Slugfest at Tokyo Dome

The Kintetsu Buffaloes trampled the Nippon Ham Fighters in extra innings as last year's Home Run King Nakamura hit a 10th inning grand slam, his 3rd homer of the night, for a 17-12 victory.

Well, Nakamura's home run was not the deciding RBI, but it may as well have been as 9 of the 17 Buffaloe runs were driven in by him.

In the top of the first, with two down, Rhodes hit a come-backer that Sekine couldn't handle for an infield hit. Nakamura followed that with a 2-run shot to the "back screen" beyond the center field fence.

Yoshioka hit a lead off home run in the top of the 2nd to give the Buffs a 3-0 lead.

But that lead didn't last long. Kintetsu starter Takamura couldn't get himself out of the 3rd inning. The Ham-sters' #9 batter led off the bottom of the 3rd with a double to left. Narahara then sacrificed him to 3rd. (Why sacrifice when you're down by 3 runs? I don't know.) But the sacrifice didn't kill the "Big Bang" offense as Ogasawara drew a walk and was brought around to 3rd on an RBI double by Ide. Then, in steps Obando. But before he can drive anybody in, Takamura lets loose with a 2-run wild pitch to allow the ball game to be tied. Not that it mattered as Obando hit his second home run of the season immediatly afterword to take the lead. After walking Kataoka, it was sayonara Takamua.

Yamazaki Kazuhiro came in to retire the side, but not before allowing two more runs to cross the plate on Noguchi's (who started the inning) single to right. Nippon Ham turned the game around and were up 3-6.

But the Buffaloes fought back. A lead off single and Nakamura's second 2-run home run to center put the Buffs to within one run in the top of the 5th. But veteran Tanaka Yukio answered that with a 1-out solo home run in the bottom of the inning. So, at the end of 5, Kintetsu still trailed 5-7.

The top of the 7th saw Buffaloes on parade. Starting at the top of the order, a pair of hits and a dead ball brought Nakamura up to the plate again, this time with bases loaded. I'm sure he'd have loved one of those two homers here. But he did his job and got the ball to the outfield, consoled with a sacrifice fly to bring his team to within one. But the Buffaloes didn't stop there. Isobe drove in 2 with a base hit to center to take the lead. Then Yoshioka hit a 2-run shot into the Buffaloe fans beyond the left field wall for some insurance. After Kawaguchi singled, Kitagawa hit his 2nd home run of the season to make it a 12-7 ball game.

But that didn't stop the Fighters from fighting. They'd finally managed to break their losing streak at Tokyo Dome the night before, and weren't ready to start another one. In the bottom of the 7th, a lead off single and double gave Kaneko the chance to cash in one run with a single to center. One out later, pinch hitter Tanaka Kensuke hit a three run blast to the Fighters' oendan in right to make it a 1-run ball game. (All the Major League scouts were down the tracks at Jingu watching Ishii and Matsui square off. This was the more exciting game.)

Then, in the bottom of the 9th, with one out and still down by a run, Ogasawara tied the game 12-12 with a solo home run to left. What timing! What excitement! But it didn't last long for the home town fans.

In the top of the 10, K. Tanaka's error at short to Kintetsu trampeeding again. A base hit and a walk afterword, Rhodes singled in the game winning run. Then, as this article started, Nakamura, still on his quest for second consecutive Home Run (if he can catch the invinsible Cabrera) and RBI titles, launched his 20th home run of the season, a grand slam to put the game away, into the Kintetsu oendan in left.

Gambare Nori! On your road to another title.