Giants, Marines play to 11-inning tie
The Yomiuri Giants and Lotte Marines traded a slew of wasted opportunities in a makeup game on Monday night at Chiba Marine Field, and all they got for their trouble was a 2-2 tie after 11 innings.
The Marines probably wanted to kick themselves a little more after wasting a golden opportunity to blow the game open in the first inning. Lotte loaded the bases on a walk, a hit batter and a single with none out in the first inning, and Kazuya Fukuura drew a walk to even the score at 1-1.
Tomoya Satozaki followed with a single to give them a 2-1 lead, but Ikuhiro Kiyota fanned and Shoitsu Omatsu wrapped into an inning-ending double. They didn’t score again.
The Giants’ Shigeyuki Furuki made it 2-2 in the fifth with a scoring flyball to create the deadlock. Yomiuri also blew a huge chance to add a third run when it put runners on first and third with none out in the ninth. But pinch-runner Takahiro Suzuki froze at third on a groundball that the Marines turned a double play and was eventually stranded.
Hayato Sakamoto moved into a tie for fourth place in club history -- tying Yoshinobu Takahashi -- with his sixth homer to lead off a game, but the Marines scored twice in the second to grab the lead.
The Yomiuri Giants and Lotte Marines traded a slew of wasted opportunities in a makeup game on Monday night at Chiba Marine Field, and all they got for their trouble was a 2-2 tie after 11 innings.
The Marines probably wanted to kick themselves a little more after wasting a golden opportunity to blow the game open in the first inning. Lotte loaded the bases on a walk, a hit batter and a single with none out in the first inning, and Kazuya Fukuura drew a walk to even the score at 1-1.
Tomoya Satozaki followed with a single to give them a 2-1 lead, but Ikuhiro Kiyota fanned and Shoitsu Omatsu wrapped into an inning-ending double. They didn’t score again.
The Giants’ Shigeyuki Furuki made it 2-2 in the fifth with a scoring flyball to create the deadlock. Yomiuri also blew a huge chance to add a third run when it put runners on first and third with none out in the ninth. But pinch-runner Takahiro Suzuki froze at third on a groundball that the Marines turned a double play and was eventually stranded.
Hayato Sakamoto moved into a tie for fourth place in club history -- tying Yoshinobu Takahashi -- with his sixth homer to lead off a game, but the Marines scored twice in the second to grab the lead.