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.
Showing posts with label opener. Show all posts
Showing posts with label opener. Show all posts
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Settsu 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.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Celtics stumble in exhibition opener
ISTANBUL — The Boston Celtics lost the first game of the NBA's preseason Friday, 97-91 to Turkish team Fenerbahce Ulker.First-round draft pick Jared Sullinger and Jeff Green scored 16 points each, but the Celtics paid the price for a weak second quarter, getting outscored 29-18.Rajon Rondo had 13 points and nine assists, while Jason Terry, one of a handful of new players on the roster, scored 12.However, 25 turnovers showed there's work to be done before the Celtics' next exhibition game Sunday in Milan, Italy, against Emporio Armani.The team returns to Boston on Monday and resumes practice on Oct. 11 before playing its first U.S. preseason game against the Knicks in Hartford, Connecticut, two days later.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Japan edges Qatar in FIBA Asia Cup opener
Power forward Kosuke Takeuchi and guard Kosuke Kanamaru scored 14 points apiece as host Japan defeated Qatar 73-69 in Group B action in the fourth FIBA Asia Cup on Friday night."I think our young players really contributed to the team," Japan coach Kimikazu Suzuki said after the game at the brand-new Ota City General Gymnasium. "We could've won more easily had we done a better job in rebounding and not had turnovers. But overall, we played good."Qatar cut the deficit, which was as many as 12 points in the third quarter, down to three with less than two minutes left in the final period. But Japan survived Qatar's rally, with Takeuchi sinking a pair of clutch free throws in the final 10 seconds.Veteran center J.R. Sakuragi, a naturalized Japanese citizen playing in his first game for the national team since 2007, also chipped in with 13 points and nine boards."It's really disappointing to lose any time," said former Japan national team head coach Thomas Wisman, who became the Qatar coach job two months ago. "But it was the first game of the tournament. We've got seven games in the tournament. We've got to use each game as experience to (become) a better team."For Qatar, forward Erfan Ali Saeed had a team-high 21 points.Japan led 41-36 at halftime.In other games Friday, Lebanon crushed Macau 120-51, Iran beat India 83-71 and China edged the Philippines 71-68.The 10-team tournament was previously known as the FIBA Asia Stankovic Cup. The tournament winner will earn an automatic berth for the 27th FIBA Asia Championship.Japan finished runnerup in the last tournament in 2010. It will face Taiwan on Saturday.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Japanese men lose volleyball opener to Serbia
Access denied: Kunihiro Shimizu sees his spike blocked during Japan's 25-19, 25-23, 26-16 loss to Serbia in its opening match of the men's Olympic qualifiers on Friday. KYODO PHOTOJapan failed to put up much of a fight in its opening match of the men's world Olympic qualifiers, losing 3-0 to Serbia on Friday.Japan went down 25-19, 25-23, 25-16 to the world's No. 7 team at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, where the Serbs were led by 13 points from Nikic Milos and 10 each from Nikola Kovacevic and Marko Podrascanin.Serbia also enjoyed 24 points off errors by Japan, which faces Venezuela on Saturday. Venezuela was thrashed 3-0 by Australia earlier Friday, when China beat Puerto Rico by the same score as did Iran over South Korea.To qualify for London, Japan needs to either win the eight-team round-robin tournament or be the highest finisher from Asia. The Japanese women qualified for their third consecutive Olympics on Sunday.Friday, June 1, 2012
Kings edge Devils in opener
NEWARK, New Jersey — East. West. It doesn't make a difference to the Los Angeles Kings.
First blood: New Jersey's Patrik Elias (left) and Los Angeles' Trevor Lewis battle for the puck during Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals on Wednesday. The Kings won 2-1 in overtime. APAll they have done in the playoffs is win and the Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Devils became their latest victim.Anze Kopitar scored a spectacular goal on a breakaway with 11:47 left in overtime Wednesday night and the Kings beat the Devils 2-1 in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals."From a series standpoint, it's huge to put them behind us, right off the get-go," Los Angeles captain Dustin Brown said. "It makes it a little more difficult for them to get back into it if we play our game and do the right things."Kopitar did everything perfectly on his breakaway after taking a great chip pass from Justin Williams. He faked a backhand shot, put the puck on his forehand and beat a prone Martin Brodeur."All losses this time of year are really hard to take because your dream is slowly shutting down," Brodeur said. "We lost one game, there's six games left in this series. They need to win three. We need to win four."Los Angeles has won all nine of its road games in the playoffs, an NHL record. The Kings are now one win shy of tying the NHL record for postseason road victories.More importantly, they are three wins away from the franchise's first NHL title since entering the league in 1967-68. They have won 11 consecutive road playoff games dating back to last season.Los Angeles is now 13-2 this postseason.Kopitar saw Justin Williams battling with Devils defenseman Bryce Salvador and forward Dainius Zubrus along the boards."I wanted to make sure I went to the middle," Kopitar said. "I don't know if he heard me or not, but I yelled for the puck and he chipped it. It was perfect, right on my tape. It happened pretty quick and I was able to finish it off."As soon as he rifled the puck into the net, Kopitar raised his hands and banged himself into the boards, facing the crowd off to Brodeur's right."To put it past a goaltender like Marty," Kopitar said, "is a good feeling."The veteran goaltender dejectedly skated off to the locker room as the rest of the Kings piled on Kopitar.Williams said his setup was a prayer."I just threw an area pass," he said. "I hoped that he was alone and he was. I've played with him a long time. You just kind of feel it. If it wasn't there, it would have went to nobody."It was a no-lose situation."This is the third straight series in which the Devils have lost the first game."I think it was probably the worst game in the playoffs for us," said Devils leading scorer Ilya Kovalchuk, who was limited to one shot. "Maybe we were a little too nervous before the game started, but it's all excuses. We've got to make sure we know what we didn't do right, and be a different team next game."Fourth-line center Colin Fraser scored in the first period for Los Angeles, the No. 8 seed in the West which beat the top three teams to get to its first Stanley Cup finals since 1993.Anton Volchenkov tied it late in the second period for New Jersey, the East's sixth seed.Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick finished with 17 saves in what was a relatively easy night. Brodeur had 23 saves as the Devils lost in overtime for just the second time this postseason; they have won four times. Los Angeles is 3-0 after regulation this spring.The Devils had two great chances to take the lead early in the third, and for a split second it appeared they went ahead with 16:02 to play in regulation when Zach Parise scored off a wild goal-mouth scramble.While the horns went off and the fans celebrated, referee Dan O'Halloran quickly waved off the goal.It was reviewed in Toronto and replay clearly showed Parise swept the puck into the net with his hand."We didn't deserve to win tonight, and we didn't," said New Jersey veteran Patrik Elias.
First blood: New Jersey's Patrik Elias (left) and Los Angeles' Trevor Lewis battle for the puck during Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals on Wednesday. The Kings won 2-1 in overtime. APAll they have done in the playoffs is win and the Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Devils became their latest victim.Anze Kopitar scored a spectacular goal on a breakaway with 11:47 left in overtime Wednesday night and the Kings beat the Devils 2-1 in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals."From a series standpoint, it's huge to put them behind us, right off the get-go," Los Angeles captain Dustin Brown said. "It makes it a little more difficult for them to get back into it if we play our game and do the right things."Kopitar did everything perfectly on his breakaway after taking a great chip pass from Justin Williams. He faked a backhand shot, put the puck on his forehand and beat a prone Martin Brodeur."All losses this time of year are really hard to take because your dream is slowly shutting down," Brodeur said. "We lost one game, there's six games left in this series. They need to win three. We need to win four."Los Angeles has won all nine of its road games in the playoffs, an NHL record. The Kings are now one win shy of tying the NHL record for postseason road victories.More importantly, they are three wins away from the franchise's first NHL title since entering the league in 1967-68. They have won 11 consecutive road playoff games dating back to last season.Los Angeles is now 13-2 this postseason.Kopitar saw Justin Williams battling with Devils defenseman Bryce Salvador and forward Dainius Zubrus along the boards."I wanted to make sure I went to the middle," Kopitar said. "I don't know if he heard me or not, but I yelled for the puck and he chipped it. It was perfect, right on my tape. It happened pretty quick and I was able to finish it off."As soon as he rifled the puck into the net, Kopitar raised his hands and banged himself into the boards, facing the crowd off to Brodeur's right."To put it past a goaltender like Marty," Kopitar said, "is a good feeling."The veteran goaltender dejectedly skated off to the locker room as the rest of the Kings piled on Kopitar.Williams said his setup was a prayer."I just threw an area pass," he said. "I hoped that he was alone and he was. I've played with him a long time. You just kind of feel it. If it wasn't there, it would have went to nobody."It was a no-lose situation."This is the third straight series in which the Devils have lost the first game."I think it was probably the worst game in the playoffs for us," said Devils leading scorer Ilya Kovalchuk, who was limited to one shot. "Maybe we were a little too nervous before the game started, but it's all excuses. We've got to make sure we know what we didn't do right, and be a different team next game."Fourth-line center Colin Fraser scored in the first period for Los Angeles, the No. 8 seed in the West which beat the top three teams to get to its first Stanley Cup finals since 1993.Anton Volchenkov tied it late in the second period for New Jersey, the East's sixth seed.Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick finished with 17 saves in what was a relatively easy night. Brodeur had 23 saves as the Devils lost in overtime for just the second time this postseason; they have won four times. Los Angeles is 3-0 after regulation this spring.The Devils had two great chances to take the lead early in the third, and for a split second it appeared they went ahead with 16:02 to play in regulation when Zach Parise scored off a wild goal-mouth scramble.While the horns went off and the fans celebrated, referee Dan O'Halloran quickly waved off the goal.It was reviewed in Toronto and replay clearly showed Parise swept the puck into the net with his hand."We didn't deserve to win tonight, and we didn't," said New Jersey veteran Patrik Elias.Friday, May 18, 2012
Greisinger handcuffs Dragons as Marines win interleague opener
Seth Greisinger pitched three-hit ball over eight innings, leading the Chiba Lotte Marines to a 3-1 win over the Chunichi Dragons as interleague play got under way on Wednesday.
Take flight: Swallows outfielder Lastings Milledge rounds third after his two-run home run against the Hawks on Wednesday at Jingu Stadium. KYODOGreisinger (4-1) struck out eight and walked one and Yasuhiko Yabuta finished things off at Nagoya Dome as Lotte won its fifth in a row and improved to 11-4 with two ties on the road.Greisinger came within three outs of his first shutout since April 21, 2009, when he did so for the Yomiuri Giants against the Yakult Swallows. Yabuta allowed an RBI grounder to Tony Blanco in the ninth, but got Hirokazu Ibata to fly out to left to end it for his 12th save.Katsuya Kakunaka hit a two-out, run-scoring single in the first off Kenichi Nakata (3-2), extending his RBI streak to five games. Kazuya Fukuura and Hisao Heiuchi added run-scoring singles in the ninth.Chunichi had a chance to tie it 1-1 when Yohei Oshima tried scoring from second on Masahiro Araki's one-out single in the sixth, but center fielder Yoshifumi Okada made a pinpoint throw to catcher Tomoya Satozaki for the out at home.Giants 6, Buffaloes 0At Tokyo Dome, Yoshinobu Takahashi hit a grand slam to complete a five-run first inning, and Satoshi Fukuda (1-1) picked up the win with three scoreless innings in relief.Last-place Orix is winless in its last six games, including a tie.Fighters 3, Tigers 1At Nishinomiya's Koshien Stadium, Mitsuo Yoshikawa tossed one-run ball over six innings, and Yoshio Itoi led off the game with a homer as Hokkaido Nippon Ham beat Hanshin to snap a three-game skid.Yoshikawa, who leads the Pacific League with a 1.13 ERA, gave up two hits, struck out six and walked one for the win. Jason Standridge (3-3) was tagged for the loss for Hanshin, which slipped into fourth place in the Central League.Eagles 1, Carp 0, (11)At Hiroshima Mazda Stadium, Jose Fernandez delivered a pinch-hit RBI double off closer Dennis Sarfate (0-3) with two outs in the 11th inning, lifting Tohoku Rakuten over Hiroshima and into third place in the PL with its sixth straight win.Wataru Karashima went 8? scoreless innings in a pitching duel against Bryan Bullington, who pitched nine innings with 10 strikeouts. Jim Heuser (1-0) got his first win in Japan with 1? innings of scoreless relief. Hiroshima was held to just one hit.Swallows 14, Hawks 3At Jingu Stadium, Lastings Milledge hit a two-run home run in the first inning and finished with four RBIs on the night as Tokyo Yakult routed the defending Japan Series champions.The run support came in handy for Swallows starter Masanori Ishikawa (3-4) who allowed three runs on nine hits and struck out two in the victory.Lions 3, BayStars 1At Yokohama Stadium, Lions slugger Takeya Nakamura homered for the first time in 125 plate appearances during the second inning and the Lions opened their interleague schedule with a win over the BayStars.
Take flight: Swallows outfielder Lastings Milledge rounds third after his two-run home run against the Hawks on Wednesday at Jingu Stadium. KYODOGreisinger (4-1) struck out eight and walked one and Yasuhiko Yabuta finished things off at Nagoya Dome as Lotte won its fifth in a row and improved to 11-4 with two ties on the road.Greisinger came within three outs of his first shutout since April 21, 2009, when he did so for the Yomiuri Giants against the Yakult Swallows. Yabuta allowed an RBI grounder to Tony Blanco in the ninth, but got Hirokazu Ibata to fly out to left to end it for his 12th save.Katsuya Kakunaka hit a two-out, run-scoring single in the first off Kenichi Nakata (3-2), extending his RBI streak to five games. Kazuya Fukuura and Hisao Heiuchi added run-scoring singles in the ninth.Chunichi had a chance to tie it 1-1 when Yohei Oshima tried scoring from second on Masahiro Araki's one-out single in the sixth, but center fielder Yoshifumi Okada made a pinpoint throw to catcher Tomoya Satozaki for the out at home.Giants 6, Buffaloes 0At Tokyo Dome, Yoshinobu Takahashi hit a grand slam to complete a five-run first inning, and Satoshi Fukuda (1-1) picked up the win with three scoreless innings in relief.Last-place Orix is winless in its last six games, including a tie.Fighters 3, Tigers 1At Nishinomiya's Koshien Stadium, Mitsuo Yoshikawa tossed one-run ball over six innings, and Yoshio Itoi led off the game with a homer as Hokkaido Nippon Ham beat Hanshin to snap a three-game skid.Yoshikawa, who leads the Pacific League with a 1.13 ERA, gave up two hits, struck out six and walked one for the win. Jason Standridge (3-3) was tagged for the loss for Hanshin, which slipped into fourth place in the Central League.Eagles 1, Carp 0, (11)At Hiroshima Mazda Stadium, Jose Fernandez delivered a pinch-hit RBI double off closer Dennis Sarfate (0-3) with two outs in the 11th inning, lifting Tohoku Rakuten over Hiroshima and into third place in the PL with its sixth straight win.Wataru Karashima went 8? scoreless innings in a pitching duel against Bryan Bullington, who pitched nine innings with 10 strikeouts. Jim Heuser (1-0) got his first win in Japan with 1? innings of scoreless relief. Hiroshima was held to just one hit.Swallows 14, Hawks 3At Jingu Stadium, Lastings Milledge hit a two-run home run in the first inning and finished with four RBIs on the night as Tokyo Yakult routed the defending Japan Series champions.The run support came in handy for Swallows starter Masanori Ishikawa (3-4) who allowed three runs on nine hits and struck out two in the victory.Lions 3, BayStars 1At Yokohama Stadium, Lions slugger Takeya Nakamura homered for the first time in 125 plate appearances during the second inning and the Lions opened their interleague schedule with a win over the BayStars.Monday, May 14, 2012
Niigata prevails over defending champs in series opener
The Niigata Albirex BB had six players reach double figures in scoring in Saturday's 89-80 victory over the two-time reigning champion Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix in Game 1 of their bj-league Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series.
Time to regroup: After an 89-80 series-opening loss to the visiting Niigata Albirex BB on Saturday, guard Kenya Tomori, seen competing against the Sendai 89ers earlier this season, and his Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix teammates will look to bounce back in Game 2 on Sunday. DOMINIKA FITZGERALDErron Maxey, a former Providence forward, paced the Albirex with 18 points in 18-plus minutes off the bench. Ex-Texas Christian University guard Nile Murry had 16 points and nine rebounds, while Chris Holm scored 14 points, raked in 14 boards and swatted three shots. Bennet Davis added 13 points and nine rebounds, Shuhei Komatsu scored 12 and Kimitake Sato had 11.The Albirex (28-24 in the regular season) trailed 47-37 at the break, then put 52 points on the board the rest of the way to earn the win at Hamamatsu Arena.Niigata shot 24-for-33 at the foul line; Hamamatsu was 8-for-14.Guided by first-year coach Matt Garrison, the Albirex out-rebounded the hosts 53-43 and grabbed 25 offensive boards.For Phoenix coach Ryuji Kawai's club, which finished atop the East standings with a 37-15 record, 2011-12 Best Five guard Jermaine Dixon had 23 points on 7-for-21 shooting, including 4-for-12 from 3-point range, and nine rebounds. Big man Gyno Pomare contributed 12 points, eight rebounds, four steals and three blocks. Lawrence Blackledge and Shoji Nakanishi each had 11 points and Jeffrey Parmer scored 10. Kenya Tomori contributed eight points. Best 5 member Atsuya Ota, a backup center, had zero points, two rebounds, one assist, one steal, one turnover and four fouls in 20:05 of playing time.Phoenix standout Wayne Arnold, who was held to 1-for-11 shooting, reflected on the loss in a post-game interview with The Japan Times"They made plays down the stretch and we didn't, bottom line," Arnold said. "We came out of the gate fast in the first half behind a strong effort by Jermaine and Shoji Nakanishi. Gyno also gave us a big lift on the glass. I think we as a team were complaining to the refs too much, although the foul call were pretty uneven in the first half. I think that carried over to the second half."We got out in transition and forced some turnovers. We definitely did that well," he continued. "They made a great adjustment to slow the game down and took away a lot of opportunities that we get by playing fast. In turn, they were able to go inside more and spread the court with their Japanese shooters, who played well. Once the game slowed, I think we lost our aggression and they stole the momentum."Looking ahead to tomorrow, we have to continue to play our brand of basketball for 50 minutes (including the mini-game tiebreaker). We can't just rely on Jermaine to create all of our scoring opportunities. Everyone has to be aggressive on D and on offense. This is playoff basketball, no one is going home without a fight."Golden Kings 71, Lakestars 61In Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, Narito Namizato scored 17 points and Dillion Sneed had 16 on 7-for-10 shooting as Ryukyu defeated Shiga in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series.The Golden Kings, the league's winningest team in the regular season at 39-13, held Shiga to nine fourth-quarter points to lock up the win.Anthony McHenry had 13 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots for the Golden Kings, who shot 2-for-23 from 3-point range. Forward David Palmer, the league's top 3-point shooter in the regular season at 50 percent, missed all five of his 3-point shots, but added eight points and eight boards.Yu Okada scored 17 of his game-high 19 points in the first half for Shiga, which finished fourth in the West under first-year coach Alan Westover. Julius Ashby had 11 points, nine rebounds and three blocks and Shinya Ogawa added eight points. Ray Nixon had a team-high 10 rebounds.Ryukyu held Shiga to 22-for-70 shooting from the field."Down 0-1 in best-of-three playoff series only motivates me to overcome this obstacle and prevail through adversity," Nixon wrote on Facebook. (We're) not going down without a fight! Tough loss today but we get back at it tomorrow."Hannaryz 64, Evessa 59In Osaka, in a low-scoring, defensive struggle, Kyoto edged the Evessa, who were playing their first playoff game in the post-Lynn Washington era.Jermaine Boyette scored a team-high 17 points for the Hannaryz and Lee Cummard poured in 16 points. Former NBA center Lance Allred (eight points, 10 rebounds) and Taizo Kawabe (eight points) provided key contributions for bench boss Honoo Hamaguchi's club.Kyoto shot 16-for-17 at the foul line, compensating for its 22-for-64 effort from the field. The Hannaryz exhibited patience and poise on offense in turning the ball over only seven times.For Osaka, which had reached the Final Four for six consecutive seasons (three championships) with two-time MVP Washington, whose so-called retirement was announced in April, as the franchise cornerstone, Mike Bell finished with 21 points and 15 rebounds. Longtime Tokyo Apache star Cohey Aoki scored 13 points in his playoff debut for the Evessa and Wayne Marshall added 12 points and eight rebounds.Though they sank 16 of 18 free throws, the Evessa missed 43 of their 63 shots from the field.
Time to regroup: After an 89-80 series-opening loss to the visiting Niigata Albirex BB on Saturday, guard Kenya Tomori, seen competing against the Sendai 89ers earlier this season, and his Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix teammates will look to bounce back in Game 2 on Sunday. DOMINIKA FITZGERALDErron Maxey, a former Providence forward, paced the Albirex with 18 points in 18-plus minutes off the bench. Ex-Texas Christian University guard Nile Murry had 16 points and nine rebounds, while Chris Holm scored 14 points, raked in 14 boards and swatted three shots. Bennet Davis added 13 points and nine rebounds, Shuhei Komatsu scored 12 and Kimitake Sato had 11.The Albirex (28-24 in the regular season) trailed 47-37 at the break, then put 52 points on the board the rest of the way to earn the win at Hamamatsu Arena.Niigata shot 24-for-33 at the foul line; Hamamatsu was 8-for-14.Guided by first-year coach Matt Garrison, the Albirex out-rebounded the hosts 53-43 and grabbed 25 offensive boards.For Phoenix coach Ryuji Kawai's club, which finished atop the East standings with a 37-15 record, 2011-12 Best Five guard Jermaine Dixon had 23 points on 7-for-21 shooting, including 4-for-12 from 3-point range, and nine rebounds. Big man Gyno Pomare contributed 12 points, eight rebounds, four steals and three blocks. Lawrence Blackledge and Shoji Nakanishi each had 11 points and Jeffrey Parmer scored 10. Kenya Tomori contributed eight points. Best 5 member Atsuya Ota, a backup center, had zero points, two rebounds, one assist, one steal, one turnover and four fouls in 20:05 of playing time.Phoenix standout Wayne Arnold, who was held to 1-for-11 shooting, reflected on the loss in a post-game interview with The Japan Times"They made plays down the stretch and we didn't, bottom line," Arnold said. "We came out of the gate fast in the first half behind a strong effort by Jermaine and Shoji Nakanishi. Gyno also gave us a big lift on the glass. I think we as a team were complaining to the refs too much, although the foul call were pretty uneven in the first half. I think that carried over to the second half."We got out in transition and forced some turnovers. We definitely did that well," he continued. "They made a great adjustment to slow the game down and took away a lot of opportunities that we get by playing fast. In turn, they were able to go inside more and spread the court with their Japanese shooters, who played well. Once the game slowed, I think we lost our aggression and they stole the momentum."Looking ahead to tomorrow, we have to continue to play our brand of basketball for 50 minutes (including the mini-game tiebreaker). We can't just rely on Jermaine to create all of our scoring opportunities. Everyone has to be aggressive on D and on offense. This is playoff basketball, no one is going home without a fight."Golden Kings 71, Lakestars 61In Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, Narito Namizato scored 17 points and Dillion Sneed had 16 on 7-for-10 shooting as Ryukyu defeated Shiga in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series.The Golden Kings, the league's winningest team in the regular season at 39-13, held Shiga to nine fourth-quarter points to lock up the win.Anthony McHenry had 13 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots for the Golden Kings, who shot 2-for-23 from 3-point range. Forward David Palmer, the league's top 3-point shooter in the regular season at 50 percent, missed all five of his 3-point shots, but added eight points and eight boards.Yu Okada scored 17 of his game-high 19 points in the first half for Shiga, which finished fourth in the West under first-year coach Alan Westover. Julius Ashby had 11 points, nine rebounds and three blocks and Shinya Ogawa added eight points. Ray Nixon had a team-high 10 rebounds.Ryukyu held Shiga to 22-for-70 shooting from the field."Down 0-1 in best-of-three playoff series only motivates me to overcome this obstacle and prevail through adversity," Nixon wrote on Facebook. (We're) not going down without a fight! Tough loss today but we get back at it tomorrow."Hannaryz 64, Evessa 59In Osaka, in a low-scoring, defensive struggle, Kyoto edged the Evessa, who were playing their first playoff game in the post-Lynn Washington era.Jermaine Boyette scored a team-high 17 points for the Hannaryz and Lee Cummard poured in 16 points. Former NBA center Lance Allred (eight points, 10 rebounds) and Taizo Kawabe (eight points) provided key contributions for bench boss Honoo Hamaguchi's club.Kyoto shot 16-for-17 at the foul line, compensating for its 22-for-64 effort from the field. The Hannaryz exhibited patience and poise on offense in turning the ball over only seven times.For Osaka, which had reached the Final Four for six consecutive seasons (three championships) with two-time MVP Washington, whose so-called retirement was announced in April, as the franchise cornerstone, Mike Bell finished with 21 points and 15 rebounds. Longtime Tokyo Apache star Cohey Aoki scored 13 points in his playoff debut for the Evessa and Wayne Marshall added 12 points and eight rebounds.Though they sank 16 of 18 free throws, the Evessa missed 43 of their 63 shots from the field.Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Reysol, Marinos to play in opener
Reigning champion Kashiwa Reysol will face Yokohama F. Marinos at home on the opening weekend of the 2012 season as the J. League released the fixtures for the upcoming campaign on Tuesday.Kashiwa, which became the first team in J. League history to win the championship a year after winning the second division, is involved in Asian Champions League action away to Thailand's Buriram Pea on March 7 and will play Yokohama in the only J. League fixture of the day on March 11.Vegalta Sendai play Kashima Antlers on March 10 at Yurtec Stadium in what is set to be an emotional meeting on the eve of the first anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake. The quake and subsequent tsunami ravaged Japan's northeast coastline and inflicted serious damage on the stadiums of both teams.The rest of the first-division matches will also be played on March 10, with promoted Sagan Tosu to face Cerezo Osaka and top-flight returnees FC Tokyo and Consadole Sapporo away to Omiya Ardija and at home to Jubilo Iwata, respectively.The J1 season wraps up on Dec. 1, while the 22-team second tier kicks off March 4 and runs through Nov. 11.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Albirex beat Jets in series opener
All-Star center Chris Holm notched his 11th double-double of the season and Erron Maxey scored 19 points to lead the Niigata Albirex BB to a 93-80 win over the Chiba Jets on Friday night in the bj-league.Nile Murry and Yuichi Ikeda scored 16 points apiece for the Albirex (11-8), who have won three straight games. Holm had 10 points and 19 rebounds. Hirotaka Kondo scored a season-high 12 points, Dwight Gordon added nine points and five assists and Shuhei Komatsu dished out six assists.Niigata led 53-35 at halftime.Ikeda, who leads the 19-team league in 3-point shooting accuracy at 51.5 percent (51-for-99), was 4-for-7 from beyond the arc at Funabashi Arena.Maurice Hargrow led the Jets (10-11) with 25 points. Jamel Staten scored 18, Takaki Ishida added 12 points and Reina Itakura and Gaston Moliva had nine apiece for Chiba, a first-year franchise."We played really poor defense in the first half, allowing so many open shots and eight 3s," Jets coach Eric Gardow said.Gardow said his team's rebounding effort wasn't good enough. Niigata outrebounded the hosts 52-41. Jamal Holden and Moliva combined for eight rebounds."I expect more out of Holden and Moliva," the coach added. "We need an inside presence in every game at both ends of the floor and we are not getting it from them and that has to change."We made a great run and cut it to 5 in the second half but could not finish."
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Eagles triumph in dramatic opener
The Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles wanted to win this game. They wanted to win for themselves, but mostly they wanted to win in order to give their fans in Tohoku a little something to feel good about.
Big blast: Eagles slugger Motohiro Shima smacks a three-run home run in the seventh inning against the Marines on Tuesday at QVC Marine Field. Tohoku Rakuten defeated Chiba Lotte 6-4. KYODO
Which is exactly what they did.
Motohiro Shima hit a tie-breaking three-run homer in the seventh inning, Hisashi Iwakuma pitched into the ninth and the Eagles held off a late rally to edge the Chiba Lotte Marines 6-4 in both teams' season opener on Tuesday at QVC Marine Field.
"What can I say," Iwakuma began. "It feels like our first-ever game as Rakuten in terms of everyone coming together and getting a victory. The cheers of the fans certainly gave us a boost."
The afternoon began with a moment of silence for the victims of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Chiba Mayor Toshihito Kumagai then took the field afterward to make a brief statement and welcome the Eagles to Chiba.
"We hope the earnest play of the players encourages the areas that are suffering and the entire nation," Kumagai said.
Play was stopped briefly in the fourth as the effects of a 6.3-magnitude earthquake that hit Fukushima and Ibaraki prefectures on Tuesday afternoon were felt.
The game was tied 1-1 in the seventh when Shima followed singles by Akinori Iwamura and Randy Ruiz by homering on Opening Day for the first time in his career. He wasn't sure at first if the ball would reach the stands.
"I don't hit enough home runs to know what it feels like," Shima said. "So I was just running to first and I figured it out from the reaction of the crowd."
The victory gives Eagles manager Senichi Hoshino a win in his return to Japanese baseball following an eight-year absence. Iwakuma presented him with the winning ball after the game.
"It's like, 'Have we really won?'" Hoshino said. "It feels like I'm dreaming. I am relieved for sure."
It was a return of sorts for Iwakuma (1-0) as well. The right-hander was set to sign with the Oakland Athletics, after being posted over the winter, until negotiations fell apart and forced him to return to Sendai.
He came within two outs of a complete game before Kazuya Fukuura sent him to the showers with a three-run homer. Iwakuma gave up four runs — three earned — on seven hits and struck out four.
"I wanted to go the distance, but give credit to the batter (Fukuura)," Iwakuma said. "I don't have any regrets. I think it was a really huge win for us. The people up in Tohoku are doing their best and hopefully we can send them some good news."
Iwamura went 2-for-4 in his first game since returning from the major leagues and Kazuo Matsui, another former major leaguer, went 1-for-3 in his Rakuten debut.
Lotte's Yoshihisa Naruse was the better of the two starters before the Eagles got to him during the seventh. Naruse (0-1) lasted seven innings, giving up four runs on six hits and striking out nine.
Marines shortstop Takashi Ogino went 1-for-3 with a stolen base in his first game in place of Tsuyoshi Nishioka, who signed with the Minnesota Twins after being posted during the offseason.
He made a bold move to tag-up and advance to third on a ball hit to left in the fourth inning, sliding in safely ahead of the throw from Toshiya Nakashima. He came home later in the inning on a grounder hit by Kim Tae Kyun and was safe when Shima couldn't hold on to the ball at the plate, making the score 1-0.
Rakuten tied the game on a run-scoring sacrifice fly from Ryo Hijirisawa in the sixth and took the lead on Shima's homer in the seventh.
Takeshi Yamasaki and Yosuke Takasu each drove in an insurance run for the Eagles in the eighth, making it 6-1.
Fukuura gave the Marines new life with his one-out three-run homer in the ninth, but Ryan Speier relieved Iwakuma and picked up the final two outs to nail down the win.
The jurors charged with deciding the Barry Bonds perjury case will try again to reach a verdict when they return to court for a third day of deliberations.
The jury of eight women and four men failed Monday for the second day in a row to reach a verdict. The jury deliberated all day Friday as well.
Bonds is charged with three counts of lying to a grand jury in 2003 and one count of obstruction. Prosecutors allege that Bonds lied when he denied knowingly taking steroids and human growth hormone. The third count of making a false statement alleges that Bonds lied when he said that no one other than his doctor ever injected him with anything.
The fourth charge is a catch-all count of obstruction, which alleges that Bonds' hindered the grand jury's sports doping investigation by lying.
On Friday, the jurors asked to hear a replay of the 2003 secret recording made by former Bonds business partner Steve Hoskins in which Anderson talks about injecting the slugger. Before the resumption of deliberations Monday, the panel spent 71 minutes hearing court reporter James Yeomans read back the March 31 testimony of Bonds' former personal shopper Kathy Hoskins - Steve's sister. She testified that she saw Anderson inject Bonds near the navel in 2002, becoming the only one of 25 witnesses at the trial to claim firsthand knowledge of Bonds being injected.
"This was very damaging testimony that contrasted starkly with his denials of steroid use that are the heart of this perjury case," said legal observer Joshua Berman, a former prosecutor who is now a criminal defense attorney in Washington D.C.
However, it's impossible to discern how many of the 12 jurors are focusing on that testimony and whether they feel the injection answer was material, or in layman's terms, important, to the grand jury's investigation. To convict Bonds of making a false statement, the jury must find both that what Bonds said was a lie and one that had an effect on the grand jury.
Anderson was jailed during the trial because he refused to testify.
Big blast: Eagles slugger Motohiro Shima smacks a three-run home run in the seventh inning against the Marines on Tuesday at QVC Marine Field. Tohoku Rakuten defeated Chiba Lotte 6-4. KYODO
Which is exactly what they did.
Motohiro Shima hit a tie-breaking three-run homer in the seventh inning, Hisashi Iwakuma pitched into the ninth and the Eagles held off a late rally to edge the Chiba Lotte Marines 6-4 in both teams' season opener on Tuesday at QVC Marine Field.
"What can I say," Iwakuma began. "It feels like our first-ever game as Rakuten in terms of everyone coming together and getting a victory. The cheers of the fans certainly gave us a boost."
The afternoon began with a moment of silence for the victims of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Chiba Mayor Toshihito Kumagai then took the field afterward to make a brief statement and welcome the Eagles to Chiba.
"We hope the earnest play of the players encourages the areas that are suffering and the entire nation," Kumagai said.
Play was stopped briefly in the fourth as the effects of a 6.3-magnitude earthquake that hit Fukushima and Ibaraki prefectures on Tuesday afternoon were felt.
The game was tied 1-1 in the seventh when Shima followed singles by Akinori Iwamura and Randy Ruiz by homering on Opening Day for the first time in his career. He wasn't sure at first if the ball would reach the stands.
"I don't hit enough home runs to know what it feels like," Shima said. "So I was just running to first and I figured it out from the reaction of the crowd."
The victory gives Eagles manager Senichi Hoshino a win in his return to Japanese baseball following an eight-year absence. Iwakuma presented him with the winning ball after the game.
"It's like, 'Have we really won?'" Hoshino said. "It feels like I'm dreaming. I am relieved for sure."
It was a return of sorts for Iwakuma (1-0) as well. The right-hander was set to sign with the Oakland Athletics, after being posted over the winter, until negotiations fell apart and forced him to return to Sendai.
He came within two outs of a complete game before Kazuya Fukuura sent him to the showers with a three-run homer. Iwakuma gave up four runs — three earned — on seven hits and struck out four.
"I wanted to go the distance, but give credit to the batter (Fukuura)," Iwakuma said. "I don't have any regrets. I think it was a really huge win for us. The people up in Tohoku are doing their best and hopefully we can send them some good news."
Iwamura went 2-for-4 in his first game since returning from the major leagues and Kazuo Matsui, another former major leaguer, went 1-for-3 in his Rakuten debut.
Lotte's Yoshihisa Naruse was the better of the two starters before the Eagles got to him during the seventh. Naruse (0-1) lasted seven innings, giving up four runs on six hits and striking out nine.
Marines shortstop Takashi Ogino went 1-for-3 with a stolen base in his first game in place of Tsuyoshi Nishioka, who signed with the Minnesota Twins after being posted during the offseason.
He made a bold move to tag-up and advance to third on a ball hit to left in the fourth inning, sliding in safely ahead of the throw from Toshiya Nakashima. He came home later in the inning on a grounder hit by Kim Tae Kyun and was safe when Shima couldn't hold on to the ball at the plate, making the score 1-0.
Rakuten tied the game on a run-scoring sacrifice fly from Ryo Hijirisawa in the sixth and took the lead on Shima's homer in the seventh.
Takeshi Yamasaki and Yosuke Takasu each drove in an insurance run for the Eagles in the eighth, making it 6-1.
Fukuura gave the Marines new life with his one-out three-run homer in the ninth, but Ryan Speier relieved Iwakuma and picked up the final two outs to nail down the win.
The jurors charged with deciding the Barry Bonds perjury case will try again to reach a verdict when they return to court for a third day of deliberations.
The jury of eight women and four men failed Monday for the second day in a row to reach a verdict. The jury deliberated all day Friday as well.
Bonds is charged with three counts of lying to a grand jury in 2003 and one count of obstruction. Prosecutors allege that Bonds lied when he denied knowingly taking steroids and human growth hormone. The third count of making a false statement alleges that Bonds lied when he said that no one other than his doctor ever injected him with anything.
The fourth charge is a catch-all count of obstruction, which alleges that Bonds' hindered the grand jury's sports doping investigation by lying.
On Friday, the jurors asked to hear a replay of the 2003 secret recording made by former Bonds business partner Steve Hoskins in which Anderson talks about injecting the slugger. Before the resumption of deliberations Monday, the panel spent 71 minutes hearing court reporter James Yeomans read back the March 31 testimony of Bonds' former personal shopper Kathy Hoskins - Steve's sister. She testified that she saw Anderson inject Bonds near the navel in 2002, becoming the only one of 25 witnesses at the trial to claim firsthand knowledge of Bonds being injected.
"This was very damaging testimony that contrasted starkly with his denials of steroid use that are the heart of this perjury case," said legal observer Joshua Berman, a former prosecutor who is now a criminal defense attorney in Washington D.C.
However, it's impossible to discern how many of the 12 jurors are focusing on that testimony and whether they feel the injection answer was material, or in layman's terms, important, to the grand jury's investigation. To convict Bonds of making a false statement, the jury must find both that what Bonds said was a lie and one that had an effect on the grand jury.
Anderson was jailed during the trial because he refused to testify.
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