Marines end 1st half atop PL for 1st time in 42 Years
The surprise teams of the Pacific League battled for every inch on Wednesday at The Q., and in the end, the Marines were a half-step ahead.
Pinch-runner Takashi Ogino darted home from third and dove head-first, just beating the throw home for a sac fly to right by pinch-hitter Kazuya Fukuura as Lotte edged the Rakuten Eagles 4-3 in the first-half finale.
The Marines, who won the Japan Series in 2010 but were finished in the league cellar last season, wrapped up the first half atop the PL for the first time in 42 years, and just the third time in franchise history [meaning no one on the roster was born the last time they did that].
The Eagles are in third place and finished the first half both above .500 [by two games] and in the top three in the league for the first time in their eight-year history.
It was the seventh career walk-off RBI for the veteran Fukuura, who stepped in for after Ikuhiro Kiyota had been announced as the pinch-hitter and lifted a flyball to medium right. Shinichiro Koyama (0-1) took the loss, walking Josh Whitesell to open the frame before getting the hook.
The Eagles had scored twice in the eighth to tie the score.
Rakuten ace Masahiro Tanaka was making his first start on four days’ rest since 2008, and didn’t look very sharp. He struggled to miss bats in the third inning when he gave up three runs, and departed after giving up nine hits and a walk with seven Ks on 106 pitches.
HAWKS 5, BUFFALOES 2
Wily Mo Pena, Hitoshi Tamura and Lee Tu-hsuan all homered, and Tadashi Settsu (9-4) scattered six hits and three walks over five innings to tie for PL lead in wins as SoftBank held off Orix at FYJ Dome.
CENTRAL LEAGUE
DRAGONS 9, CARP 2
Kazuhiro Wada had two RBI singles and Motonobu Tanishige had three hits and an RBI to help Chunichi avoid a sweep at the hands of Hiroshima, which saw its longest home winning streak at Mazda Stadium end at five.
The Carp, who were limited to four hits by Soma Yamauchi (7-4) and two relievers, finished the first half at .500.
GIANTS 2, TIGERS 2
Hayato Sakamoto’s RBI single [his third hit of the game] in the seventh inning got Yomiuri even after Hanshin held an early 2-0 lead, as the Giants improved to 10-3-2 against the Tigers this season with a draw at Koshien Stadium.
The Giants head into the All-Star break with a four-game lead over the Dragons.
BAYSTARS 4, SWALLOWS 0
Futoshi Kobyashi (1-1) wobbled through five innings, serving up eight hits and walking one, but walking away with the win as host Yokohama completed its first three-game sweep of the season by blanking Yakult.
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The surprise teams of the Pacific League battled for every inch on Wednesday at The Q., and in the end, the Marines were a half-step ahead.
Pinch-runner Takashi Ogino darted home from third and dove head-first, just beating the throw home for a sac fly to right by pinch-hitter Kazuya Fukuura as Lotte edged the Rakuten Eagles 4-3 in the first-half finale.
The Marines, who won the Japan Series in 2010 but were finished in the league cellar last season, wrapped up the first half atop the PL for the first time in 42 years, and just the third time in franchise history [meaning no one on the roster was born the last time they did that].
The Eagles are in third place and finished the first half both above .500 [by two games] and in the top three in the league for the first time in their eight-year history.
It was the seventh career walk-off RBI for the veteran Fukuura, who stepped in for after Ikuhiro Kiyota had been announced as the pinch-hitter and lifted a flyball to medium right. Shinichiro Koyama (0-1) took the loss, walking Josh Whitesell to open the frame before getting the hook.
The Eagles had scored twice in the eighth to tie the score.
Rakuten ace Masahiro Tanaka was making his first start on four days’ rest since 2008, and didn’t look very sharp. He struggled to miss bats in the third inning when he gave up three runs, and departed after giving up nine hits and a walk with seven Ks on 106 pitches.
HAWKS 5, BUFFALOES 2
Wily Mo Pena, Hitoshi Tamura and Lee Tu-hsuan all homered, and Tadashi Settsu (9-4) scattered six hits and three walks over five innings to tie for PL lead in wins as SoftBank held off Orix at FYJ Dome.
CENTRAL LEAGUE
DRAGONS 9, CARP 2
Kazuhiro Wada had two RBI singles and Motonobu Tanishige had three hits and an RBI to help Chunichi avoid a sweep at the hands of Hiroshima, which saw its longest home winning streak at Mazda Stadium end at five.
The Carp, who were limited to four hits by Soma Yamauchi (7-4) and two relievers, finished the first half at .500.
GIANTS 2, TIGERS 2
Hayato Sakamoto’s RBI single [his third hit of the game] in the seventh inning got Yomiuri even after Hanshin held an early 2-0 lead, as the Giants improved to 10-3-2 against the Tigers this season with a draw at Koshien Stadium.
The Giants head into the All-Star break with a four-game lead over the Dragons.
BAYSTARS 4, SWALLOWS 0
Futoshi Kobyashi (1-1) wobbled through five innings, serving up eight hits and walking one, but walking away with the win as host Yokohama completed its first three-game sweep of the season by blanking Yakult.