Dragons kick off night of 3 walk-offs
It’s good to be home. The Dragons proved that, playing just 8.1 innings against the Hanshin Tigers, as Kohei Oda turned a long night at the plate into a happy ending, knocking in the winning run with a long single to left for a 1-0 decision at Nagoya Dome.
A career .206 hitter coming in, he must have expected a pinch-hitter to take his place. When skipper Hiromitsu Ochiai let him take his hacks, the 14th year backup catcher came up with his first career walk-off hit, a shot just inside the line.
“I didn’t care what kind of little goofy hit I got,” said Oda, who belted out “I did it,” from the hero-interview podium.
Chunichi starter Shinji Iwata, making his fourth start, also did the job. He worked seven scoreless innings and allowed just four hits and two walks, but departed with nothing to show for it because Hanshin’s Jason Standridge tormented the Dragons by scattering six hits and one walk with five Ks over his seven shutout frames. Chunichi’s Ryosuke Hirata had his 16-game hitting streak snapped in the process.
A bullpen battle went to the defending Central League champions, who used Takuya Asao in the eighth and got through the ninth with Junichi Kawahara (1-2), who worked out of a one-on, one-out jam for his first win since Sept. 15, 2009.
Hiroyuki Kobyashi (0-4) took the loss, allowing two hits and a walk in the ninth.
SWALLOWS 5, GIANTS 4
Wladimir Balentien knocked a walk-off single to left as host Yakult came back from an early three-run deficit to edge Yomiuri at Shizuoka for its fifth straight win.
The CL home run leader was hitless in his four previous at-bats before smacking a shot down the left-field line to win it.
“I feel so great right now,” Balentien said. “All my teammates were pushing for me to get a hit at that point and I came through. They were happier than I was.”
CARP 6, BAYSTARS 3
Ryuhei Matsuyama had three hits and two RBIs, and Bryan Bullington (8-3) held Yokohama to three runs, one earned, over 6.2 innings as Hiroshima won in its first game in Okinawa in 36 years.
Dennis Sarfate nailed it down in the ninth for his CL-best 18th save.
PACIFIC LEAGUE
BUFFALOES 2, EAGLES 1
Takahiro “T.O.” Okada doubled to drive in Mitsutaka Goto, and little-used Shogo Akada singled home the winning run for Orix’s third straight walk-off win -- the first time in franchise history to tie the NPB record -- to edge Rakuten at Kyocera Dome Osaka.
It was the sixth career sayonara hit for Akada, his first since last April 20. Chihiro Kaneko (4-0) went the distance, allowing six hits and fanning nine, as the Buffaloes won their fourth straight.
HAWKS 7, LIONS 2
D.J. Houlton (9-3) battled through five innings and Nobuhiro Matsuda’s two-out three-run blast in the sixth capped a four-run inning as SoftBank rallied to beat sliding Seibu, which fell at home for its fourth straight loss.
Houlton allowed eight hits and three walks, while fanning four as the Hawks, who snapped a three-game skid, moved back into the PL lead by a game over Nippon Ham.
MARINES 8, FIGHTERS 7
Jose Castillo debuted with a 4-for-4 game, slugging a two-run homer and an RBI single, and Kazuya Fukuura’s RBI single capped a comeback from four runs down as defending Japan Series champion Lotte topped Nippon Ham at The Q.
[Edited by: jgibson on Jul 6, 2011 10:04 AM]
[Edited by: jgibson on Jul 6, 2011 10:08 AM]
Dragons kick off night of 3 walk-offs
It’s good to be home. The Dragons proved that, playing just 8.1 innings against the Hanshin Tigers, as Kohei Oda turned a long night at the plate into a happy ending, knocking in the winning run with a long single to left for a 1-0 decision at Nagoya Dome.
A career .206 hitter coming in, he must have expected a pinch-hitter to take his place. When skipper Hiromitsu Ochiai let him take his hacks, the 14th year backup catcher came up with his first career walk-off hit, a shot just inside the line.
“I didn’t care what kind of little goofy hit I got,” said Oda, who belted out “I did it,” from the hero-interview podium.
Chunichi starter Shinji Iwata, making his fourth start, also did the job. He worked seven scoreless innings and allowed just four hits and two walks, but departed with nothing to show for it because Hanshin’s Jason Standridge tormented the Dragons by scattering six hits and one walk with five Ks over his seven shutout frames. Chunichi’s Ryosuke Hirata had his 16-game hitting streak snapped in the process.
A bullpen battle went to the defending Central League champions, who used Takuya Asao in the eighth and got through the ninth with Junichi Kawahara (1-2), who worked out of a one-on, one-out jam for his first win since Sept. 15, 2009.
Hiroyuki Kobyashi (0-4) took the loss, allowing two hits and a walk in the ninth.
SWALLOWS 5, GIANTS 4
Wladimir Balentien knocked a walk-off single to left as host Yakult came back from an early three-run deficit to edge Yomiuri at Shizuoka for its fifth straight win.
The CL home run leader was hitless in his four previous at-bats before smacking a shot down the left-field line to win it.
“I feel so great right now,” Balentien said. “All my teammates were pushing for me to get a hit at that point and I came through. They were happier than I was.”
CARP 6, BAYSTARS 3
Ryuhei Matsuyama had three hits and two RBIs, and Bryan Bullington (8-3) held Yokohama to three runs, one earned, over 6.2 innings as Hiroshima won in its first game in Okinawa in 36 years.
Dennis Sarfate nailed it down in the ninth for his CL-best 18th save.
PACIFIC LEAGUE
BUFFALOES 2, EAGLES 1
Takahiro “T.O.” Okada doubled to drive in Mitsutaka Goto, and little-used Shogo Akada singled home the winning run for Orix’s third straight walk-off win -- the first time in franchise history to tie the NPB record -- to edge Rakuten at Kyocera Dome Osaka.
It was the sixth career sayonara hit for Akada, his first since last April 20. Chihiro Kaneko (4-0) went the distance, allowing six hits and fanning nine, as the Buffaloes won their fourth straight.
HAWKS 7, LIONS 2
D.J. Houlton (9-3) battled through five innings and Nobuhiro Matsuda’s two-out three-run blast in the sixth capped a four-run inning as SoftBank rallied to beat sliding Seibu, which fell at home for its fourth straight loss.
Houlton allowed eight hits and three walks, while fanning four as the Hawks, who snapped a three-game skid, moved back into the PL lead by a game over Nippon Ham.
MARINES 8, FIGHTERS 7
Jose Castillo debuted with a 4-for-4 game, slugging a two-run homer and an RBI single, and Kazuya Fukuura’s RBI single capped a comeback from four runs down as defending Japan Series champion Lotte topped Nippon Ham at The Q.
[Edited by: jgibson on Jul 6, 2011 10:04 AM]
[Edited by: jgibson on Jul 6, 2011 10:08 AM]