Kanemura Suspended For Playoffs

The reason that Kanemura was upset about being pulled from this game was because he had a 4-1 lead with two outs in the fifth inning. He had one more batter to go to get credit for the win, his potential 10th, which would make it his 6th year in a row with double digits wins. This was the "individual record" that Kanemura was referring to in his tirade.

With two down and a runner on second, Kanemura walked Satozaki, his first base on balls of the game. Then Benny singled to left to load the bases. This is the point that Hillman-kantoku went to the bullpen. I didn't see it, and nothing in Nikkan Sports seems to point as to the reason why Kanemura was changed at that spot. Is it because Hillman-kantoku was over-compensating for leaving Darvish in too long the day before?

Nonetheless, Oshimoto came in and immediately gave up a bases clearing double to Imae. That tied the game up. Lotte then scored 4 runs in the 7th to win 8-4.

I found it hard to even look at the largest headline today. "絶対許さない" ("I'll never forgive him") it read. The article mentioned that Kanemura said this time and time again in front of the press. And the bit about Hillman-kantoku not caring about individual records - well, he's not supposed to! He's supposed to be concerned about winning each game. How did Kanemura forget that? I don't know why Hillman-kantoku would change him at this junction - it does seem odd. But Kanemura's whining about individual records doesn't do anything to help his case.

Wow, it's been a horrible year for Don Nomura clients. First, his biggest client, Hideo Nomo, gets released by the ChiSox. Now comes word that Shane Spencer is a goner. Then to top it off, Kanemura does his best Ted Lilly impersonation (without actually getting into a fistfight).

The only silver lining has been the superb pitching of Micheal Nakamura. There was a time when Nomura had a handful of players in the majors and now he doesn't have even one player in MLB.

Managers often bring in new pitchers in bases loaded situations to get the necessary outs. The theory is that a new guy will provide that extra bit of difference to disrupt the batting team's progress. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

The most spectacular success I have seen was Nohmi being introduced with no outs in a bases loaded situation and striking out the next three batters.

With two outs Hillman would have thought that Oshimoto could get final batter, but it didn't work out that way. Of course there is no guarantee that Kanemura could have done it either.

- Managers often bring in new pitchers in bases loaded situations to get the necessary outs.

Really? I thought it was usually done in a fit of pique. You learn something new every day.

Jim Allen has weighed in with an interesting cross-cultural take on the Kanemura incident in today's "The Hot Corner" column in the Daily Yomiuri.

Apparently Kanemura will join up with the team and will play in the Nippon Series starting on the 21st of this month.

Interesting take by Jim Allen. Looking at it from a broader perspective, I think the Kanemura incident somewhat symbolizes what's happening in Japanese society these days. The Koizumi reforms have created a trend where individual gain has taken on more and more significance, regardless of whether the group as a whole benefits. In other words, Japan is becoming more of a dog-eat-dog, survival-of-the-fittest type of society, and people are beginning to question whether individual sacrifices for the sake of the group is really worth it. In this sense, Kanemura's attitude may be similar to the way some of the youth in Japan seem to be thinking: "Me! Me! Me!"