It took 9 games last spring for Obana's Yokohama BayStars to win a game. For all the promise that the team held going into the 2010 spring camp, none of it was on display. But not this season.
The very first scene of the 2011 open-sen (preseason games) that I saw was Morimoto Hichori stretching a single to left into a double (actually a single and an error as the left fielder over ran the ball) in the 5th inning of Saturday's game (February 26) against the Yomiuri Giants. That was immediately followed by Hichori's reunited team mate Terrmel Sledge driving him in on a double to left to put the BayStars up 3-1.
Yokohama then added an insurance run in the bottom of the 6th with a solo home run off of the bat of pinch hitter Shimamura Ikki, who the BayStars got from Orix this past off season. The BayStars went on to win the game 4-1.
Catching the replay, Miura Daisuke had gotten the start against the Giants. When I saw that he would get the start, my first thought was that fateful March 20, 2010 game at Tokyo Dome where Miura allowed 14 runs (9 earned) through 4 innings. Miura just wasn't himself all season long, and that game was an early low point. While he only allowed a single run in the first inning (2 innings of work), I fear that what I saw of his pitches didn't leave me very inspired. It is still early, so that he isn't yet at 100% shouldn't be of that much of a concern.
Yokohama then hosted the Saitama Seibu Lions on Sunday, February 27. Trailing 2-3 with two down and bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th, Shimozono Tatsuya came through with a sayonara 2-run single to left. The celebration looked like the BayStars had just won the pennant! Yes, guys, winning does feel good, doesn't it?
According to Nikkan Sports, this is the first time since 2006 that the BayStars have managed to win their first two open-sen games. They did manage to win two in a row one time last spring, finishing the 2011 open-sen with a 4 wins, 9 losses, and 2 ties record - which pretty much carried the pace into the regular season.
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The very first scene of the 2011 open-sen (preseason games) that I saw was Morimoto Hichori stretching a single to left into a double (actually a single and an error as the left fielder over ran the ball) in the 5th inning of Saturday's game (February 26) against the Yomiuri Giants. That was immediately followed by Hichori's reunited team mate Terrmel Sledge driving him in on a double to left to put the BayStars up 3-1.
Yokohama then added an insurance run in the bottom of the 6th with a solo home run off of the bat of pinch hitter Shimamura Ikki, who the BayStars got from Orix this past off season. The BayStars went on to win the game 4-1.
Catching the replay, Miura Daisuke had gotten the start against the Giants. When I saw that he would get the start, my first thought was that fateful March 20, 2010 game at Tokyo Dome where Miura allowed 14 runs (9 earned) through 4 innings. Miura just wasn't himself all season long, and that game was an early low point. While he only allowed a single run in the first inning (2 innings of work), I fear that what I saw of his pitches didn't leave me very inspired. It is still early, so that he isn't yet at 100% shouldn't be of that much of a concern.
Yokohama then hosted the Saitama Seibu Lions on Sunday, February 27. Trailing 2-3 with two down and bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th, Shimozono Tatsuya came through with a sayonara 2-run single to left. The celebration looked like the BayStars had just won the pennant! Yes, guys, winning does feel good, doesn't it?
According to Nikkan Sports, this is the first time since 2006 that the BayStars have managed to win their first two open-sen games. They did manage to win two in a row one time last spring, finishing the 2011 open-sen with a 4 wins, 9 losses, and 2 ties record - which pretty much carried the pace into the regular season.