Hoshino records 1,000th managerial victory
Fiery. A hothead. Tough. A competitor. A curmudgeon.
There are many ways to describe Rakuten Eagles skipper Senichi Hoshino, but he’s a winner. He has proved it 1,000 times as a manager.
Kenji Tomura pitched into the seventh inning and Kazuo Matsui and Jose Fernandez each knocked in first-inning runs to help Rakuten top the Orix Buffaloes 3-2 in Friday at Kyocera Dome Osaka and make Hoshino the 12th manager in Japan Pro Baseball history to reach the milestone.
Hoshino, who spent 1969-'82 as a pitcher with the Chunichi Dragons [where he was 146-121 with 34 saves and a 3.60 ERA], managed in Nagoya from ’87-‘91 and again from ’96-2001 before taking over on the Hanshin Tigers' bench. He joined Rakuten last season, but it didn’t help the team escape the bottom three in the Pacific League standings.
“I guess my next target is 2,000,” Hoshino told reporters chasing him as he boarded the team bus.
This season has also been a challenge, with ace Masahiro Tanaka being deactivated, but other hurlers have stepped up this month, during which the team is 6-4.
Tomura (3-2), a third-year righty, hadn’t won a game as a pro until beating SoftBank on April 4. He had lost two consecutive decisions coming in, but shut the Buffaloes down with just two punchouts.
“I wonder if I should have been the one to get this win [for Hoshino],” Tomura quipped during the hero interview. “But I’m glad we won.”
Koji Aoyama recorded his third save in as many days, while Ryo Hijirisawa had four hits and two runs as the Eagles won their third straight.
MARINES 6, HAWKS 4
Tadahito Iguchi and Toshiaki Imae each knocked in a pair of runs, and Yoshihisa Naruse worked six innings of one-run ball as Lotte topped SoftBank at The Q.
Naruse (3-2) scattered six hits but struck out just one with no walks. Second-year SoftBank righty Kodai Senga (0-1) lasted just one-plus innings, allowing four runs -- two earned – on three hits and four walks for his first pro loss.
CENTRAL LEAGUE
CARP 1, DRAGONS 0
Kan Otake (3-2) handcuffed Chunichi on five hits and three walks over seven innings, and Shota Dobayashi knocked in the game’s only run with a second-inning single as Hiroshima won at The Zoom.
It was the first shutout loss for Chunichi in 36 games and Hiroshima’s first win over the Dragons this year.
TIGERS 3, BAYSTARS 1
Atsushi Nomi (3-3) twirled 7.2 innings, holding Yokohama to a run on six hits and a walk, and added an RBI single in a three-run second as Hanshin won to stop a three-game skid to the BayStars.
Takashi Toritani singled and capped the second-inning rally with an RBI double, and Kyuji Fujikawa notched his ninth save with a perfect final frame.
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Hoshino records 1,000th managerial victory
Fiery. A hothead. Tough. A competitor. A curmudgeon.
There are many ways to describe Rakuten Eagles skipper Senichi Hoshino, but he’s a winner. He has proved it 1,000 times as a manager.
Kenji Tomura pitched into the seventh inning and Kazuo Matsui and Jose Fernandez each knocked in first-inning runs to help Rakuten top the Orix Buffaloes 3-2 in Friday at Kyocera Dome Osaka and make Hoshino the 12th manager in Japan Pro Baseball history to reach the milestone.
Hoshino, who spent 1969-'82 as a pitcher with the Chunichi Dragons [where he was 146-121 with 34 saves and a 3.60 ERA], managed in Nagoya from ’87-‘91 and again from ’96-2001 before taking over on the Hanshin Tigers' bench. He joined Rakuten last season, but it didn’t help the team escape the bottom three in the Pacific League standings.
“I guess my next target is 2,000,” Hoshino told reporters chasing him as he boarded the team bus.
This season has also been a challenge, with ace Masahiro Tanaka being deactivated, but other hurlers have stepped up this month, during which the team is 6-4.
Tomura (3-2), a third-year righty, hadn’t won a game as a pro until beating SoftBank on April 4. He had lost two consecutive decisions coming in, but shut the Buffaloes down with just two punchouts.
“I wonder if I should have been the one to get this win [for Hoshino],” Tomura quipped during the hero interview. “But I’m glad we won.”
Koji Aoyama recorded his third save in as many days, while Ryo Hijirisawa had four hits and two runs as the Eagles won their third straight.
MARINES 6, HAWKS 4
Tadahito Iguchi and Toshiaki Imae each knocked in a pair of runs, and Yoshihisa Naruse worked six innings of one-run ball as Lotte topped SoftBank at The Q.
Naruse (3-2) scattered six hits but struck out just one with no walks. Second-year SoftBank righty Kodai Senga (0-1) lasted just one-plus innings, allowing four runs -- two earned – on three hits and four walks for his first pro loss.
CENTRAL LEAGUE
CARP 1, DRAGONS 0
Kan Otake (3-2) handcuffed Chunichi on five hits and three walks over seven innings, and Shota Dobayashi knocked in the game’s only run with a second-inning single as Hiroshima won at The Zoom.
It was the first shutout loss for Chunichi in 36 games and Hiroshima’s first win over the Dragons this year.
TIGERS 3, BAYSTARS 1
Atsushi Nomi (3-3) twirled 7.2 innings, holding Yokohama to a run on six hits and a walk, and added an RBI single in a three-run second as Hanshin won to stop a three-game skid to the BayStars.
Takashi Toritani singled and capped the second-inning rally with an RBI double, and Kyuji Fujikawa notched his ninth save with a perfect final frame.