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.
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.
All eyes on Williams sisters as Wimbledon looms
WIMBLEDON, England — Two simple words at the end of a June 7 tweet said it all: "Serena's back!"
Guess who's back: Serena Williams enters Wimbledon in search of her fifth title at the All England Club. APAnd Venus is, too.Yes, as Serena Williams announced to the world less than two weeks ago, the most successful tennis-playing siblings in history are returning from lengthy layoffs right on time for Wimbledon, where they just so happen to have won nine of the past 11 singles championships.For Serena, it will be her first Grand Slam tournament — and only second event — since she took home a second consecutive title from the All England Club in July 2010. Her nearly yearlong absence resulted from a series of health issues, including two foot operations and blood clots in her lungs, that she said left her depressed and "on my deathbed." Venus, meanwhile, was sidelined by a hip injury from January until June."I feel like we've been on a similar road together. Her road hasn't been as arduous or as long as mine, but I know what she's been through coming back," Serena said when she made her 2011 debut at a tuneup tournament this week in Eastbourne, England. "We've been really enjoying our time just getting back together and practicing next to her and looking over and seeing her play so well. I'm like, 'OK, I've got to do better.' "There are, to be sure, other plot lines worth tracking.Among them: Can Roger Federer make a real run at a seventh Wimbledon title? Can Rafael Nadal extend his recent excellence to five titles in a span of six Grand Slam tournaments? Can Novak Djokovic recover from the end of his 43-match winning streak to win a major title other than the Australian Open? Can Andy Murray finally — and mercifully — put an end to the locals' 75-year wait for a British male champion at the All England Club? Might No. 1-ranked Caroline Wozniacki win her first Grand Slam title? Could China's Li Na win her second in a row? Will Maria Sharapova end her 3?-year major drought?But the biggest curiosity, at least at the outset, is: How will the Williams sisters do?"It will be interesting to see how they come back. I think it's interesting for the tour. It's a good story," Federer said Saturday. "It's been an up-and-down, bumpy road for the women's tour as of late. But we'll see now how it goes here with the sisters back in the game."Part of the interest stems from wondering how much longer they'll be around. Venus turned 31 on Friday; Serena will be 30 in September."Whenever they enter a Grand Slam tournament, it's double the excitement and double the intrigue, I think, that they bring to the sport. They just bring a different level of tennis also, as far as the power and the emotional content," said ESPN2 analyst Chris Evert, who won 18 Grand Slam titles."It would be monumental in my mind if Serena pulled off a win," Evert added. "I personally don't know how it's humanly possible for someone to take a year off like that and have gone through what she's been through physically with her ailments and . . . it would almost shock me if she did. But knowing Serena and the way she's come back before, you can never count her out."Evert — who said she never was away from the tour longer than four months — is one of only five women in tennis history who have won more major championships than Serena's 13. The others are Margaret Court (24), Steffi Graf (22), Helen Wills Moody (19) and Martina Navratilova (18). Among active players, of course, Serena ranks No. 1, followed by Venus with seven.No one else in this year's Wimbledon women's field has more than three Grand Slam titles (Kim Clijsters has four, but she pulled out with a foot injury).Indeed, it's remarkable to examine the measurable ways in which Serena and Venus have dominated women's tennis, in general — and the All England Club, in particular — across the years. That's why Serena is seeded No. 7 at Wimbledon, despite being ranked 26th; Venus is seeded 23rd, despite being ranked 33rd."You know," Sharapova said, "they're obviously the ones to beat on grass."
Guess who's back: Serena Williams enters Wimbledon in search of her fifth title at the All England Club. APAnd Venus is, too.Yes, as Serena Williams announced to the world less than two weeks ago, the most successful tennis-playing siblings in history are returning from lengthy layoffs right on time for Wimbledon, where they just so happen to have won nine of the past 11 singles championships.For Serena, it will be her first Grand Slam tournament — and only second event — since she took home a second consecutive title from the All England Club in July 2010. Her nearly yearlong absence resulted from a series of health issues, including two foot operations and blood clots in her lungs, that she said left her depressed and "on my deathbed." Venus, meanwhile, was sidelined by a hip injury from January until June."I feel like we've been on a similar road together. Her road hasn't been as arduous or as long as mine, but I know what she's been through coming back," Serena said when she made her 2011 debut at a tuneup tournament this week in Eastbourne, England. "We've been really enjoying our time just getting back together and practicing next to her and looking over and seeing her play so well. I'm like, 'OK, I've got to do better.' "There are, to be sure, other plot lines worth tracking.Among them: Can Roger Federer make a real run at a seventh Wimbledon title? Can Rafael Nadal extend his recent excellence to five titles in a span of six Grand Slam tournaments? Can Novak Djokovic recover from the end of his 43-match winning streak to win a major title other than the Australian Open? Can Andy Murray finally — and mercifully — put an end to the locals' 75-year wait for a British male champion at the All England Club? Might No. 1-ranked Caroline Wozniacki win her first Grand Slam title? Could China's Li Na win her second in a row? Will Maria Sharapova end her 3?-year major drought?But the biggest curiosity, at least at the outset, is: How will the Williams sisters do?"It will be interesting to see how they come back. I think it's interesting for the tour. It's a good story," Federer said Saturday. "It's been an up-and-down, bumpy road for the women's tour as of late. But we'll see now how it goes here with the sisters back in the game."Part of the interest stems from wondering how much longer they'll be around. Venus turned 31 on Friday; Serena will be 30 in September."Whenever they enter a Grand Slam tournament, it's double the excitement and double the intrigue, I think, that they bring to the sport. They just bring a different level of tennis also, as far as the power and the emotional content," said ESPN2 analyst Chris Evert, who won 18 Grand Slam titles."It would be monumental in my mind if Serena pulled off a win," Evert added. "I personally don't know how it's humanly possible for someone to take a year off like that and have gone through what she's been through physically with her ailments and . . . it would almost shock me if she did. But knowing Serena and the way she's come back before, you can never count her out."Evert — who said she never was away from the tour longer than four months — is one of only five women in tennis history who have won more major championships than Serena's 13. The others are Margaret Court (24), Steffi Graf (22), Helen Wills Moody (19) and Martina Navratilova (18). Among active players, of course, Serena ranks No. 1, followed by Venus with seven.No one else in this year's Wimbledon women's field has more than three Grand Slam titles (Kim Clijsters has four, but she pulled out with a foot injury).Indeed, it's remarkable to examine the measurable ways in which Serena and Venus have dominated women's tennis, in general — and the All England Club, in particular — across the years. That's why Serena is seeded No. 7 at Wimbledon, despite being ranked 26th; Venus is seeded 23rd, despite being ranked 33rd."You know," Sharapova said, "they're obviously the ones to beat on grass."Kuwaiti goal takes shine off Japan's winning Olympic start
London calling: Striker Yuya Osako (right) takes the plaudits after scoring in Japan's Olympic qualifying 3-1 win over Kuwait at Toyota Stadium on Sunday night. KYODOTOYOTA, Aichi Pref. — Japan launched its 2012 Olympic qualifying campaign with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Kuwait but was left to rue an unnecessarily conceded goal to the Gulf visitors on Sunday night.Hiroshi Kiyotake and Mizuki Hamada scored in the opening half for the under-22 national side at Toyota Stadium, and Yuya Osako added the third on the other side of halftime.But substitute Jaber Jazea chiseled at Japan's lead shortly past the hour with what could turn out to be a crucial away goal for Maher Alshemmari's side.The second leg in the home-and-away contest is on Thursday."That was disappointing," Japan coach Takashi Sekizuka said, referring to the Kuwaiti goal. "We held on to the ball for a lot longer than we should have, and they got us."The two teams went into the interval with Japan leading by two, but the hosts should have been up by more given the way they dominated throughout the first half.With the Kuwait defenders giving them plenty of room to operate, Japan could have — and should have — been ahead by twice as many had it exercised a little more accuracy in front of the goal.Striker Kensuke Nagai started the game on the bench with a sprained left ankle yet Sekizuka never needed to call on the top scorer of last year's Asian Games.Forward Yousef Nasser, a Kuwaiti player with full international experience, was about the only consistent threat the Japanese defense had to deal with all evening.Kiyotake pushed the young Blue Samurai in front in the 18th minute with his maiden goal for the Olympic team, a diving header into the bottom corner from a Yusuke Higa cross.Hamada doubled Japan's advantage after 37 minutes with a header of his own, nodding in a right-wing Kiyotake corner from the heart of the penalty area.The second half was more of the same with Japan in control, and Osako made it 3-0 one minute past the hour off a Kuwaiti mistake, slotting home a through-ball from Ryohei Yamazaki.But just when Japan looked like it was going to cruise, Kuwait pulled one back in the 68th minute through substitute Jazea, who pounced on a failed clearance with authority to close the gap.The Japanese woke up after conceding and reasserted their dominance, but failed to stretch out their lead as they continued to waste opportunities.Gosford, Australia — Striker Jason Hoffman scored twice as Australia beat Yemen 3-0 in the first match of a two-leg Olympic soccer qualifying tie on Sunday.Mitch Nichols also scored to give Australia a buffer to take into the second leg of the series at Newcastle on Thursday.Isaka Cernak and Nichols directed play from midfield and Hoffman provided a constant aerial threat for the strong Australia lineup that restricted Yemen to sporadic counterattacks.Australia had several off-target shots before Hoffman headed home Sebastian Ryall's cross in the 14th minute. Nichols added the second from close range in the 67th minute and Hoffman netted the third in stoppage time.In Seoul, South Korea defeated Jordan 3-1.Midfielder Yoon Bit Garam scored the winner from the penalty spot in the 75th minute and Kim Dong Sub added a header 10 minutes later.Lee leaves Saiki behind for victory
Chiba — South Korea's Lee Ji Hee pulled away from joint overnight leader Miki Saiki to capture her first title of the season at the Nichirei Ladies on Sunday.Saiki made a costly bogey on the 16th at Sodegaura Country and Lee capitalized with birdies on her final two holes to claim a two shot victory, a week after finishing tied for second at the Suntory Ladies Open.Victory was the 14th of Lee's career on the Japan LPGA Tour and earned her ?14.4 million from the ?80 million purse.Lee, who set a course record with a flawless 64 to lead at the midway point at last week's tournament, made seven birdies in all against a pair of bogeys to close on 12-under 204."I really, really wanted to win the title and was really tense from the morning. I have never cried so much," said Lee, whose last win came at the NEC Karuizawa 72 last August."I want to get four or five wins this year and aim for the money title," she said.
Lotte's Karakawa stymies Swallows
Yuki Karakawa threw one-run ball over eight innings and Tadahito Iguchi hit a two-run blast as the Chiba Lotte Marines came from behind to defeat the CL-leading Tokyo Yakult Swallows 7-1 on Sunday afternoon.
Communication breakdown: Daisuke Kusano (left) and Kazuo Matsui collide while chasing a fly ball during Tohoku Rakuten's 7-0 defeat to the Tigers on Sunday. KYODOShoitsu Omatsu and Toshiaki Imae hit consecutive run-scoring singles against Masanori Ishikawa (4-4) to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead and Kazuya Fukuura tacked on a two-run single for good measure in a four-run sixth at Jingu Stadium.The Marines strung together five singles in the big inning, which featured Omatsu's bounder over the head of first baseman Josh Whitesell with runners at the corners."I was thinking that I wanted to put runners back on first and third, since it makes it easier for Imae to hit," Omatsu said after Lotte pulled out of last place.Karakawa (6-2) allowed six hits, walked four and struck out three and matched a career high in wins. Iguchi, who went 2-for-5, went deep to the stands in left in a three-run ninth."I felt that I could probably get a hit in that situation," Imae said of his go-ahead single to right.Karakawa said at the least he hopes to notch double-digit wins this season. "I have nothing really to say about that (six wins). The team has higher expectations of me. I was able to get strikes today with my breaking ball and recovered after a shaky start. I was very relaxed," he said.Carp 2, Fighters 1At Mazda Stadium, Takahiro Iwamoto hit a tiebreaking single in the sixth inning and rookie Yuya Fukui (3-3) earned his first win since May 3, yielding one run in seven innings as Hiroshima edged Hokkaido Nippon Ham.Kenta Kurihara opened the scoring with a RBI single off Brian Wolfe (7-2) in the first inning before Atsunori Inaba's sac fly tied the game a 1-all in the top of sixth. Dennis Sarfate worked the ninth for his 13th save.Giants 10, Lions 1At Tokyo Dome, rookie Hirokazu Sawamura went seven scoreless innings and won his first decision this season on home turf as Yomiuri pounded Seibu.Sawamura (3-5) allowed five hits, struck out seven and walked two and escaped a one-out bases-loaded jam with consecutive strikeouts in the fourth. Kazuhisa Makita (2-4) took the loss.Shinnosuke Abe and Hayato Sakamoto hit two-run drives in the sixth and eighth, respectively.Hawks 9, BayStars 2At Yokohama Stadium, Nobuhiro Matsuda went 4-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs in Softbank's rout of Yokohama, which became the first team to lose 30 games in Japanese baseball this season.Matsuda had a two-run shot to open the scoring in the second and Seiichi Uchikawa and Hiroki Kokubo hit back-to-back homers in a four-run fifth against Kota Suda (1-5). Tadashi Settsu (6-3) limited the damage to two runs in seven innings.Dragons 2, Buffaloes 1 (10)At Nagoya Dome, Masaaki Koike delivered a pinch-hit game-ending homer off Mamoru Kishida (1-3) in the 10th inning to lift Chunichi over Orix.Tigers 7, Eagles 0At Koshien Stadium, Jason Standridge (4-2) made effective use of his breaking ball to throw his first shutout of the season and Takashi Toritani went 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs as Hanshin romped over Tohoku Rakuten, which fell back into last place in the PL.
Communication breakdown: Daisuke Kusano (left) and Kazuo Matsui collide while chasing a fly ball during Tohoku Rakuten's 7-0 defeat to the Tigers on Sunday. KYODOShoitsu Omatsu and Toshiaki Imae hit consecutive run-scoring singles against Masanori Ishikawa (4-4) to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead and Kazuya Fukuura tacked on a two-run single for good measure in a four-run sixth at Jingu Stadium.The Marines strung together five singles in the big inning, which featured Omatsu's bounder over the head of first baseman Josh Whitesell with runners at the corners."I was thinking that I wanted to put runners back on first and third, since it makes it easier for Imae to hit," Omatsu said after Lotte pulled out of last place.Karakawa (6-2) allowed six hits, walked four and struck out three and matched a career high in wins. Iguchi, who went 2-for-5, went deep to the stands in left in a three-run ninth."I felt that I could probably get a hit in that situation," Imae said of his go-ahead single to right.Karakawa said at the least he hopes to notch double-digit wins this season. "I have nothing really to say about that (six wins). The team has higher expectations of me. I was able to get strikes today with my breaking ball and recovered after a shaky start. I was very relaxed," he said.Carp 2, Fighters 1At Mazda Stadium, Takahiro Iwamoto hit a tiebreaking single in the sixth inning and rookie Yuya Fukui (3-3) earned his first win since May 3, yielding one run in seven innings as Hiroshima edged Hokkaido Nippon Ham.Kenta Kurihara opened the scoring with a RBI single off Brian Wolfe (7-2) in the first inning before Atsunori Inaba's sac fly tied the game a 1-all in the top of sixth. Dennis Sarfate worked the ninth for his 13th save.Giants 10, Lions 1At Tokyo Dome, rookie Hirokazu Sawamura went seven scoreless innings and won his first decision this season on home turf as Yomiuri pounded Seibu.Sawamura (3-5) allowed five hits, struck out seven and walked two and escaped a one-out bases-loaded jam with consecutive strikeouts in the fourth. Kazuhisa Makita (2-4) took the loss.Shinnosuke Abe and Hayato Sakamoto hit two-run drives in the sixth and eighth, respectively.Hawks 9, BayStars 2At Yokohama Stadium, Nobuhiro Matsuda went 4-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs in Softbank's rout of Yokohama, which became the first team to lose 30 games in Japanese baseball this season.Matsuda had a two-run shot to open the scoring in the second and Seiichi Uchikawa and Hiroki Kokubo hit back-to-back homers in a four-run fifth against Kota Suda (1-5). Tadashi Settsu (6-3) limited the damage to two runs in seven innings.Dragons 2, Buffaloes 1 (10)At Nagoya Dome, Masaaki Koike delivered a pinch-hit game-ending homer off Mamoru Kishida (1-3) in the 10th inning to lift Chunichi over Orix.Tigers 7, Eagles 0At Koshien Stadium, Jason Standridge (4-2) made effective use of his breaking ball to throw his first shutout of the season and Takashi Toritani went 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs as Hanshin romped over Tohoku Rakuten, which fell back into last place in the PL.14K White Gold Round Diamond Solitaire Pendant 1/2ct (J/K I2 18" chain)
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14k White Gold Diamond Twist Pendant (1/6 cttw, H-I Color, I1-I2 Clarity), 18"
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