Kenichi Nakata allowed three hits over five scoreless innings to beat the Swallows for the third straight time this year. He struck out five without walking a batter and also set up a scoring opportunity with a one-out double in the third.Ishikawa, who was 1-1 against Chunichi this season, lasted just four innings, allowing four hits and two walks. He scraped out of jams in the first and third innings when he couldn't throw strikes, and opened the fourth in similar fashion by walking Tony Blanco on five pitches.The lefty was pulled for a pinch hitter with two on and two out in the top of the fifth, but Nakata retired veteran Atsushi Fujimoto for the final out.In the sixth, Wada reached on an infield single, went to second on a groundout and scored on Takehiro Donoue's single.The Swallows threatened to tie the game in the top of the seventh, when CL home run leader Wladimir Balentien went deep to open the inning off rookie right-hander Shinji Tajima. A pair of walks put the potential tying runs on base with one out, but Takuya Asao, the CL's 2011 MVP, stopped Yakult with two straight outs.Dragons leadoff man Yohei Oshima, who went 3-for-5, singled to open the seventh against lefty Ryo Hidaka, who loaded the bases with another hit and a walk. With one out, Wada singled to start the runs flowing again. Hirokazu Ibata followed Wada with a sacrifice fly, and pinch hitter Ryosuke Hirata singled in the hosts' final run.Trailing 6-1 in the eighth, the Swallows threatened against right-hander Jorge Sosa, but Daisuke Yamai got the final out with the bases loaded and pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to earn the save.It was just the second time in 11 games against the Swallows at Nagoya Dome this year that the Dragons scored more than two runs. Yakult went 6-3 with one tie there during the regular season.
Strong outing: Softbank starter Tadashi Settsu pitches against Seibu in Game 1 of the first stage of the PL Climax Series on Saturday. KYODODespite all that, the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks ace felt right at home.Settsu threw eight scoreless innings, and reliever Masahiko Morifuku pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth to help the reigning Japan Series champion Hawks edge the Seibu Lions 2-1 in Game 1 of the first stage of the Pacific League Climax Series on Saturday at Seibu Dome."I wasn't really thinking too much about anything as I pitched," Settsu said. "My mind was blank. Even after I got some run support, I kept pitching as if it didn't happen."The victory gave the Hawks a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series. Softbank can advance to the final stage against Hokkaido Nippon Ham with a win or a tie in Game 2 on Sunday.Settsu has owned the Lions at their place, improving to 7-0 with a 1.60 ERA and 39 strikeouts in his last eight starts at Seibu Dome.Settsu is 6-1 overall in seven starts against the Lions this season."We knew he was a good pitcher," Seibu manager Hisanobu Watanabe said. "When you play like we did against him early in a game, you get beaten. So at the end of the day, we should've played differently."On Saturday, Settsu allowed four hits and struck out five. He left the game after the eighth, and that's when things got interesting.Reliever Brian Falkenborg walked Takeya Nakamura to start the inning and gave up a double to former teammate Jose Ortiz that put runners at second and third. He then walked Esteban German to load the bases, prompting Hawks manager KojiAkiyama to bring lefty Morifuku out of the bullpen with the bases loaded and none out."I have no excuses," Falkenborg said. "That's just not very good pitching. "I just gotta throw strikes. Coming in, 2-0 lead, you gotta put the ball over the plate. I was extremely lucky today that Morifuku came in and did an outstanding job."Lions pinch hitter Chris Carter hit an RBI groundout to cut the lead to one, but Tatsuyuki Uemoto popped out to short for the second out of the inning. Morifuku then retired Hisashi Takayama to end the game."I was pretty nervous out there," Morifuku said. "I was told to be the back up (in case Falkenborg struggled), so I was ready to go."The Hawks needed a good performance out of Settsu, because they didn't do much with their bats. Softbank had six hits after three innings, but didn't record another until the ninth.Kenta Imamiya gave the Hawks the lead with a squeeze bunt in the second and Seiichi Uchikawa doubled the advantage with an RBI single in the third.Seibu starter Kazuhisa Makita kept the Hawks at bay with a valiant outing in defeat. The submarine hurler went the distance, allowing two runs on seven hits and striking out five. He retired 13 consecutive batters at one point.Hawks third baseman Nobuhiro Matsuda collected the first of his two hits leading off the second. Matsuda took third on a hit by Hitoshi Tamura and came home when Imamiya was able to connect with a low pitch to lay down his squeeze bunt."I tried to make contact by any means," Imamiya said.Yuichi Honda kicked off the third with a triple and Uchikawa's RBI single later in the inning made the score 2-0."Honda came up with the triple and (Yuya) Hasegawa didn't follow (with a hit), so I wanted to do whatever it took to give ourselves a run," Uchikawa said.Before coming out, Settsu pitched himself into a jam in the eighth. He walked Takuya Hara to start the inning, then retired Hideto Asamura.Shogo Akiyama reached on an error by first baseman Kenji Akashi, leaving Settsu to deal with runners on first and second with one out and Hiroyuki Nakajima and two-time defending PL home run champion Nakamura due up in the order.Nakajima worked the count full, but hit a grounder to third, where Matsuda scooped it up and started an inning-ending double play, leaving Nakamura on deck.The Hawks will try to wrap up the series on in Game 2 on Sunday. Softbank rookie Shota Takeda (8-1, 1.07 ERA) will take the mound against Seibu's Takayuki Kishi (11-12, 2.45).Staff writer Kaz Nagatsuka contributed to this report.NAGOYA — Kazuhiro Wada drove in three runs and scored two to lead the Chunichi Dragons to a 6-1 victory over the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in Game 1 of the Central League Climax Series' first stage on Saturday. The Dragons can now clinch a spot in the second stage with either a win or a tie.Wada opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the fourth inning after Swallows southpaw Masahiro Ishikawa walked the leadoff man. Wada singled with one out in the sixth and scored the Dragons' third run, and singled in a run in their three-run seventh."I was just trying to build a rally," Wada said. "I wasn't thinking about who was coming up behind me and was able to make a very smooth swing."The right-handed hitter dove into a low sinker over the plate and drove it into the stands in left.Right-hander Kenichi Nakata allowed three hits over five scoreless innings to beat the Swallows for the third straight time this year. He struck out five without walking a batter and also set up a scoring opportunity with a one-out double in the third.Ishikawa, who was 1-1 against Chunichi this season, lasted just four innings, allowing four hits and two walks. He scraped out of jams in the first and third innings when he couldn't throw strikes, and opened the fourth in similar fashion by walking Tony Blanco on five pitches.The lefty was pulled for a pinch hitter with two on and two out in the top of the fifth, but Nakata retired veteran Atsushi Fujimoto for the final out.In the sixth, Wada reached on an infield single, went to second on a groundout and scored on Takehiro Donoue's single.The Swallows threatened to tie the game in the top of the seventh, when CL home run leader Wladimir Balentien went deep to open the inning off rookie right-hander Shinji Tajima. A pair of walks put the potential tying runs on base with one out, but Takuya Asao, the CL's 2011 MVP, stopped Yakult with two straight outs.Dragons leadoff man Yohei Oshima, who went 3-for-5, singled to open the seventh against lefty Ryo Hidaka, who loaded the bases with another hit and a walk. With one out, Wada singled to start the runs flowing again. Hirokazu Ibata followed Wada with a sacrifice fly, and pinch hitter Ryosuke Hirata singled in the hosts' final run.Trailing 6-1 in the eighth, the Swallows threatened against right-hander Jorge Sosa, but Daisuke Yamai got the final out with the bases loaded and pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to earn the save.It was just the second time in 11 games against the Swallows at Nagoya Dome this year that the Dragons scored more than two runs. Yakult went 6-3 with one tie there during the regular season.Friday, September 14, 2012
Kusano blasts grand slam to power Eagles past Hawks
FUKUOKA — Tohoku Rakuten's Daisuke Kusano belted a seventh-inning grand slam, and right-hander Brandon Duckworth (1-1) worked 7 2/3 innings to earn his first victory in Japan, leading the Golden Eagles to a 6-2 win over the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks on Thursday.The 36-year-old Duckworth, who has 23 major league wins under his belt, kept the Hawks off balance through good movement and change of pace, allowing four hits, while striking out eight and walking none at Yahoo Dome.Lions 8, Buffaloes 1
Key moment: The Golden Eagles' Daisuke Kusano his a seventh-inning grand slam against the Hawks on Thursday at Yahoo Dome. Tohoku Rakuen beat Fukuoka Softbank 6-2. KYODOAt Seibu Dome, Hideto Asamura's three-run double highlighted a seven-run sixth inning as Seibu came from behind to beat Orix.Shogo Akiyama led off the inning with a single, scored the tying run on Esteban German's bases-loaded walk and capped the rally with an RBI single.Kazuhisa Makita (11-7) allowed a run on four hits. The submarine right-hander struck out four without issuing a walk.Fighters 6, Marines 6 (9)At Chiba's QVC Marine Field, Lotte's Josh Whitesell drove in three runs as the Marines overcame a four-run deficit in a tie against Nippon Ham. The hosts loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the ninth against Nippon Ham closer Hisashi Takeda, but the right-hander struck out Tomoya Satozaki to end it after 3 hours, 56 minutes.Micah Hoffpauir homered twice and drove in three runs for the Fighters, tying the game 6-6 in the eighth with his 13th homer of the season. Hoffapauir was walked intentionally with the go-ahead runner on second base in the top of the ninth, and the Marines retired pinch-hitter Tomohiro Nioka to get out of the jam.CENTRAL LEAGUEGiants 4, Carp 1At Tokyo Dome, Yomiuri lefty Tetsuya Utsumi (13-6) held Hiroshima to a run in seven innings as the Giants beat the Carp and lowered their magic number to clinch the Central League pennant to eight.Utsumi allowed five hits and two walks, while hitting a batter and striking out five as he moved into a tie for the league lead in wins with Kazuki Yoshimi of the Dragons and Kenta Maeda of the Carp.Utsumi reached on a one-out infield single in the third and scored the game's first run on Hayato Sakamoto's single off Hiroshima starter Keisuke Imai (2-7).Giants catcher Shinnosuke Abe gave his pitcher some breathing room in the fifth, when he plated Sakamoto with a two-run homer. Back-to-back doubles by Shuichi Murata and pinch hitter Yoshinobu Takahashi in the eighth completed the scoring."As for my form, it wasn't very good tonight, but Abe pulled me along," Utsumi said. "We've been getting one good game after another from the team's young pitchers. I didn't want to be the weak link."The Carp's run came in the sixth on Brad Eldred's seventh homer of the season.Tigers 4, Swallows 1At Koshien Stadium, Hanshin's Jason Standridge (7-11) scattered nine hits and a walk over seven innings.The Tigers turned three double plays and scored the go-ahead run in the sixth, when Tokyo Yakult second baseman Hiroyasu Tanaka fumbled a chance to get an inning-ending double play, allowing a run to score from third.Hanshin completed the scoring in the eighth on straight hits, Tomoaki Kanemoto's pinch-hit, bases-loaded walk and a sacrifice fly. Kyuji Fujimoto worked the ninth for his 23rd save.Dragons 6, BayStars 6 (10)At Yokohama Stadium, Yokohama's Sho Aranami tied the game at 6-6 as the BayStars overcame a five-run deficit, and Chunichi blew a chance to break the tie in the seventh as the clubs played to a tie.Right-handed reliever Kazumasa Kikuchi allowed three runs in the seventh, but Masahiro Araki was caught stealing, and Masahiko Morino made the third out with Chunichi runners on the corners.
Key moment: The Golden Eagles' Daisuke Kusano his a seventh-inning grand slam against the Hawks on Thursday at Yahoo Dome. Tohoku Rakuen beat Fukuoka Softbank 6-2. KYODOAt Seibu Dome, Hideto Asamura's three-run double highlighted a seven-run sixth inning as Seibu came from behind to beat Orix.Shogo Akiyama led off the inning with a single, scored the tying run on Esteban German's bases-loaded walk and capped the rally with an RBI single.Kazuhisa Makita (11-7) allowed a run on four hits. The submarine right-hander struck out four without issuing a walk.Fighters 6, Marines 6 (9)At Chiba's QVC Marine Field, Lotte's Josh Whitesell drove in three runs as the Marines overcame a four-run deficit in a tie against Nippon Ham. The hosts loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the ninth against Nippon Ham closer Hisashi Takeda, but the right-hander struck out Tomoya Satozaki to end it after 3 hours, 56 minutes.Micah Hoffpauir homered twice and drove in three runs for the Fighters, tying the game 6-6 in the eighth with his 13th homer of the season. Hoffapauir was walked intentionally with the go-ahead runner on second base in the top of the ninth, and the Marines retired pinch-hitter Tomohiro Nioka to get out of the jam.CENTRAL LEAGUEGiants 4, Carp 1At Tokyo Dome, Yomiuri lefty Tetsuya Utsumi (13-6) held Hiroshima to a run in seven innings as the Giants beat the Carp and lowered their magic number to clinch the Central League pennant to eight.Utsumi allowed five hits and two walks, while hitting a batter and striking out five as he moved into a tie for the league lead in wins with Kazuki Yoshimi of the Dragons and Kenta Maeda of the Carp.Utsumi reached on a one-out infield single in the third and scored the game's first run on Hayato Sakamoto's single off Hiroshima starter Keisuke Imai (2-7).Giants catcher Shinnosuke Abe gave his pitcher some breathing room in the fifth, when he plated Sakamoto with a two-run homer. Back-to-back doubles by Shuichi Murata and pinch hitter Yoshinobu Takahashi in the eighth completed the scoring."As for my form, it wasn't very good tonight, but Abe pulled me along," Utsumi said. "We've been getting one good game after another from the team's young pitchers. I didn't want to be the weak link."The Carp's run came in the sixth on Brad Eldred's seventh homer of the season.Tigers 4, Swallows 1At Koshien Stadium, Hanshin's Jason Standridge (7-11) scattered nine hits and a walk over seven innings.The Tigers turned three double plays and scored the go-ahead run in the sixth, when Tokyo Yakult second baseman Hiroyasu Tanaka fumbled a chance to get an inning-ending double play, allowing a run to score from third.Hanshin completed the scoring in the eighth on straight hits, Tomoaki Kanemoto's pinch-hit, bases-loaded walk and a sacrifice fly. Kyuji Fujimoto worked the ninth for his 23rd save.Dragons 6, BayStars 6 (10)At Yokohama Stadium, Yokohama's Sho Aranami tied the game at 6-6 as the BayStars overcame a five-run deficit, and Chunichi blew a chance to break the tie in the seventh as the clubs played to a tie.Right-handed reliever Kazumasa Kikuchi allowed three runs in the seventh, but Masahiro Araki was caught stealing, and Masahiko Morino made the third out with Chunichi runners on the corners.Monday, September 3, 2012
Fighters' Nakamura comes out on top against Hawks
FUKUOKA — Right-hander Masaru Nakamura allowed a run in seven innings on Sunday to win for the first time in two seasons as the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters came back to beat the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks 2-1.
Fight the good fight: Hokkaido Nippon Ham starter Masaru Nakamura pitches during the Fighters' 2-1 win over the Hawks on Sunday. KYODONakamura (1-0) outdueled hard-throwing teenager Shota Takeda. Takeda (4-1), the Hawks' top pick last autumn, worked six innings at Yahoo Dome and surrendered a two-run homer in the fourth to Sho Nakata as he fell to his first defeat as a pro.The Hawks, who had scored just one run in each of their previous four games, matched that in the first inning, when Yuichi Honda singled, was sacrificed to second and scored on a single by Wily Mo Pena.But Nakamura, who effectively mixed an arsenal of solid breaking pitches with a well-located 135-kph fastball, kept the hosts off balance all afternoon. The 20-year-old, who was the Fighters' top draft pick in 2009, allowed four singles and a walk, while striking out six.The victory was his first since he won his Pacific League debut on Aug. 11, 2010."It certainly has taken a long time (between wins)," said Nakamura. "But in the meantime, I have developed, as one can see by how much my command has improved."The Hawks managed to put two on with two outs against Hirotoshi Masui in the eighth, and Hisashi Takeda in the ninth, but failed to push across another run.Buffaloes 0, Eagles 0 (11)At Kleenex Stadium, Tohoku Rakuten ace Masahiro Tanaka threw 10 scoreless innings for the second straight game, but this time came up empty as the Eagles played Orix to a scoreless tie in 11 innings.Tanaka, who allowed six hits, while striking out 11 and walking none, was followed by Koji Aoyama, who threw a scoreless 11th. Rookie southpaw Tomoyuki Kaida threw seven innings in his first career start, and three Buffaloes relievers finished the double whitewash.Lions 2, Marines 1At Seibu Dome, Naoya Masuda (1-2) threw a wild pitch that scored the tiebreaking run from third with two outs in the eighth inning, lifting Seibu past Chiba Lotte for its third win in a row.Esteban German doubled for his third hit of the night, reached third on a sacrifice bunt and came home on Masuda's errant pitch. Randy Williams (2-2) escaped a two-on jam in a scoreless eighth and Hideaki Wakui picked up his 21st save.CENTRAL LEAGUEGiants 2, BayStars 1At Tokyo Dome, Shuichi Murata broke a 1-1 tie with an eighth-inning homer and drove in both of Yomiuri's runs against his former team as the Giants beat Yokohama to become the first team this season with 70 wins. Yomiuri is 8? games ahead of second-place Chunichi.Murata unlocked a scoreless pitchers' duel with his second hit of the game, an RBI single off Kisho Kagami (2-3), who went the distance for the BayStars. Giants right-hander Ryosuke Miyaguni worked seven scoreless innings, but lefty Tetsuya Yamaguchi (3-2) blew the lead in the top of the eighth.Swallows 1, Dragons 0At Jingu Stadium, pinch hitter Kazuki Fukuchi broke a scoreless deadlock with a two-out walk-off RBI double off Shinji Tajima (4-3) in the ninth inning as Tokyo Yakult defeated Chunichi.Lefty Kyohei Muranaka (8-5) threw a complete-game shutout, striking out two and walking three. Chunichi is winless in its last four games, including one tie.Tigers 3, Carp 1 (11)At Koshien Stadium, Ryota Arai saved the night with a game-ending two-run homer off Takeru Imamura (1-2) with two outs in the 11th inning, giving Hanshin a win over Hiroshima.Ryota, the younger brother of the more well-known Takahiro, hit his 10th home run of the season for a career best. Akihiro Higashide opened the scoring with a run-scoring single in the second inning, but Tomoaki Kanemoto tied it with an RBI single in the fifth.
Fight the good fight: Hokkaido Nippon Ham starter Masaru Nakamura pitches during the Fighters' 2-1 win over the Hawks on Sunday. KYODONakamura (1-0) outdueled hard-throwing teenager Shota Takeda. Takeda (4-1), the Hawks' top pick last autumn, worked six innings at Yahoo Dome and surrendered a two-run homer in the fourth to Sho Nakata as he fell to his first defeat as a pro.The Hawks, who had scored just one run in each of their previous four games, matched that in the first inning, when Yuichi Honda singled, was sacrificed to second and scored on a single by Wily Mo Pena.But Nakamura, who effectively mixed an arsenal of solid breaking pitches with a well-located 135-kph fastball, kept the hosts off balance all afternoon. The 20-year-old, who was the Fighters' top draft pick in 2009, allowed four singles and a walk, while striking out six.The victory was his first since he won his Pacific League debut on Aug. 11, 2010."It certainly has taken a long time (between wins)," said Nakamura. "But in the meantime, I have developed, as one can see by how much my command has improved."The Hawks managed to put two on with two outs against Hirotoshi Masui in the eighth, and Hisashi Takeda in the ninth, but failed to push across another run.Buffaloes 0, Eagles 0 (11)At Kleenex Stadium, Tohoku Rakuten ace Masahiro Tanaka threw 10 scoreless innings for the second straight game, but this time came up empty as the Eagles played Orix to a scoreless tie in 11 innings.Tanaka, who allowed six hits, while striking out 11 and walking none, was followed by Koji Aoyama, who threw a scoreless 11th. Rookie southpaw Tomoyuki Kaida threw seven innings in his first career start, and three Buffaloes relievers finished the double whitewash.Lions 2, Marines 1At Seibu Dome, Naoya Masuda (1-2) threw a wild pitch that scored the tiebreaking run from third with two outs in the eighth inning, lifting Seibu past Chiba Lotte for its third win in a row.Esteban German doubled for his third hit of the night, reached third on a sacrifice bunt and came home on Masuda's errant pitch. Randy Williams (2-2) escaped a two-on jam in a scoreless eighth and Hideaki Wakui picked up his 21st save.CENTRAL LEAGUEGiants 2, BayStars 1At Tokyo Dome, Shuichi Murata broke a 1-1 tie with an eighth-inning homer and drove in both of Yomiuri's runs against his former team as the Giants beat Yokohama to become the first team this season with 70 wins. Yomiuri is 8? games ahead of second-place Chunichi.Murata unlocked a scoreless pitchers' duel with his second hit of the game, an RBI single off Kisho Kagami (2-3), who went the distance for the BayStars. Giants right-hander Ryosuke Miyaguni worked seven scoreless innings, but lefty Tetsuya Yamaguchi (3-2) blew the lead in the top of the eighth.Swallows 1, Dragons 0At Jingu Stadium, pinch hitter Kazuki Fukuchi broke a scoreless deadlock with a two-out walk-off RBI double off Shinji Tajima (4-3) in the ninth inning as Tokyo Yakult defeated Chunichi.Lefty Kyohei Muranaka (8-5) threw a complete-game shutout, striking out two and walking three. Chunichi is winless in its last four games, including one tie.Tigers 3, Carp 1 (11)At Koshien Stadium, Ryota Arai saved the night with a game-ending two-run homer off Takeru Imamura (1-2) with two outs in the 11th inning, giving Hanshin a win over Hiroshima.Ryota, the younger brother of the more well-known Takahiro, hit his 10th home run of the season for a career best. Akihiro Higashide opened the scoring with a run-scoring single in the second inning, but Tomoaki Kanemoto tied it with an RBI single in the fifth.Saturday, May 19, 2012
Hawks' Sakaguchi injures shoulder
Orix Buffaloes center fielder and leadoff man Tomotaka Sakaguchi will be out for about 10 weeks with a dislocated right shoulder, the team announced Friday.Sakaguchi, who last year won his fourth straight Golden Glove, made a tumbling catch on a short fly in the first inning of Thursday's interleague game against the Yomiuri Giants at Tokyo Dome. He was deactivated later in the evening.His loss will be a blow to the Buffaloes, who bring up the rear in the Pacific League and were swept in their first two interleague games.Sakaguchi finished second in batting in interleague play in 2010 with a .389 average and won the event's batting title last season, when he hit .412."We'll just use different player every day in center, because we don't have anyone who can both hit and field," Orix manager Akinobu Okada said.The player is expected to undergo treatment and rehab at the team's facility in Kobe.Kubo awaits surgeryYomiuri Giants reliever Yuya Kubo will undergo season-ending elbow surgery, a team executive said Friday.Kubo, who saved 20 games despite not becoming the team's regular closer until the end of July, has pitched in just two games this season. He will undergo ligament-reconstruction surgery on his right arm this month."It would be difficult for him to contribute this season," team representative Atsushi Harasawa said.Kubo's preparations for the season were delayed due to his having surgery on his groin during the offseason. He was deactivated on April 6 due to pain in his right elbow."I told him he should just have the spirit to start from scratch all over again," Harasawa said.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Marines edge Hawks in 11 on sac fly
CHIBA — Katsuya Kakunaka didn't look comfortable being on the hero interview. At the level he's playing right now, he had better get used to it.
No decision: Chiba Lotte starter Yuki Karakawa pitches in the eighth inning against Softbank on Saturday at QVC Marine Field. The Marines edged the Hawks 3-2 in 11 innings. KYODOKakunaka drove in the winning run on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 11th inning and the Chiba Lotte Marines continued their dominance of the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks with a 3-2 win on Saturday afternoon at QVC Marine Field.Kakunaka had a chance to end the game with two away in the ninth, but struck out with runners on first and second."The previous at-bat was regrettable," Kakunaka said. "But I was able to come through in the end."Everyone contributed. I'm very happy."Lotte extended its current winning streak to three with its first sayonara win of the season. The Marines have taken four straight against the Hawks and are 6-1-1 against Softbank this year.The series is the last league action each team will see for a few weeks as the interleague schedule begins Wednesday.Kakunaka finished 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Tadahito Iguchi went 2-for-4, and gave Lotte an early lead with a two-run home run in the first inning."We had a runner on first, so I was determined get something out of the chance," Iguchi said."I was able to make a good adjustment on a breaking ball. This is the last series before interleague play. I hope to be able to enter the interleague schedule in good condition."Shunichi Nemoto had the Marines' only other hit, a triple in the 11th that set the stage for Kakunaka's heroics.Yuhei Nakaushiro (2-0) threw one scoreless inning to earn the win in relief. Softbank's Masahiko Morifuku (0-1) was charged with the loss.Hiroki Kokubo drove in the Hawks' only runs with a two-run single in the eighth that left him seven shy of reaching the 2,000-hit milestone.Runs proved tough to come by against the two starters, who matched each other nearly pitch-for-pitch.Softbank's Tadashi Settsu gave up a pair of runs in the first inning then held Lotte scoreless over the next eight. Settsu allowed three hits, struck out seven and walked three in his nine frames on the mound.Marines starter Yuki Karakawa allowed a pair of runs over eight innings. Karakawa, who notched complete-game wins in his previous two starts against Softbank, gave up eight hits, struck out three and walked three.HAKODATE, HOKKAIDO — The Seibu Lions built a 9-1 lead in the first two innings, featuring Shogo Akiyama's bases-clearing triple in the second, and held off a late surge to defeat the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters 9-8 on Saturday.Kazuhisa Ishii (3-0) limited the damage to three runs in 6? innings for the win. Esteban German and Yutaro Osaki hit back-to-back two-run singles off Yuki Saito (4-2) in the first inning.Eagles 2, Buffaloes 1At Osaka's Kyocera Dome, Kazuo Matsui broke a 1-1 tie with a run-scoring single off Yoshihisa Hirano (1-1) in the eighth inning as Tohoku Rakuten won four in a row for the first time this season to return to .500.Takahiro Shiomi (4-3) pitched one-run ball over 7? innings and Koji Aoyama picked up his fourth save.CENTRAL LEAGUEBayStars 2, Tigers 1At Yokohama Stadium, Daisuke Miura came within three outs of pitching a no-hitter and Yuki Yoshimura broke a scoreless tie with a two-run double in the sixth inning as Yokohama beat Hanshin.Miura (4-1), who struck out one in a 112-pitch outing, walked two batters in the first inning but had a no-hitter intact through the eighth before allowing a leadoff single to pinch hitter Shinjiro Hiyama in the final inning."I didn't want to walk the batter, and a homer would have made it a one-run ballgame," Miura said after Hiyama hit a full-count fastball off the wall in right. "I hope to pitch more and more innings for our team."Miura also allowed a one-out single by Keiichi Hirano and Matt Murton had an RBI groundout on an attempted double play.Minoru Iwata (2-5) took the loss for the Tigers, who saw their winning streak end after three games.Yoshimura sent a ball into the gap in right-center in the sixth."I was ready to go on the first pitch after he put the ball over the plate. I was just praying for it to fall into the gap," said Yoshimura.Dragons 3, Carp 0At Hiroshima's Mazda Stadium, Tony Blanco hit solo homers in consecutive at-bats, and Shinji Iwata threw 5? scoreless innings to help Chunichi end a two-game skid in a win over Hiroshima.Carp pitcher Yusuke Nomura (2-3) took the loss, giving up two runs in seven innings of work.Giants 1, Swallows 1 (10)At Akita's Komachi Stadium, Hayato Sakamoto laid down a suicide squeeze for a 1-0 lead in the seventh inning, but Ryosuke Morioka's two-out, bases-loaded single in the bottom half tied the game as Yomiuri played out a 10-inning tie against Tokyo Yakult.
No decision: Chiba Lotte starter Yuki Karakawa pitches in the eighth inning against Softbank on Saturday at QVC Marine Field. The Marines edged the Hawks 3-2 in 11 innings. KYODOKakunaka drove in the winning run on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 11th inning and the Chiba Lotte Marines continued their dominance of the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks with a 3-2 win on Saturday afternoon at QVC Marine Field.Kakunaka had a chance to end the game with two away in the ninth, but struck out with runners on first and second."The previous at-bat was regrettable," Kakunaka said. "But I was able to come through in the end."Everyone contributed. I'm very happy."Lotte extended its current winning streak to three with its first sayonara win of the season. The Marines have taken four straight against the Hawks and are 6-1-1 against Softbank this year.The series is the last league action each team will see for a few weeks as the interleague schedule begins Wednesday.Kakunaka finished 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Tadahito Iguchi went 2-for-4, and gave Lotte an early lead with a two-run home run in the first inning."We had a runner on first, so I was determined get something out of the chance," Iguchi said."I was able to make a good adjustment on a breaking ball. This is the last series before interleague play. I hope to be able to enter the interleague schedule in good condition."Shunichi Nemoto had the Marines' only other hit, a triple in the 11th that set the stage for Kakunaka's heroics.Yuhei Nakaushiro (2-0) threw one scoreless inning to earn the win in relief. Softbank's Masahiko Morifuku (0-1) was charged with the loss.Hiroki Kokubo drove in the Hawks' only runs with a two-run single in the eighth that left him seven shy of reaching the 2,000-hit milestone.Runs proved tough to come by against the two starters, who matched each other nearly pitch-for-pitch.Softbank's Tadashi Settsu gave up a pair of runs in the first inning then held Lotte scoreless over the next eight. Settsu allowed three hits, struck out seven and walked three in his nine frames on the mound.Marines starter Yuki Karakawa allowed a pair of runs over eight innings. Karakawa, who notched complete-game wins in his previous two starts against Softbank, gave up eight hits, struck out three and walked three.HAKODATE, HOKKAIDO — The Seibu Lions built a 9-1 lead in the first two innings, featuring Shogo Akiyama's bases-clearing triple in the second, and held off a late surge to defeat the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters 9-8 on Saturday.Kazuhisa Ishii (3-0) limited the damage to three runs in 6? innings for the win. Esteban German and Yutaro Osaki hit back-to-back two-run singles off Yuki Saito (4-2) in the first inning.Eagles 2, Buffaloes 1At Osaka's Kyocera Dome, Kazuo Matsui broke a 1-1 tie with a run-scoring single off Yoshihisa Hirano (1-1) in the eighth inning as Tohoku Rakuten won four in a row for the first time this season to return to .500.Takahiro Shiomi (4-3) pitched one-run ball over 7? innings and Koji Aoyama picked up his fourth save.CENTRAL LEAGUEBayStars 2, Tigers 1At Yokohama Stadium, Daisuke Miura came within three outs of pitching a no-hitter and Yuki Yoshimura broke a scoreless tie with a two-run double in the sixth inning as Yokohama beat Hanshin.Miura (4-1), who struck out one in a 112-pitch outing, walked two batters in the first inning but had a no-hitter intact through the eighth before allowing a leadoff single to pinch hitter Shinjiro Hiyama in the final inning."I didn't want to walk the batter, and a homer would have made it a one-run ballgame," Miura said after Hiyama hit a full-count fastball off the wall in right. "I hope to pitch more and more innings for our team."Miura also allowed a one-out single by Keiichi Hirano and Matt Murton had an RBI groundout on an attempted double play.Minoru Iwata (2-5) took the loss for the Tigers, who saw their winning streak end after three games.Yoshimura sent a ball into the gap in right-center in the sixth."I was ready to go on the first pitch after he put the ball over the plate. I was just praying for it to fall into the gap," said Yoshimura.Dragons 3, Carp 0At Hiroshima's Mazda Stadium, Tony Blanco hit solo homers in consecutive at-bats, and Shinji Iwata threw 5? scoreless innings to help Chunichi end a two-game skid in a win over Hiroshima.Carp pitcher Yusuke Nomura (2-3) took the loss, giving up two runs in seven innings of work.Giants 1, Swallows 1 (10)At Akita's Komachi Stadium, Hayato Sakamoto laid down a suicide squeeze for a 1-0 lead in the seventh inning, but Ryosuke Morioka's two-out, bases-loaded single in the bottom half tied the game as Yomiuri played out a 10-inning tie against Tokyo Yakult.Friday, May 11, 2012
Fired-up Garnett, Celts put away Hawks
BOSTON — Call him old. Call him dirty.
Vintage performance: Boston's Kevin Garnett puts up a jumper over Atlanta's Josh Smith in the first half of Game 6 on Thursday night. The Celtics beat the Hawks 83-80 to take the series 4-2. APIt just fires up Kevin Garnett even more — and that didn't work out very well for the Atlanta Hawks in their first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics.Upset by comments from a Hawks owner calling him "the dirtiest guy in the league," Garnett responded with 28 points and 14 rebounds to give the Celtics an 83-80 victory in Game 6 on Thursday night that eliminated Atlanta."Thank you to their owner for giving me some extra gas tonight," Garnett said. "My only advice to him is next time he opens his mouth to know what he's talking about with X's and O's vs. checkbooks and bottom lines."The Celtics will open the Eastern Conference semifinals on Saturday in Boston against the Philadelphia 76ers, who eliminated East No. 1 seed Chicago in six games with a 79-78 victory earlier Thursday."At least we don't have to travel," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who had hoped to be playing a day or two later. "I would rather be going to Game 1 here than Game 7 in Atlanta."Garnett topped his regular-season high of 25 points and had five blocks and three steals for Boston. Paul Pierce had 18 points despite playing with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee, and Rajon Rondo had 14 points and eight assists.But Garnett, who turns 36 this month, was the star, defying age and a reputation that led Hawks co-owner Michael Gearon Jr. to say within earshot of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "They are old. I know what happens when you play basketball, old guys foul. Garnett is the dirtiest guy in the league."Garnett responded on the court, hitting a jumper with 31 seconds left to give Boston the lead for good.Then he responded off it."I just found that comment to be a little rude and a little out of hand and I wanted to address it," he said. "Just because you've got a lot of money doesn't mean you can open your mouth."Josh Smith had 19 points and nine rebounds for Atlanta, which failed to advance in the playoffs for the first time in four years. Joe Johnson had 17 points, Marvin Williams added 16 and eight rebounds and Al Horford had 15 points and nine rebounds.Boston has won at least one playoff series every year since the new Big 3 was assembled in the summer of 2007."The one thing about the Celtics is those guys know how to win," Williams said. 76ers 79, Bulls 78In Philadelphia, Andre Iguodala made the go-ahead free throws with 2.2 seconds left and the 76ers rallied for a victory over top-seeded Chicago in Game 6, advancing to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time since 2003.Omer Asik missed two free throws with 7 seconds left that would have given the Bulls a three-point lead. Iguodala grabbed the second miss, sprinted the length of the court, was fouled by Asik and made both free throws.Philadelphia is the fifth No. 8 seed to win a first-round series against a No. 1 seed.Chicago lost star guard Derrick Rose to a knee injury in the series opener and center Joakim Noah didn't play in the last three games because of an ankle injury.Iguodala scored 20 points, and Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams each scored 14 for the Sixers who were outrebounded 56-33.Luol Deng had 19 points and 17 rebounds for the Bulls, while Richard Hamilton scored 19 points and Carlos Boozer grabbed 13 rebounds. Nuggets 113, Lakers 96In Denver, Ty Lawson scored 32 points and Corey Brewer added 18 as the Nuggets forced a Game 7 in their first-round playoff series.Game 7 in the Western Conference series is Saturday night at the Staples Center.This will be Denver's first all-or-nothing playoff game since losing to Utah in Game 7 of the 1994 conference semifinals.Kobe Bryant followed his 43-point outburst in Game 5 with 31 points in 3? quarters despite a sour stomach that prevented him from attending the Lakers' morning shootaround and forced him to take intravenous fluids all day. He took a seat for good with Los Angeles down 101-73 with 7:52 remaining.Andrew Bynum pulled down 16 rebounds but made just 4 of 11 shots for 11 points for the Lakers and Pau Gasol was just 1 of 10 from the field, finishing with three points and three rebounds.OKLAHOMA CITY — In his first season fully understanding the role, James Harden won the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award after leading all bench players in scoring.Harden averaged 16.8 points on career-best 49 percent shooting this season, and he recorded his first career 40-point game last month in a win at Phoenix.Lou Williams, who led Philadelphia in scoring despite not starting a single game this season, was second in the balloting.
Vintage performance: Boston's Kevin Garnett puts up a jumper over Atlanta's Josh Smith in the first half of Game 6 on Thursday night. The Celtics beat the Hawks 83-80 to take the series 4-2. APIt just fires up Kevin Garnett even more — and that didn't work out very well for the Atlanta Hawks in their first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics.Upset by comments from a Hawks owner calling him "the dirtiest guy in the league," Garnett responded with 28 points and 14 rebounds to give the Celtics an 83-80 victory in Game 6 on Thursday night that eliminated Atlanta."Thank you to their owner for giving me some extra gas tonight," Garnett said. "My only advice to him is next time he opens his mouth to know what he's talking about with X's and O's vs. checkbooks and bottom lines."The Celtics will open the Eastern Conference semifinals on Saturday in Boston against the Philadelphia 76ers, who eliminated East No. 1 seed Chicago in six games with a 79-78 victory earlier Thursday."At least we don't have to travel," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who had hoped to be playing a day or two later. "I would rather be going to Game 1 here than Game 7 in Atlanta."Garnett topped his regular-season high of 25 points and had five blocks and three steals for Boston. Paul Pierce had 18 points despite playing with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee, and Rajon Rondo had 14 points and eight assists.But Garnett, who turns 36 this month, was the star, defying age and a reputation that led Hawks co-owner Michael Gearon Jr. to say within earshot of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "They are old. I know what happens when you play basketball, old guys foul. Garnett is the dirtiest guy in the league."Garnett responded on the court, hitting a jumper with 31 seconds left to give Boston the lead for good.Then he responded off it."I just found that comment to be a little rude and a little out of hand and I wanted to address it," he said. "Just because you've got a lot of money doesn't mean you can open your mouth."Josh Smith had 19 points and nine rebounds for Atlanta, which failed to advance in the playoffs for the first time in four years. Joe Johnson had 17 points, Marvin Williams added 16 and eight rebounds and Al Horford had 15 points and nine rebounds.Boston has won at least one playoff series every year since the new Big 3 was assembled in the summer of 2007."The one thing about the Celtics is those guys know how to win," Williams said. 76ers 79, Bulls 78In Philadelphia, Andre Iguodala made the go-ahead free throws with 2.2 seconds left and the 76ers rallied for a victory over top-seeded Chicago in Game 6, advancing to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time since 2003.Omer Asik missed two free throws with 7 seconds left that would have given the Bulls a three-point lead. Iguodala grabbed the second miss, sprinted the length of the court, was fouled by Asik and made both free throws.Philadelphia is the fifth No. 8 seed to win a first-round series against a No. 1 seed.Chicago lost star guard Derrick Rose to a knee injury in the series opener and center Joakim Noah didn't play in the last three games because of an ankle injury.Iguodala scored 20 points, and Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams each scored 14 for the Sixers who were outrebounded 56-33.Luol Deng had 19 points and 17 rebounds for the Bulls, while Richard Hamilton scored 19 points and Carlos Boozer grabbed 13 rebounds. Nuggets 113, Lakers 96In Denver, Ty Lawson scored 32 points and Corey Brewer added 18 as the Nuggets forced a Game 7 in their first-round playoff series.Game 7 in the Western Conference series is Saturday night at the Staples Center.This will be Denver's first all-or-nothing playoff game since losing to Utah in Game 7 of the 1994 conference semifinals.Kobe Bryant followed his 43-point outburst in Game 5 with 31 points in 3? quarters despite a sour stomach that prevented him from attending the Lakers' morning shootaround and forced him to take intravenous fluids all day. He took a seat for good with Los Angeles down 101-73 with 7:52 remaining.Andrew Bynum pulled down 16 rebounds but made just 4 of 11 shots for 11 points for the Lakers and Pau Gasol was just 1 of 10 from the field, finishing with three points and three rebounds.OKLAHOMA CITY — In his first season fully understanding the role, James Harden won the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award after leading all bench players in scoring.Harden averaged 16.8 points on career-best 49 percent shooting this season, and he recorded his first career 40-point game last month in a win at Phoenix.Lou Williams, who led Philadelphia in scoring despite not starting a single game this season, was second in the balloting.Sunday, April 29, 2012
Matsunaka lifts Hawks past Marines
CHIBA — The Chiba Lotte Marines couldn't come through for their pitcher again.
Milestone moment: Hokkaido Nippon Ham's Atsunori Inaba acknowledges the fans at Sendai's Kleenex Stadium on Saturday after getting his 2,000th career hit on a first-inning RBI single. KYODONobuhiko Matsunaka made sure the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks didn't make the same mistake.Matsunaka hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the top of the ninth inning to help propel starter Tadashi Settsu and the Hawks to a 3-2 victory over the Marines on Saturday afternoon at QVC Marine Field."I was only thinking about how to bring the runner in," Matsunaka said. "I just did my best."Tomoaki Egawa had a big day at the plate for the Hawks, finishing 3-for-4 with a triple. His third hit came against Lotte's Yasuhiko Yabuta to lead off the ninth. Yuya Hasegawa laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Egawa to second, and manager Koji Akiyama sent Matsunaka to the plate to pinch hit for Toru Hosokawa, who was 1-for-3.Matsunaka worked the count full before lining a single into right to bring home Egawa.Hasegawa finished 0-for-3 with an RBI and Nobuhiro Matsuda had a pair of hits and drove in a run.Softbank's Yuchi Honda started the game at second base, but was removed due to neck pain in the third inning. Honda had played every inning of every game since facing the Orix Buffaloes on April 13, 2010, a span of 293 games.Matsunaka's heroics helped Settsu (4-0) remain unbeaten. The Hawks starter gave up two runs on five hits and struck out five. Brian Falkenborg worked the ninth for the PL-leading ninth save.There was no such luck for Marines starter Yoshihisa Naruse.Naruse (1-2) threw seven innings of one-run ball, allowing seven hits, striking out six and walking one. He didn't factor into the decision. It was the third consecutive outing Naruse gave up just a single run over at least seven innings without earning a victory.Yabuta (0-1) took the loss.Tomoya Satozaki provided all the offense for the Marines, finishing 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs.Ikuhiro Kiyota drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the second inning and stole second with Satozaki at the plate. The Marines catcher drove him in with single to right, making the score 1-0.Katsuya Kakunaka doubled with two away in the fourth, and Kiyota singled to put runners on the corners. Satozaki delivered again, this time with an RBI single that put the Marines ahead 2-0."Because we haven't always been able to support Naruse, I'm glad we were able to score early," Satozaki said.In the end, scoring early wasn't enough.Egawa started the Hawks half of the seventh with a triple off Naruse and was driven in by Hasegawa later in the inning.In the eighth, with reliever Naoya Masuda on the mound, reigning Pacific League MVP Seiichi Uchikawa singled to right. With Uchikawa on first, Matsuda hit a game-tying RBI double that left Naruse on the outside of the decision.SENDAI — Atsunori Inaba recorded his 2,000th career hit with an RBI single in the first inning, but the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters were unable to celebrate it with a win in a 3-3, 10th-inning tie against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles on Saturday.The Eagles turned a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 lead in the fifth against Yuki Saito. The Fighters Ham tied the game in the sixth on Kensuke Tanaka's RBI infield single and a bases-loaded walk to Yoshio Itoi.Inaba, the 39th player in Japanese baseball history to reach the 2,000-hit mark, went hitless in his other four at-bats."I'm glad I got my 2,000th in a clutch situation," Inaba said. "I wasn't too eager to get it done. It was our scoring chance. I just tried to drive in a run."I'm so happy that not only Fighters fans in the right-field stands but also Rakuten fans were giving me a round of applause."Lions 8, Buffaloes 4At Osaka's Kyocera Dome, Esteban German broke the game open with a three-run double in the seventh inning as Seibu beat Orix for its third straight victory.Kazuhisa Ishii (2-0) allowed one run and four hits in seven innings. Yuki Nishi (2-2) took the loss.CENTRAL LEAGUEDragons 3, BayStars 1At Nagoya Dome, Soma Yamauchi threw one-run ball over 7? innings and Tony Blanco hit a solo homer as Chunichi held off Yokohama.Naomichi Donoue and Ryosuke Hirata had RBI singles in the second and third, respectively, for the Dragons and Blanco added a leadoff blast in the fourth.Alex Ramirez hit a pitch-hit RBI double in the eighth for the BayStars.Swallows 6, Carp 4At Hiroshima's Mazda Stadium, Wladimir Balentien overturned a 4-3 deficit into a 6-4 lead with a three-run drive off Kam Mickolio (1-1) in the ninth inning, lifting Tokyo Yakult past Hiroshima to extend its unbeaten streak to seven games.Third-year right-hander Ryo Hirai (1-0) won in relief for first-place Yakult. Hiroshima has lost three straight and six of its last seven.Giants 7, Tigers 2At Tokyo Dome, Toshiya Sugiuchi (3-1) tossed seven innings of two-run ball, Hayato Sakamoto went 3-for-5 with two runs scored, and Yomiuri routed Hanshin in the opener of a three-game series homestand.The Giants overturned a 1-0 deficit to take a 3-1 lead on a wild pitch and a two-run throwing error by Atsushi Nomi (2-2) in the first. Yoshinobu Takahashi hit a two-run single and Hisayoshi Chono a leadoff drive in the third and fourth innings.
Milestone moment: Hokkaido Nippon Ham's Atsunori Inaba acknowledges the fans at Sendai's Kleenex Stadium on Saturday after getting his 2,000th career hit on a first-inning RBI single. KYODONobuhiko Matsunaka made sure the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks didn't make the same mistake.Matsunaka hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the top of the ninth inning to help propel starter Tadashi Settsu and the Hawks to a 3-2 victory over the Marines on Saturday afternoon at QVC Marine Field."I was only thinking about how to bring the runner in," Matsunaka said. "I just did my best."Tomoaki Egawa had a big day at the plate for the Hawks, finishing 3-for-4 with a triple. His third hit came against Lotte's Yasuhiko Yabuta to lead off the ninth. Yuya Hasegawa laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Egawa to second, and manager Koji Akiyama sent Matsunaka to the plate to pinch hit for Toru Hosokawa, who was 1-for-3.Matsunaka worked the count full before lining a single into right to bring home Egawa.Hasegawa finished 0-for-3 with an RBI and Nobuhiro Matsuda had a pair of hits and drove in a run.Softbank's Yuchi Honda started the game at second base, but was removed due to neck pain in the third inning. Honda had played every inning of every game since facing the Orix Buffaloes on April 13, 2010, a span of 293 games.Matsunaka's heroics helped Settsu (4-0) remain unbeaten. The Hawks starter gave up two runs on five hits and struck out five. Brian Falkenborg worked the ninth for the PL-leading ninth save.There was no such luck for Marines starter Yoshihisa Naruse.Naruse (1-2) threw seven innings of one-run ball, allowing seven hits, striking out six and walking one. He didn't factor into the decision. It was the third consecutive outing Naruse gave up just a single run over at least seven innings without earning a victory.Yabuta (0-1) took the loss.Tomoya Satozaki provided all the offense for the Marines, finishing 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs.Ikuhiro Kiyota drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the second inning and stole second with Satozaki at the plate. The Marines catcher drove him in with single to right, making the score 1-0.Katsuya Kakunaka doubled with two away in the fourth, and Kiyota singled to put runners on the corners. Satozaki delivered again, this time with an RBI single that put the Marines ahead 2-0."Because we haven't always been able to support Naruse, I'm glad we were able to score early," Satozaki said.In the end, scoring early wasn't enough.Egawa started the Hawks half of the seventh with a triple off Naruse and was driven in by Hasegawa later in the inning.In the eighth, with reliever Naoya Masuda on the mound, reigning Pacific League MVP Seiichi Uchikawa singled to right. With Uchikawa on first, Matsuda hit a game-tying RBI double that left Naruse on the outside of the decision.SENDAI — Atsunori Inaba recorded his 2,000th career hit with an RBI single in the first inning, but the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters were unable to celebrate it with a win in a 3-3, 10th-inning tie against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles on Saturday.The Eagles turned a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 lead in the fifth against Yuki Saito. The Fighters Ham tied the game in the sixth on Kensuke Tanaka's RBI infield single and a bases-loaded walk to Yoshio Itoi.Inaba, the 39th player in Japanese baseball history to reach the 2,000-hit mark, went hitless in his other four at-bats."I'm glad I got my 2,000th in a clutch situation," Inaba said. "I wasn't too eager to get it done. It was our scoring chance. I just tried to drive in a run."I'm so happy that not only Fighters fans in the right-field stands but also Rakuten fans were giving me a round of applause."Lions 8, Buffaloes 4At Osaka's Kyocera Dome, Esteban German broke the game open with a three-run double in the seventh inning as Seibu beat Orix for its third straight victory.Kazuhisa Ishii (2-0) allowed one run and four hits in seven innings. Yuki Nishi (2-2) took the loss.CENTRAL LEAGUEDragons 3, BayStars 1At Nagoya Dome, Soma Yamauchi threw one-run ball over 7? innings and Tony Blanco hit a solo homer as Chunichi held off Yokohama.Naomichi Donoue and Ryosuke Hirata had RBI singles in the second and third, respectively, for the Dragons and Blanco added a leadoff blast in the fourth.Alex Ramirez hit a pitch-hit RBI double in the eighth for the BayStars.Swallows 6, Carp 4At Hiroshima's Mazda Stadium, Wladimir Balentien overturned a 4-3 deficit into a 6-4 lead with a three-run drive off Kam Mickolio (1-1) in the ninth inning, lifting Tokyo Yakult past Hiroshima to extend its unbeaten streak to seven games.Third-year right-hander Ryo Hirai (1-0) won in relief for first-place Yakult. Hiroshima has lost three straight and six of its last seven.Giants 7, Tigers 2At Tokyo Dome, Toshiya Sugiuchi (3-1) tossed seven innings of two-run ball, Hayato Sakamoto went 3-for-5 with two runs scored, and Yomiuri routed Hanshin in the opener of a three-game series homestand.The Giants overturned a 1-0 deficit to take a 3-1 lead on a wild pitch and a two-run throwing error by Atsushi Nomi (2-2) in the first. Yoshinobu Takahashi hit a two-run single and Hisayoshi Chono a leadoff drive in the third and fourth innings.Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Hawks retain hold over Nets
NEWARK, New Jersey — The Atlanta Hawks have seen the New Jersey Nets so much this season, it has the feeling of a playoff series, and a sweep at that.
Hang time: New York's Iman Shumpert goes up for a layup in the first half against Charlotte on Monday night. The Knicks beat the Bobcats 91-87. APJosh Smith scored a season-high 26 points and the Hawks shot nearly 54 percent from the field in beating the Nets for the third time this season, 106-101 on Monday night."It's always toughest to play a team a third time around," said Smith, who was 10 of 14 from the field in topping his season-high for the second straight game. "It almost had the feel of being a semi-playoff game. We took over the game early, but they put their best effort for us. They always play hard. I just didn't want to get disappointed and lose this one. This is probably the best game I've played here."It might have been one of the Nets' better games, too. They've had a habit of falling behind early and never coming close.This time they made the Hawks work for the victory.The teams will finish their four-game series on March 23 in Atlanta. The Nets should have center Brook Lopez back in the lineup. He has missed the start of the season with a broken foot and it has forced New Jersey to take more shots from the outside. They hit only five in the first quarter and had to play catch up the rest of the way."They're an improving team, even though they're missing a big piece in Brook," said Joe Johnson, who added 22 points for the Hawks, including six in a fourth-quarter run that gave some late breathing room. "Each game with them has been tough. They don't make it easy for us."Anthony Morrow had 20 points and rookie MarShon Brooks 19 as the Nets (2-8) remained winless in four games at home. Deron Williams added 15 points and 14 assists, but he also had six of the Nets' 16 turnovers and was 6 of 17 from the field.Knicks 91, Bobcats 87In New York, Carmelo Anthony shook off a poor shooting night to make the tiebreaking basket with 2:39 remaining and score 22 points, and the Knicks avenged an embarrassing loss to Charlotte.Amare Stoudemire also shot poorly but had 25 points and 12 rebounds, while Tyson Chandler finished with 20 points and 13 boards. Anthony was only 6 of 18 from the field, but scored eight of the Knicks' final nine points.Raptors 97, Timberwolves 87In Toronto, Andrea Bargnani matched his season-high with 31 points, Amir Johnson had a season-high 19 points and 11 rebounds for his second straight double-double and the Raptors beat Minnesota.In the first meeting between Spanish point guards Jose Calderon and Ricky Rubio, the Toronto veteran finished with a narrow edge over the Minnesota rookie. Calderon had 14 points, six assists and three rebounds in 40 minutes, while Rubio had 10 points, six assists and four rebounds in 29 minutes.Bulls 92, Pistons 68In Chicago, Carlos Boozer scored 23 points and the Bulls beat Detroit for their 13th consecutive win against the Pistons.Derrick Rose added 22 points and eight assists for Chicago.76ers 96, Pacers 86In Philadelphia, Andre Iguodala scored 20 points and Lou Williams added 13 to help the 76ers beat the Pacers.Hornets 94, Nuggets 81In Denver, Carl Landry scored 21 points, Chris Kaman added 20 and the Hornets beat the Nuggets.
Hang time: New York's Iman Shumpert goes up for a layup in the first half against Charlotte on Monday night. The Knicks beat the Bobcats 91-87. APJosh Smith scored a season-high 26 points and the Hawks shot nearly 54 percent from the field in beating the Nets for the third time this season, 106-101 on Monday night."It's always toughest to play a team a third time around," said Smith, who was 10 of 14 from the field in topping his season-high for the second straight game. "It almost had the feel of being a semi-playoff game. We took over the game early, but they put their best effort for us. They always play hard. I just didn't want to get disappointed and lose this one. This is probably the best game I've played here."It might have been one of the Nets' better games, too. They've had a habit of falling behind early and never coming close.This time they made the Hawks work for the victory.The teams will finish their four-game series on March 23 in Atlanta. The Nets should have center Brook Lopez back in the lineup. He has missed the start of the season with a broken foot and it has forced New Jersey to take more shots from the outside. They hit only five in the first quarter and had to play catch up the rest of the way."They're an improving team, even though they're missing a big piece in Brook," said Joe Johnson, who added 22 points for the Hawks, including six in a fourth-quarter run that gave some late breathing room. "Each game with them has been tough. They don't make it easy for us."Anthony Morrow had 20 points and rookie MarShon Brooks 19 as the Nets (2-8) remained winless in four games at home. Deron Williams added 15 points and 14 assists, but he also had six of the Nets' 16 turnovers and was 6 of 17 from the field.Knicks 91, Bobcats 87In New York, Carmelo Anthony shook off a poor shooting night to make the tiebreaking basket with 2:39 remaining and score 22 points, and the Knicks avenged an embarrassing loss to Charlotte.Amare Stoudemire also shot poorly but had 25 points and 12 rebounds, while Tyson Chandler finished with 20 points and 13 boards. Anthony was only 6 of 18 from the field, but scored eight of the Knicks' final nine points.Raptors 97, Timberwolves 87In Toronto, Andrea Bargnani matched his season-high with 31 points, Amir Johnson had a season-high 19 points and 11 rebounds for his second straight double-double and the Raptors beat Minnesota.In the first meeting between Spanish point guards Jose Calderon and Ricky Rubio, the Toronto veteran finished with a narrow edge over the Minnesota rookie. Calderon had 14 points, six assists and three rebounds in 40 minutes, while Rubio had 10 points, six assists and four rebounds in 29 minutes.Bulls 92, Pistons 68In Chicago, Carlos Boozer scored 23 points and the Bulls beat Detroit for their 13th consecutive win against the Pistons.Derrick Rose added 22 points and eight assists for Chicago.76ers 96, Pacers 86In Philadelphia, Andre Iguodala scored 20 points and Lou Williams added 13 to help the 76ers beat the Pacers.Hornets 94, Nuggets 81In Denver, Carl Landry scored 21 points, Chris Kaman added 20 and the Hornets beat the Nuggets.Thursday, January 5, 2012
Bulls ground Hawks on Deng's late layup
CHICAGO — With Derrick Rose having a big fourth quarter for the Chicago Bulls, everyone expected the reigning NBA MVP to take the final shot with the score tied. Instead, it was Luol Deng who got the game-winner in the closing seconds.
Thunder cloud: Oklahoma City's James Harden shoots during the Trail Blazers' 103-93 win over the Thunder on Tuesday. APDeng's layup with 3.7 seconds left lifted the Bulls to a 76-74 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night.Rose scored 17 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter to rally the Bulls from a 19-point deficit. Coming out of a timeout, Deng cut along the baseline and took a feed from Joakim Noah to put Chicago ahead."At the end of practice, we always run (the play)," Deng said. "(Joakim) made a great pass. We had a feeling both of (the defenders) would go with Derrick."Turns out the play was designed for Rose after all."Obviously, we're trying to get it to Derrick," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "They did a good job taking the first and second option away. Derrick set a great screen, (Noah) made a great pass and Luol made a great cut."The play caught the Hawks off guard as they were anticipating Rose to get the last shot."We all assumed that the ball was coming back to Rose," Atlanta's Al Horford said. "We were going to come and trap. That was a great play by their coach designed to take the pressure from Rose and hit Deng on the back. We didn't expect that at all."Joe Johnson shot an airball at the buzzer, giving the Bulls the win.Deng finished with 21 points for the Bulls and scored eight over the last four minutes after Atlanta re-established a lead."You can't say enough about Luol," Thibodeau said. "He does everything."Rose missed a runner with 21 seconds left, but Atlanta's Jeff Teague missed two free throws. Rose then drove past Teague and scored over the Hawks' Josh Smith with 9.9 seconds left to put the Bulls up 74-73.Horford, who led the Hawks with 16 points, was fouled when Deng ran into him near the top of the key. Horford split two free throws with 7.7 seconds remaining, tying the score and setting up Deng's heroics."We stopped defending with the intensity that we did in the first three quarters," Hawks coach Larry Drew said. "We didn't make our free throws going down the stretch. If you don't make your free throws on the road you can't expect to win."Marvin Williams added 14 points and Josh Smith had 13 for Atlanta, which shot just 35 percent from the floor but held Chicago to 34 percent.The Bulls have won four straight and their 5-1 start is their best since opening 12-0 in 1996-97.Jazz 85, Bucks 73In Salt Lake City, Al Jefferson scored a season-high 26 points to lead Utah past short-handed Milwaukee.Trail Blazers 103, Thunder 93In Oklahoma City, LaMarcus Aldridge had 30 points and eight rebounds to help Portland beat the Thunder.Grizzlies 113, Kings 96In Memphis, Rudy Gay scored 23 points, Sam Young added 20 and the Grizzlies beat Sacramento.Cavaliers 115, Bobcats 101In Cleveland, Kyrie Irving scored 20 points and fellow rookie Tristan Thompson added 16, leading the Cavaliers past Charlotte.Lakers 108, Rockets 99In Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant scored 37 points and Andrew Bynum had 21 points and 22 rebounds in the first 20-20 game of his young career.
Thunder cloud: Oklahoma City's James Harden shoots during the Trail Blazers' 103-93 win over the Thunder on Tuesday. APDeng's layup with 3.7 seconds left lifted the Bulls to a 76-74 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night.Rose scored 17 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter to rally the Bulls from a 19-point deficit. Coming out of a timeout, Deng cut along the baseline and took a feed from Joakim Noah to put Chicago ahead."At the end of practice, we always run (the play)," Deng said. "(Joakim) made a great pass. We had a feeling both of (the defenders) would go with Derrick."Turns out the play was designed for Rose after all."Obviously, we're trying to get it to Derrick," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "They did a good job taking the first and second option away. Derrick set a great screen, (Noah) made a great pass and Luol made a great cut."The play caught the Hawks off guard as they were anticipating Rose to get the last shot."We all assumed that the ball was coming back to Rose," Atlanta's Al Horford said. "We were going to come and trap. That was a great play by their coach designed to take the pressure from Rose and hit Deng on the back. We didn't expect that at all."Joe Johnson shot an airball at the buzzer, giving the Bulls the win.Deng finished with 21 points for the Bulls and scored eight over the last four minutes after Atlanta re-established a lead."You can't say enough about Luol," Thibodeau said. "He does everything."Rose missed a runner with 21 seconds left, but Atlanta's Jeff Teague missed two free throws. Rose then drove past Teague and scored over the Hawks' Josh Smith with 9.9 seconds left to put the Bulls up 74-73.Horford, who led the Hawks with 16 points, was fouled when Deng ran into him near the top of the key. Horford split two free throws with 7.7 seconds remaining, tying the score and setting up Deng's heroics."We stopped defending with the intensity that we did in the first three quarters," Hawks coach Larry Drew said. "We didn't make our free throws going down the stretch. If you don't make your free throws on the road you can't expect to win."Marvin Williams added 14 points and Josh Smith had 13 for Atlanta, which shot just 35 percent from the floor but held Chicago to 34 percent.The Bulls have won four straight and their 5-1 start is their best since opening 12-0 in 1996-97.Jazz 85, Bucks 73In Salt Lake City, Al Jefferson scored a season-high 26 points to lead Utah past short-handed Milwaukee.Trail Blazers 103, Thunder 93In Oklahoma City, LaMarcus Aldridge had 30 points and eight rebounds to help Portland beat the Thunder.Grizzlies 113, Kings 96In Memphis, Rudy Gay scored 23 points, Sam Young added 20 and the Grizzlies beat Sacramento.Cavaliers 115, Bobcats 101In Cleveland, Kyrie Irving scored 20 points and fellow rookie Tristan Thompson added 16, leading the Cavaliers past Charlotte.Lakers 108, Rockets 99In Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant scored 37 points and Andrew Bynum had 21 points and 22 rebounds in the first 20-20 game of his young career.Monday, June 20, 2011
Hawks, Pa. League stage another dominant interleague campaign
Big winners: The Pacific League-leading Fukuoka Softbank Hawks celebrate winning their third interleague title. KYODOAnother interleague season is in the books and, as has been the case in each of the previous seven years, a Pacific League team is raising the interleague pennant.Pa. League teams rolled over their Central League counterparts, combining to finish with an above .500 mark for the sixth time in seven seasons.While the PL romped again, this interleague campaign may be remembered more for the way the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks dominated all-comers.The Hawks scored more runs that any team — by a wide margin — during cross-league action while also allowing the fewest.They were unbeaten through their first 13 games against CL teams, ending a wildly successful period with an 18-4-2 mark."This is the result of cherishing each and every game," manager Koji Akiyama told reporters. "From me to the players, everybody concentrated on their job."The Hawks won the interleague title for the third time, adding to the back-to-back titles they claimed in 2008 and 2009.At the other end of the spectrum are the Hiroshima Carp, who wasted a solid start to the season by going 6-16-2 against the Pacific League.The Chunichi Dragons finshed fourth overall, representing the year's top finish by a CL team.Interleague play wrapped up on Sunday. Teams return to regular competition on June 24.Put on the brakes: Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters pitcher Yu Darvish's brush with history came to an end on Wednesday in a 2-1 loss, only his second of the year, to the Hanshin Tigers.Darvish threw a wild pitch in the third inning of that contest, allowing Matt Murton to score and ending his streak of consecutive scoreless innings at 46? frames.That was good for second longest streak in Pacific League history.The league record belongs to former Nankai Hawks star Tadashi Sugiura, who threw 54? straight shutout innings in 1959.The overall NPB mark is one that may never be broken, a jaw-dropping 64? consecutive scoreless frames by Hall of Famer Masaichi Kaneda in 1958.Vultures circling: Hanshin Tigers manager Akinobu Mayumi came under fire this week after Hanshin stockholders used a recent meeting to take shots at the suddenly embattled skipper.Reportedly among the topics leaked out to the press, was dissatisfaction with Mayumi's management of the team and his insistence on playing the aging Tomoaki Kanemoto.The Tigers' slow start is surely not helping matters, so Mayumi may want to start winning a few more games before the heat really gets turned up.Flying high: Fukuoka Softbank Hawks lefty Toshiya Sugiuchi hit a milestone last week, notching his 1,500th career strikeout.Sugiuchi is the third-fastest in NPB history to the mark, needing just 1423? innings.Only Kazuhisa Ishii (1,432) and Yutaka Enatsu (1413) achieved the feat in fewer innings.Bright spot: Yomiuri Giants hurler Tetsuya Utsumi threw a complete game against the Seibu Lions on Friday to become the first NPB hurler to reach nine wins this season.Utsumi has been among the few bright spots, along with hitters Hisayoshi Chono and Alex Ramirez, in what has been an otherwise bleak season for the Kyojin. The lefty is 9-1 with a 1.32 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 10 starts.Sunday, June 5, 2011
Hawks' unbeaten streak ends
Nishinomiya, Hyogo Pref. — Minoru Iwata limited the damage to three runs in seven innings and helped his own cause with a tiebreaking RBI single as the Hanshin Tigers beat the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks 5-3 on Friday.The Tigers rapped out nine hits and the Hawks saw their undefeated streak end after 13 games, including two ties. It was Softbank's first loss in interleague play.Iwata's bases-loaded single made it 2-1 in the second and another run scored the same inning when Matt Murton hit into a double play with the bases loaded.Iwata (2-5) struck out seven and walked three."I haven't been pitching well lately and I was wondering, 'What the heck am I doing?' " said Iwata. "I've been ruining the flow of games lately, so I am glad that today I could get the win. I was determined not to lose tonight and I was really aggressive.
"The first pitch that came I thought might be the easiest to make contact, so I swung for that one," he added.
Takahiro Arai's single in the bottom of first tied the game at 1-1 at Koshien Stadium.Pinch hitter Jose Ortiz pulled Softbank within two with a two-run homer in the seventh, but it wasn't enough. Kyuji Fujikawa closed out for his 10th save. D.J. Houlton (6-2) took the loss. Takahiro Arai's single in the bottom of first tied the game at 1-all atBayStars 3, Marines 1At Yokohama Stadium, Naoto Watanabe had a tiebreaking RBI double off Yoshihisa Naruse (4-3) in the eighth inning and an insurance run scored on a throwing error by shortstop Takuya Takahama as Yokohama downed Chiba Lotte to snap its four-game losing skid.Shigeru Kaga (2-1) pitched one-run ball over eight frames and Shun Yamaguchi picked up his 11th save.Fighters 9, Swallows 0At Tokyo's Jingu Stadium, Bobby Keppel (5-1) threw seven shutout innings, Yoshio Itoi hit a pair of solo homers and Hokkaido Nippon Ham blanked Tokyo Yakult for its record-matching fifth consecutive shutout victory.The Fighters extended their PL record streak without allowing a run to 50 innings, and tied the Chunichi Dragons's Japanese pro baseball mark of five straight shutout wins registered in July last year.Shinya Tsuruoka drove in three runs, highlighting a four-run third off Yoshinori Sato (5-3) with a two-run single, and added a sac fly in a four-run seventh.Lions 2, Dragons 1 (11)At Nagoya Dome, pinch hitter Hiroshi Hirao hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly off Masafumi Hirai (1-1) in the 11th inning and Seibu held on to send Chunichi to its third loss in a row.Hsu Ming-chieh (3-0) got the win in relief after Kazuhisa Makita pitched nine innings of one-run ball.Buffaloes 6, Carp 3At Hiroshima's Mazda Stadium, Mitsutaka Goto went 2-for-5 with three RBIs, helping Orix in its 14-hit attack against Hiroshima en route to its third straight win.Shinya Nakayama (1-4) went six shutout innings. Bryan Bullington (4-2) yielded six runs in four innings for the Carp, who lost their seventh straight and set a league worst record for being held scoreless in 50 consecutive innings.Thursday, May 26, 2011
Hawks keep unbeaten interleague run going
Nobuhiro Matsuda doubled in two runs in the fifth inning, Tsuyoshi Wada threw six effective innings and the Softbank Hawks edged the Yomiuri Giants 2-1 on Wednesday.The Hawks are now unbeaten in seven interleague games this season, winning five and tying two.Matsuda doubled to left off Norihito Kaneto (1-1) to score Hiroki Kokubo and Hitoshi Tamura for a 2-0 Softbank lead in the top of the fifth at Tokyo Dome.Yomiuri got one back in the bottom half against Wada (3-1) on a two-out RBI single by Daisuke Fujimura, who finished the night with three hits.Wada struggled early but managed to hold the Giants to one run in six innings for the win.The 2010 PL MVP gave up six hits, walked three and struck out five in a 100-pitch outing.Fighters 2, Dragons 0At Nagoya Dome, Yu Darvish pitched his second shutout of the season in winning his sixth straight start as Hokkaido Nippon Ham downed Chunichi.Darvish allowed just four hits, all singles, walked one, struck out 11 and didn't permit a runner to reach third base. Yoshio Itoi had an RBI double in the first and Yang Dai-kang added a run-scoring single in the third, both off Maximo Nelson (3-2).Lions 5, Carp 0At Mazda Stadium, Takeya Nakamura hit his PL-leading 10th home run — a solo shot — and an RBI single in his first two at-bats as Seibu ended Hiroshima's winning streak at three games.Buffaloes 4, Swallows 1At Jingu Stadium, So Taguchi and Lee Seung Yeop delivered back-to-back RBI singles in the eighth inning as Orix beat Yakult for its third straight victory. Yakult has lost five of its last six games.Marines 5, Tigers 2At Koshien Stadium, Yuji Yoshimi (1-1) picked up his first win of the season by throwing 5? effective innings as Chiba Lotte beat Hanshin to snap a seven-game winless streak.BayStars 6, Eagles 6At Shizuoka's Kusanagi Stadium, Takehiro Ishikawa hit a game-tying single in the eighth inning, his third hit of the night, as Yokohama came back three times to play out a nine-inning tie with Tohoku Rakuten.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Bulls blow away Hawks
ATLANTA — Turns out, the Chicago Bulls are more than just a one-man team.
Tight defense: Atlanta's Josh Smith drives on Chicago's Luol Deng in the first quarter of Game 6 on Thursday night. The Bulls beat the Hawks 93-73 to win the Eastern Conference semifinal series 4-2. AP PHOTODerrick Rose sure had plenty of help in this one.Next up: the Eastern Conference final, against Miami and the Big Three.Carlos Boozer scored 23 points, Rose doled out 12 assists in more of a supporting role and the Bulls cruised past the Atlanta Hawks 93-73 on Thursday night, wrapping up the East semifinal in six games."It's huge for us to get this far," Rose said. "We're happy to get the conference finals, but we're not planning to stop right there."The Bulls haven't been this far since 1998, when Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were on their way to a second three-peat. Pippen sat near the Chicago bench, relishing a new generation that's carried his old team into contention for another championship."When we showed up for training camp, we knew we could be special," Rose said. "We were ready to put in the work and not be concerned with statistics. We just were concerned with winning each night."As if to prove his point, Rose took a playoff-low 14 shots and finished with 19 points, his second-lowest total of the postseason. This was a textbook performance by the guys around him, each of them comfortable in a supporting role, each of them willing to do the dirty work at the defensive end.The most impressive number: Chicago had assists on all but seven of its 41 baskets. Or, come to think of it, maybe it was this stat: The Hawks shot just 37 percent (27 of 74) and rarely got an open look."If anything, our defense won this game," said Rose, who had been averaging nearly 30 points a game in the playoffs.At the other end, Boozer kept winding up with the ball with no one around, and kept knocking down jump shots. He went 10-of-16 from the field, grabbed 10 rebounds and handed out five assists."D-Rose gets so much attention," said Boozer, who had been bothered by a toe injury and come under criticism at home for inconsistent play. "The 15-footer was open for me. I shot it."Luol Deng hit some big baskets early and finished with 13 points, plus five steals. Joakim Noah scored 11 and stifled the Hawks with three blocks.Joe Johnson led Atlanta with 19 points.Boston APThe Celtics are working on a deal with coach Doc Rivers that would bring him back for another run at an NBA title with Boston's aging Big Three — and then keep him on the bench to work with the rebuilt roster that is expected to follow.The two sides are nearing agreement on a deal for "more than two or three years," a person with knowledge of the negotiations said on Thursday, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the details were still being worked out.Celtics spokesman Jeff Twiss confirmed that a deal was being discussed, but said no announcement was imminent, and general manager Danny Ainge said on the radio that the sides were working on a long-term deal.Neither Rivers nor his agent, Lonnie Cooper, responded to messages seeking comment.But Rivers, whose contract expires at the end of this season, told players after being eliminated from the playoffs on Wednesday night that he would return."I'm going to put this on the record," point guard Rajon Rondo said after the 97-87 loss to Miami eliminated the Celtics from the postseason. "Doc already committed that he was coming back with me so he can't go back against his word."
Tight defense: Atlanta's Josh Smith drives on Chicago's Luol Deng in the first quarter of Game 6 on Thursday night. The Bulls beat the Hawks 93-73 to win the Eastern Conference semifinal series 4-2. AP PHOTODerrick Rose sure had plenty of help in this one.Next up: the Eastern Conference final, against Miami and the Big Three.Carlos Boozer scored 23 points, Rose doled out 12 assists in more of a supporting role and the Bulls cruised past the Atlanta Hawks 93-73 on Thursday night, wrapping up the East semifinal in six games."It's huge for us to get this far," Rose said. "We're happy to get the conference finals, but we're not planning to stop right there."The Bulls haven't been this far since 1998, when Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were on their way to a second three-peat. Pippen sat near the Chicago bench, relishing a new generation that's carried his old team into contention for another championship."When we showed up for training camp, we knew we could be special," Rose said. "We were ready to put in the work and not be concerned with statistics. We just were concerned with winning each night."As if to prove his point, Rose took a playoff-low 14 shots and finished with 19 points, his second-lowest total of the postseason. This was a textbook performance by the guys around him, each of them comfortable in a supporting role, each of them willing to do the dirty work at the defensive end.The most impressive number: Chicago had assists on all but seven of its 41 baskets. Or, come to think of it, maybe it was this stat: The Hawks shot just 37 percent (27 of 74) and rarely got an open look."If anything, our defense won this game," said Rose, who had been averaging nearly 30 points a game in the playoffs.At the other end, Boozer kept winding up with the ball with no one around, and kept knocking down jump shots. He went 10-of-16 from the field, grabbed 10 rebounds and handed out five assists."D-Rose gets so much attention," said Boozer, who had been bothered by a toe injury and come under criticism at home for inconsistent play. "The 15-footer was open for me. I shot it."Luol Deng hit some big baskets early and finished with 13 points, plus five steals. Joakim Noah scored 11 and stifled the Hawks with three blocks.Joe Johnson led Atlanta with 19 points.Boston APThe Celtics are working on a deal with coach Doc Rivers that would bring him back for another run at an NBA title with Boston's aging Big Three — and then keep him on the bench to work with the rebuilt roster that is expected to follow.The two sides are nearing agreement on a deal for "more than two or three years," a person with knowledge of the negotiations said on Thursday, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the details were still being worked out.Celtics spokesman Jeff Twiss confirmed that a deal was being discussed, but said no announcement was imminent, and general manager Danny Ainge said on the radio that the sides were working on a long-term deal.Neither Rivers nor his agent, Lonnie Cooper, responded to messages seeking comment.But Rivers, whose contract expires at the end of this season, told players after being eliminated from the playoffs on Wednesday night that he would return."I'm going to put this on the record," point guard Rajon Rondo said after the 97-87 loss to Miami eliminated the Celtics from the postseason. "Doc already committed that he was coming back with me so he can't go back against his word."
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