2001 Nihon Series Game 1

Powell's (looks like I misspelled his name above) first pitch to Manaka is outside for ball one, that the 2001 Nihon Series is underway.

Powell continued having trouble gettng the ball over the plate, throwing there consecutive balls before finally getting two strikes. But in the end, he walked Manaka.

Miyamoto followed by doing what he's done all year, sacrifice the runner along. Powell made the play touching the racing Miyamoto between home and first.

It looks like Powell has settled down now as he strikes out Inaba with a two seam "shoot" on full count. Two down.

Now Yakult's #4 batter, Petagine gets a chance. Nashida-kantoku commented that he wanted to avoid having base runners with Peta-chan up to the plate, but there's one in scoring position now. After fouling a ball off his foot, Peta-chan worked the count full before flying out to Rhodes running against the left field fense in foul territory to retire the side.

Powell went full count to three of the first four batters he faced.

Ohmura tried a safty bunt up the third base line. Ishii fielded the ball, turned 270 degrees, and fired a one bounder to first. Peta-chan played the ball off the long bound well just in time to get the speedy lead off Buffaloe.

Mizuguchi drew a walk on five pitches to give Rhodes a base runner as he comes up to the plate.

Furuta set up way outside for the first pitch to Rhodes, but Ishii threw over the plate but low. I wonder what was going on there. The second pitch he didn't set up outside, but Ishii threw low and away. Odd. Ishii followed that with two big breaking balls that Rhodes watched for strikes. Furuta was set up outside again, and Rhodes makes his first swing, fouling the ball off. But that wasn't thrown so far outside. The next slider is watched, and called just outside to run the count full. That was almost too close to let go. The next pitch is lifted to shallow left field. Iwamura and Miyamoto are both after it, and Miyamoto makes the play just a single step in foul territory. Two down.

Now it's time for the big Buffaloe, Nakamura. All season long, when Rhodes didn't come through, Nakamura had. Let's see if that can continue here in the post season. Nakamura is giving it his "full swing," but coming up empty for strike two. After watching a ball, Nakamura stood and watched strike three go by on the inside corner to retire the side.

No fireworks yet as the score remains scoreless after a full inning.

Furuta, who was still complaining of pain and excess water in his left knee this past week, leads off the second with a head sliding double off the right field fense. That would have been out at Jingu! But the high wall at Osaka Dome has saved the home team here.

Iwamura follows that by lining a pitch to right field for a base hit! Furuta rounds third and the throw, up the line, wouldn't have had him. Iwamura then goes to second on the throw.

Ramirez (another spell miss above) is then hit with Powell's first offering to him. Runners at first and second with nobody out.

Dobashi, who just doesn't look right to me without his glasses, sacrifices the runners along with a bunt right back to Powell.

Veteran Iida had an interesting move. With a no strike, one ball pitch down the middle, he ducked way down low. It didn't fool the ump who called it strike one. After running the count full, Iida grounded the ball to Mizuguchi at second who was playing up. He threw home! The slide looked like it beat the throw, but Furukubo blocked the plate well and touched Iwamura out! Two down.

Iida stole second without a throw on Powells 3rd pitch to Manaka, with Manaka swinging and missing for a strike. After fouling off a pitch, Manaka breaks his bat. Powell ducks under the bat while Mizuguchi fields the ball and throws to first to retire the side.

But Yakult struck first and now lead 1-0.

Isobe leads off getting jammed and pushing the ball to short. Miyamoto throws on to first, and that's one down.

Yoshioka hits the ball hard up the third base side, but right at Iwamura who has plenty of time to throw him out at first. Two quick outs.

Ishii then struck out Kitagawa, who looked crossed up dispite fouling off a couple of pitches. And the Buffs go down in order.

Miyamoto grounds a base hit up the middle to lead off the third inning. Yakult doesn't seem to be having trouble getting runners on.

Inaba stands in looking bunt. Yakult wants that runner in scoring positition for Peta-chan. But when Powell finally delivers, he doesn't square and takes strike one. The next pitch is pulled foul up the first base like, so it looks like that practice bunt move while stepping into the box was just to put the Buffaloe defense off guard. In the end, though, Powell struck him out swinging for out number one.

Petagine steps in and is giving it his full swing as well for strike one. Miyamoto break on the next pitch, and Furukubo's throw to second is way off line. Yakult gets that runner to second after all. Peta then rips the next pitch to second. Mizuguchi, who was playing deep, fields the ball and throws to first while Miyamoto heads over to third.

Furuta then swings and missed a pitch way high and a bit outside. Furukubo, who didn't get a handle on the ball, makes the play at first while Furuta heads back to the dugout.

Gilbert goes with a pitch the other way to right, but right at Inaba for the first out.

Furukubo had great patience to not swing at a nice slider just inside, but grounded out on the next pitch for the second out.

Back to the top of the order in Ohmura, and Ishii strikes him out on three pitches! It looks like Ishii is on his game this evening!

At the end of three, Yakult still leads 1-0.

Iwamura leads off the inning with a double off the base of the fence in right.

Ramirez rips a short hop grounder to Nakamura at third. He looks the runner back to second and throws to first for the first out of the inning.

Dobashi is then run out looking at strike three for the second out. Man, that was a good pitch!

Inaba lifted a high fly ball to shallow right, but Mizuguzhi had no problem getting to it and bringing it in for the final out.

Mizuguchi worked Ishii hard, fouling off a number pitches until he drew a walk.

Rhodes swings and misses a ball outside and in the dirt to allow Ishii a three pitch K.

Nakamura worked Ishii a little longer, but watched a breaking pitch for strike three and out number two.

Isobe also battled well, but in the end, flied out to the second baseman in shallow right-center.

Not only have the big Buffaloe sticks come up empty, but Ishii has no-hit them through four.

Manaka, after taking three straight balls, watches strike one go by down the middle. The next pitch is lined to Ohmura in center, and Powell has the lead off batter out for the first time this game.

Miyamoto then slaps a 2-2 pitch to right for his second hit of the evening.

Inaba then grounds to the bag at first. Yoshioka fields the ball on the bag and throws to second. The touch is made on Miyamoto, and Kintetsu turns two the hard way. But that retires Yakult three-up three-down for the first time this evening.

Yoshioka gives the crowd a thrill for a couple of seconds to lead off the bottom of the fifth, but Iida doesn't have to go far to make the catch on his routine fly ball to center.

Kitagawa runs the count full and battles off a few more pitches before drawing a walk. But this doesn't really say that Ishii isn't throwing well. It seems to me that he throws some of his best game when he misses the strike zone often.

Ishii seems worried about Kitagawa at first, throwing a number of balls over there with Gilbert at the plate. But Kitagawa doesn't distract him that much as he strikes out Gilbert on four pitches. Two down.

That brings up the #9 batter, Furukubo. And he, too, works the count full. Gee, there have been a lot of full counts this game. Both pichers have got to be getting up there in pitch count and we're just half way. Nonetheless, Ishii throws a low-inside slider to Furukubo, and he fishes after it and misses. The side is retired.

At the end of five complete, the Swallows continue to lead 1-0.

Ah, and as though the data keepers on ABC TV read what I had just written, they say that Powell has thrown 88 pitches so far. I guess that isn't nearly as many pitches as I had thought. Ishii is at 98 pitches. I thought he might be over 100 by now, but that's close enough.

Petagine leads off runnng the count full, then strikes out swing on a good pitch. If it missed, it was low and inside. But not by much.

Furuta, who scored Yakult's lone run in the 2nd after leading off the inning with a double, drew a walk on Powell's 101st pitch of the evening. Powell thought it was a strike, and I think that Furuta did, too, not going even making a motion to first for a long while.

Iwamura ripps his third hit of the evening to right. Furuta kicks second and heads on to third. He's quickly putting in a bid for game MVP here, although I think that Ishii still has the lead there.

Ramirez lifts the ball high and deep to left. He stands a step or two up the first base line and watches the ball go into the upper deck! Three run home run! He got all of that one. Yakult takes a 4-0 lead.

Dobashi grounds his first pitch to short for the second out.

And Iida grounds a one bounder back to Powell on the mound, who throws to first to retire the side.

But not before Ramirez adds his bid for game MVP with a huge home run to left to give the Swallows a four run lead.

[Ishii had thrown 91 pitches up to now, not 98 as I said above.]

To the top of the Kintetsu order in Ohmura, and he drives Ishii's 95th pitch of the evening to left, but Manaka gets over to it and takes it in for the first out. Still, no Buffaloe has had a hit, nor even reached second base (while three have walked).

Mizuguchi, working the count full, lines Ishii's 102nd pitch of the evening to right for an easy out number two.

After Furuta and Ishii complaining to the home plate umpire after ball two to Rhodes, when the ball was clearly low, Rhodes fouled off strike one. They got the call on one out-low pitch, but not the second to bring the count full. One more pitch low and outside, and Rhodes takes it for a base on balls.

Nakamura now comes up. It looks to me like he's gripping the grip end of his bat with his left hand. Can anybody (with a larger TV) confirm that this is how he bats, and perhaps explain why one would do such a thing? And Nakamura goes down swinging at a ball in the dirt, his third K in a row. Kintetsu's itemae dasen has still be held hitless against against Ishii Kazuhisa.

We have a new pitcher on the mound for Kintetsu, former BayStar Sekiguchi.

He faces the top of the Swallows' order in Manaka. And he grounds to second for the first out.

Sekiguchi then got both Miyamoto and Inaba to whif to retire the side in order.

Time for Kintetsu's "Lucky Seven." And they can start to use some luck here agaist Ishii.

Ishii fires a strike right by the watching Isobe who strikes out on three pitches.

With Yoshioka at the plate, the announcers say that the 7th inning is as far as any pitcher has gotten in the Nihon Series with a no-hitter. And Yoshioka takes ball four with the count full for a one out base runner. Now, if only Kintetsu could get a runner to second, that would be something!

Kitagawa continues to look perplexed with regard to Ishii as he takes strike one, then can't hold up from swinging at a pitch in the dirt for strike two. Ah! But after taking a ball and a foul ball, Kitagawa goes with a pitch and lines it in front of the right fielder! That's the Buffaloes' first hit! And first base runner to reach second.

This has given the crowd a shot in the arm, as their volume leven has risen. Unfortunatly, Gilbert goes down swinging at Ishii's 132nd pitch for the second out.

(Takano) Fumitoshi comes in to pinch hit for catcher Furukubo. But he grounds Ishii's first pitch to him to shallow short. Miyamoto has to make a quick field and throw, but is in time to get Fumitoshi at first to retire the side.

But Kinetsu did get their first hit of the game. I expect a new pitcher for Yakult next inning.

Matoyama comes in to catch, and Shibata comes in to pitch for Kintetsu

Petagine comes up and grounds Shibata's first offering to first for a quick out number one.

Furuta goes deep! Ohmura goes back to the fence, just left of center. He looks up, and it's gone! That gives the Swallows a 5-0 lead.

Iwamura is finally retired, grounding out to second for out number two.

And with that, Nashida-kantoku is going to his bull pen. The rookie Aikyoh is being calling in to face Ramirez, who hit that big three run home run earlier.

And Ramirez looks like he's swing for the fence on Aikyoh's first offering, but just gets air. After looking like he had regained his composure, he struck out swinging nonetheless.

But Yakult add a run on Furuta's home run to increase their lead to 5-0.

Ishii is still in there throwing for Yakult. No, I don't know what Wakamatsu-kantoku is thinking leaving him in there this long now that the no-hitter is gone. Like Seibu's Matsuzaka, though, it isn't unusual for Ishii to throw 150+ pitches.

And he shows he's still got it completely crossing up Ohmura, striking him out to lead off the inning.

Mizuguchi lifts a high fly to right center. Three fielders converge, and it's Inaba who takes it in for the second out.

Rhodes watches a good pitch, then swings at a bad one to go into the hold right away. Then a 147 kph fast ball on the outside corner sends Rhodes back to the dugout on three pitches. Well, Ishii's still got it, that's for sure.

Dobashi lead off the inning with a base hit to right, and Miki came in to pinch run. All of this happened while TV Asahi was off at commercial. I don't like that.

With Miki on the run, Iida seemed to decide kind of late to swing. He managed to hit the ball just past the second baseman, pushing the ball the other way - somehow. Miki kicked the second base bag and headed on to third. That puts runners at first and third with nobody out.

With Manaka up to bat, Iida takes second without a throw. And Manaka hits a slice to the left-center gap. One run is in, two runs in. The relay to third base, and Manaka is out by a country mile trying for third. But the two RBIs give the Swallows a commanding 7-0 lead in the 9th.

Miyamoto follows going down on strikes for the second out.

With that Kintetsu's Maekawa is being called in to face Inaba, one of only two Swallows to not yet have a hit this evening. (The other is Petagine).

And it looks like he might finally have that hit, but no! Ohmura charges in from center to just make the grab for the final out of the inning.

But Yakult added two more runs to take a commanding 7-0 lead going into the bottom of the 9th. However, as the clinching two games have shown, you can't count the Buffaloes out yet.

Kawabata is called in to take the mound for Yakult this inning.

Nakamura grounds his first offering to third for a quick out number one.

Isobe made Kawabata work a little more, fouling off pitch after pitch. But in the end, he grounded to second for out number two.

Down to their final out, Yoshioka popps out to Petagine in foul territory behind first base, and the game is over. Yakult takes Game 1.