September 19th-21st - The final home series

Yes there are make up games to go which are important in Tigers quest to achieve a poor second in the Central League. Still second means revenue from games and merchandising and home advantage. Third means extra expense as the team has to travel. The Dragons series was therefore important especially after the disaster of the previous series. The first game went the Tigers way. Wada started Fujinami/Tsuruoka and this generated the usual Tsuruoka run giveaway. Tigers bats though were on fire for a change and the runs given up didn't matter. Yamai - Dragons starter took a beating and Tigers piled on the runs and scored every innings from 1-6. The final score was 9-3 to Tigers. Fujinami picked up an undistinguished win but it was a win and that is all that mattered. Once again he was over-pitched.
The next Dragons pitcher to get it in the neck was Kawai. He started out with a lead and gave it up. Messenger did very nicely and with help from Umeno got out of all sorts of difficulties. Tigers had the game sown up by the end of the fifth and cruised to victory. Watanabe made an appearance in the eighth and produced one of his more forgettable appearances but once again his catcher came to the rescue and then with Fukuhara got the final out. This generated an extra run but the Dragons didn't have the pop to score more. Final victory 7-3 Tigers. Wada then managed to screw up the first game. He reverted to his inferior catcher who he seems to have formed the impression that the latter works well with Iwazaki. Tigers took a two run lead in the fourth but then Tsuruoka and Iwazaki then set about loosing it ending up with a 3-2 deficit. Iwazaki lasted until the sixth and Tsuruoka followed him shortly after with Umeno taking over. Tigers in the meantime equalized the game. Tigers managed to load the bases in the seventh but Sekimoto struck out swinging and that chance to take the lead went down. They then had runners on second and third with two outs in the ninth and once again Sekimoto blew it - it wasn't his night. Finally in the eleventh Dragons got enough runners on to hit a sacrifice fly off Saiuchi who does not impress 4-3. The score stayed that way and the Dragons won an undeserved victory which is the nature of most Dragons victories anyway. Tigers had out hit them 13-6 but had taken the series. Tigers are certain to finish A class this season and still have a chance to take second - however, that would ensure Wada's survival for another season at least.