2001 All Star Game 2

The Pro Yakyu All Stars move to Yokohama this evening for Game 2 of the summer classic series.

Starting pitchers this evening are Kintetsu's Maekawa for the Pacific League and the Giants' young ace Uehara for the Central League.

Top of First

Leading off for the Pacific League is the Marines' little speed demon Kosaka. And he takes strike one on Uehara's first pitch, and Game 2 is underway. Uehara got the better of him, getting him to swing and miss a fork ball.

Orix's Taguchi follows by grounding out to second on Uehara's first pitch, two down.

Seibu's "Little" Matsui steps in batting third this evening. And last night's MVP goes down swinging on three pitches. Three up, three down to start off the game.

Bottom of First

Yokohama's lead off man, Ishii, leads off Game 2 as well for the Central League. After working Maekawa full, Ishii hits a blooper to left. "Little" Matsui heads out and makes the grab on the run for out number one.

Chunichi's Ibata, after taking three straight balls, watches a border-line strike at his knees for strike one. Maeda's next pitch is grounded to the left side, and he's thrown out at first for out number two.

Petagine lifts the ball deep to left! Well back! Going, going, it's off the top of the fence! Peta-chan goes jogging into second with a two out double.

The Giants' "Big" Matsui, who's home run last night was the Central League's only run, drills the ball toward the right-center gap! But wait! Kosaka, playing second, makes a great jump to overcome his height impediment and make the grab! That retires the side.

Top of Second

The big Buffaloe, "Nori" Nakamura steps up to the plate. His home run in the first last night turned out to be the difference. This evening, though, he lifts an easy fly ball to center for the first out of the second in his first at bat.

Daiei's Kokubo gets all of Uehara's first pitch. That's a good angle, but it looks like Matsui's got it gaged, and takes it in. Two quick outs.

Ogasawara (Nippon Ham), even though he came out swinging at the first Uehara pitch as well, worked the count to 2-2 before swinging and missing a fork ball in the dirt to retire the side. Uehara has been perfect so far.

Bottom of Second

The Giants' Etoh grounds Maekawa's first offering to short, Matsui's throw to first being in plenty of time for out number one.

Yokohama's Suzuki, the only Central League player with as many as two hits last night, watches strike three go by, and there are two outs before you can say "dasen ga shizuka da ne."

The next batter, I didn't catch who it was, pops up high just behind the plate. Orix's catcher Hidaka is under it and makes the catch. This game is going along very fast!

Top of Third

Nippon Ham's Ide, after trying to take his base after taking ball three to bring the count full, fouls off a couple of pitches, then takes the fork ball in the dirt to become the Pacific League's first base runner of the game.

Daiei's Akiyama, a fixture in the All Star game since the 1980's (17 consecutive years), lifts a high fly to left. BayStars Suzuki and Ishii both go for the ball, and it's Ishii making the grab over a ducking Suzuki. He immediately throws the ball back, and Ide heads back to first.

Hidaka follows with a line drive snagged by a jumping Chunichi second baseman. Two down.

Back to the top of the order in Kosaka. And he grounds easily to short, who scoops the ball to second for the force, and the side is retired. The lead off runner didn't pay off.

Bottom of Third

Yokohama's Tanishige welcomes Seibu's Matsuzaka with a huge fly to straight away center. Ide, back peddling, runs into the wall - ouch! - but without the ball. Tanishige has a stand up double.

Yakult's Manaka follows that with a rip up the middle. Tanishige dashes back to second to be safe, then goes to third when he sees the ball go through. Manaka thought he should have motered home on that.

Tanishige's team mate Ishii then takes Matsuzaka's 4th pitch of the inning into the gap between first and second, and the Central League has the first run of the game.

Chunichi's Ibata (who I missed in the first), battles Matsuzaka after getting two strikes on him, to conclude with a come backer to the "Monster" boy. Matsuzaka fires to second for the force, but the relay is not in time. That's one out, runners at first and third.

With Petagine up to bat and Matsuzaka not paying attention to the runners, Ibata takes second without a throw.

Peta-chan then bounces a grounder over the first baseman and into right field. One run is in, and Ibata isn't far behind for the second run. That puts the Central League up 0-3.

Next up is Godzilla. And while I'm trying to get my boy a snack, Matsui takes Matsuzaka to the deepest part of Yokohama Stadium, straight away center! That ball is gone! And it marks the 300th home run in an All Star game since the series began in 1951. It also puts the Central League up 0-5.

While Matsui is being interviewed, team mate Etoh flies out to a running Taguchi in left for the second out.

Yokohama's Suzuki promptly bloops a Matsuzaka pitch in between Ide, Matsui, and Kosaka behind second base in shallow center field for a base hit. Matsuzaka doesn't look very effective tonight.

Inaba follows this with a "base hit" off of "Little" Matsui's glove than rolls into right field. Before Matsui can run the ball down, Suzuki goes sliding into third.

Tanishige then drives the ball deep to right, but not with enough height. The right fielder takes it in just in front of the wall, and the side is retied. But not before the Central League scored 5 runs to take a commanding lead.

Top of Fourth

In to pitch for the Central League is Yakult's Fujii.

Taguchi got out somehow while Uehara, in a BayStars' shirt, gets interviewed on TBS TV.

"Little" Matsui, with the interview moved to a little window, then hits his second home run in two days to right field! The Pacific League has answered! Now, can they keep that going?

Nakamura, reportedly the center of attention by several scouts, follows him with a monku nashi (no doubt about it) home run to left, his second in two days. Mr. Full Swing can rip that ball!

Kokubo follows this with a base hit to right, and Fujii looks like he isn't fooling anybody.

Ogasawara watches a pitch just on the outside corner for strike three. Two down.

Ide then got under Fujii's pitch a little too much, and lifts it to Suzuki in left to retire the side. But the Pacific League struck back with back to back home runs to reduce the Central League's lead to 2-5.

Bottom of Fourth

Manaka watches an awfully good pitch, call high (?) for ball four, and the Central League has their lead off base runner on against Matsuzaka again.

Yokohama's Ishii, on a full count pitch and Manaka on the run, slaps a single up the third base line. Manaka is able to reach third easily, putting runners at the corners.

And the Giants' Kiyohara comes up to pinch hit. He takes a full swing at Matsuzaka's first offering, and misses, strike one. The next pitch is lined into center field, base hit! Manaka jogs home, and Kiyo has done his job. Team mate Nishi come out to pinch run for him.

Peta-chan, with two hits already today, and batting a league leading .395 with runners in scoring position, drew a base on balls with the count full to load the bases for ... Godzilla!

Oh-kantoku and Higashio-"coach" come out of the Pacific League dugout, and that's it for Matsuzaka. Shimoyanagi (Fighters) comes in to get out of the big pinch.

And he gets Matsui on a line drive to his name sake at short on one pitch. That's one down, two to go.

Yakult's Iwamura followed looking at stright three down the middle! Shimoyanagi is throwing well tonight.

Suzuki-kun is then crosses up and swings and misses a low-outside pitch, and the bases are left stranded. That should raise Nippon Ham's stock some.

But Kiyohara drove in one run to increase the Central's lead back to four, 2-6.

Top of Fifth

Orix's Tani come up for his first at bat, and lifts a high fly ball to the right side of the infield. Nishi, who stayed in the game at second, is under it, and takes the ball in for out number one.

Team mate Hidaka then promptly flies out to Ishii near the second base bag, and there are two quick outs.

Kosaka, running and slapping the ball to second, beats out the grounder for an infield hit. Wow! He can fly up that line.

Taguchi then takes Fujii deep! It looks like it might make it, and it does! That ball is into the left field stands, a couple rows back! And the Pacific League is staging a comeback! That brings them to withing two, 4-6.

"Little" Matsui swings and misses a pitch up at eye level to retire the side.

Bottom of Fifth

Yakult's Inaba hit a dribbler on the third base side. Shimoyanagi fields the ball, throws to first, but not in time to get the diving Inaba. Lead off runner is aboard again.

Tanishige lifts a fly ball pretty much right at Taguchi in left, one down.

Manaka lifts a fly to straight away center, but the center fielder brings the ball in just in front of the warning track for the second out.

Ishii rips a line drive to right for a stand up double. Inaba held at third.

Nishi, up for his first time, grounds the ball up the third base line. Nakamura makes a nice stab at the ball, and his throw to first in in plenty of time to save a run. Three down.

Top of Sixth

Hanshin's Igawa takes over on the mound this inning for the Central League. (And some of you were worried that Hanshin wouldn't be represented. A few tigers were selected by the managers, just none by the fans.)

The first batter he faces is Nakamura, and he's going strength vs. strength, throwing fast balls right by him. And in the end, he strikes the big buffaloe out swinging for the first out.

And Igawa shows why he's ranked fourth in the Central League in strike outs as he K's Kokubo as well.

Now Cabrera comes up, and swings and misses big on his first offereing. And that must have been to fool the young Swallow, because Cabrera knocked his next offering out of Yokohama Stadium! We now have a one run ball game.

Ide then becomes Igawa's third strike out victim of the inning. But Cabrera's jyogai home run makes it close, 5-6.

Bottom of Sixth

Lotte's Fujita comes in to pitch for the Pacific League.

And Petagine welcomes him with a prompt base hit to right.

Matsui lined a one bounder (almost shoe string catch) to Ide in center. It's a good thing that he didn't catch the ball as Peta-chan was on his way to third when he fielded the ball. Runners at the corner and nobody out.

Ibata then took a pitch in his big number 1 on his back. That loads the bases with nobody out.

The Giants' Takahashi come in to pinch hits, and immediately goes in the hold 2 strikes, no balls. He then watches a slider down the middle for strike three! Ah, he's got to wonder why he didn't swing at that one.

Furuta (Yakult) bats for his first time. And he lines a pitch to center. Ide has the ball, throws home, but the ball is cut off. Peta-chan scores the Central League's 7th run.

Nakamura of the Dragons, with runners on the move, fouls off a pitch. After that, he lines the ball to left-center. Taguchi runs full speed, but is unable to get the ball. One run is in, and Ibata holds at third on Nakamura's single. Again, just centimeters separate a shoestring catch from moving runners a couple of bases.

The next batter grounds to Matsui at short, who scoops to second for the force. But not before the Central League adds two more runs to make the score Pacific 5 - 8 Central.

Top of Seventh

Tani grounds out to second on one pitch for a quick out number one.

Daiei's Johjima pinch hits and lifts his second offering up just behind the second base bag. Nishi is there, and there are two quick outs.

Team mate Iguchi hits a high fly ball to Petagine at first, and the side is retired on 4 or 5 pitches.

Bottom of Seventh

Former BayStar "double stopper" setup man Morita (now Kintetsu) comes in to pitch for the Pacific League. (They had a short special on his battle with brain cancer, and how his younger brother, who died of it, inspired his come back.)

And he faces his former team mate Ishii, who welcomes him "home" to Yokohama with a base hit to left. That makes four hits in a row for Ishii this game.

Hiroshima's Kanemoto comes in to pinch hit, and Ishii steals second on the first pitch to him. Even though Kanemoto started off in the hole 2 strikes and no balls, he battled Morita to 2-2 before drilling a pitch up the first base line. Cabrera, with less than a second to respond, snagged the ball and took it to first for the first out of the inning. Ishii went to third.

And that's it for Morita as Kintetsu's Okamoto comes in to pitch.

And Petagine welcomes him with his 4th hit of the evening, a double into the left-center field gap. Ishii scores easily from third, and the Central League bring their lead back up to 4 runs, 4-9.

Godzilla, on the other hand, is all crosses up and goes down swinging. Two down.

Ibata follows with a grounder to first. Cabrera scoops to the covering pitcher, who drops the ball! E-1.

Baystar clinch hitter Saeki comes up to pinch hit with runners at first and third. And he rips a stand up double just left of the 118 meter sign in center, knocking in both runners. And the Central is now up 5-11.

Furuta adds to that, driving in Saeki with a base hit to right. The throw home is way off line, and Furuta takes second on the throw.

Chunichi's Nakamura then flies out to center to retire the side. But not before the Central League took a commanding lead 5-12.

Top of Eighth

Taguchi welcomes the Giants' Okajima to the mound with a base hit. Don't give up yet Pa-League!

"Little" Matsui goes down swinging for the first out.

Nakamura, All Pacific's leading hitter, drives a base hit to right field, moving Taguchi to third.

Daiei's Ohmichi, in his first All Star series in his 14 year career, comes in to pinch hit and lines a double into the left field corner, scoring Taguchi from third. See there? Never say die!

Cabrera, after working the count full and almost decapitating third base runner Nakamura on a foul ball, draws a walk to load the bases.

Ide grounds a ball to third base. With the infield in, the force at the plate keeps the Pacific League from scoring, but there was no attempt at first. Two down and bases still loaded.

Tani then hits a no strike three ball pitch to the left side. The third baseman makes the play at first, and the side is retired without any damage.

Bottom of Eighth

Lotte's closing ace Kobayashi comes in to pitch for the Pacific League.

And Yakult's ____ welcomes him with a base hit to left.

Yokohama's Ishii then fails to get his 5th hit of the night, grounding into a tailor made 6-4-3 double play. Aw. That could hurt his chance at MVP.

Kimura then takes Kobayashi's first offering the other way for a single to left.

Petagine, the leading candidate for MVP, does get his 5th hit of the evening, a rip up the middle. That makes him 5 for 5 with a walk.

"Big" Matsui, who's home run was his only real bright spot this evening, grounds out to his namesake at short yet again to retire the side.

The Pacific League is down to one last chance!

Top of Ninth

Yokohama's closing ace, Saitoh, comes in to close the game for the Central League.

And his first opponent is Kintetsu's Rhodes. Rhodes lifts Saitoh's first pitch up high to shallow center. It's the second baseman back peddling who makes the play, and the Pacific League is down to two more outs.

Daiei's Matsunaka comes in to pinch hit. And he goes down swinging for the second out. One out away.

The Pacific League's last chance comes in the form of left handed hitter Shibahara (Daiei). And he grounds to Ishii at short, who throws to first,
and the ball game is over.

MVP

The Central League hit a new record for an All Star game 23 hits. And in that, Petagine's five hits is also an All Star game new record. With that, he's the game MVP - an without a home run!

[Format edited by: westbaystars on May 30, 2002 9:35 PM JST]