2001 Nihon Series Game 2

Iwakura's first pitch to Manaka is fouled off for strike one, and the game is underway.

After working the count full, Manaka popped out to Rhodes just in foul territory and coming in hard for the catch. Ah, a pitcher who can get the lead off batter out.

Miyamoto sends center fielder Ohmura back on the crack of the bat, but he then comes in to make the catch right about where he started for out number two.

Iwakuma then strikes out Inaba whiffing at a high fast ball to retire the side in order.

Fujii's first pitch to Ohmura was taken on the inside corner for strike one. On a 2 strike, 1 ball count, Ohmura grounded out to second for the first out.

Mizuguchi followed by flying out to right.

Rhodes rips Fujii's first offering on the outside part of the plate the other way into the left field corner. He rounds first and heads into second standing up. Finally, Rhodes has a chouda.

Nakamura also swings at his first pitch, but right to Miyamoto at short, who throws on to first for the final out of the inning.

Well, Kintetsu has matched their hit total for Game 1 in the first inning.

Petagine rips Iwakura's first pitch hard! But it's pulled right at Isobe in right for the first out.

Furuta takes four straight pitches to draw a walk. Iwakura's jerky double motion didn't look so good there.

Iwamura, 3 for 4 in Game 1, rips a base hit to right to put runners at first and second with one out.

Ramirez grounds a tailor made double play ball to Mizuguchi at second. He flips to Gilbert for one, but Iwamua makes a great slide to take out Gilbert and prevent the relay to first! Gilbert is quick to his feet to hold Furuta at third.

Dobashi hits a high bounder to the left side. It's over Nakamura, and off Gilber's glove. Furuta comes home, and there isn't a play anywhere.

Iida, after a long, draw out battle with Iwakua, flew out to right to retire the side. But not before Yakult got on the board first yet again. Yakult leads 1-0.

Isobe leads off grounding up the middle, but Miyamoto makes a fine play on the run to get him by half a step. Isobe got up that line well!

Yoshioka grounds directly to Miyamoto at short, who makes a easy throw to first to get him in plenty of time. Two down.

Kitagawa, on a full count pitch, lines a come backer past a stabbing Fujii and into center for a two out base hit.

Gilbert goes the other way with a deep fly. But not deep enough as Inaba stops at the warning track to take the ball in. Three down.

Manaka leads off the third with a double to right on a rather high pitch.

Miyamoto, who set a new record for sacrifice bunts this season, lays Iwakura's first offering to him down, and is successful at his specialty again.

Inaba drives one deep to center. That's a sacrifice fly at least! Ohmura comes over and plays it off the wall. Manaka jogs home easilly, and Inaba is in at second with a double.

Petagine draws a walk on four pitches, despite being hitless in 5 at bats so far this series.

Furuta, after disagreeing with a strike call on the inside corner, eventually takes a pitch in his left leg to load the bases. Considering that his left knee still isn't 100%, I'm sure that that worries several Swallows' fans. He looks all right, though.

Iwakura, however, doesn't not look all right, and Nashida-kantoku is pulling him. Sekiguchi gets the call.

And the first batter he faces with the bases loaded is Iwamura. And Iwamura is hit in the shoulder! That sends Inaba in from third and Yakult takes a 3-0 lead.

That's all that Sekiguchi will throw this evening as Kobayashi-pitching coach heads out to the mound. Yamamura is called in.

Raminez lifts Yamamura's first offering up high. Yoshioka comes in and takes the ball in midway between home and first, just in foul territory. Two down.

Dobashi then grounds to Gilbert at short. He fires to first in time to retire the side.

But not before Yakult increased their lead to 3-0.

Furukubo leads off with a long fly ball to the corner in right, but not long enough. One down.

Back to the top of the order in Ohmura, and he flies out to left. Two quick outs.

Mizuguchi works the count full before draw a walk.

To finish the inning, though, Rhodes strikes out swinging on three pitches.

Iida swings late and flies out to right for the first out.

Back to the top of the Yakult order for the third time in Manaka. And he gets all the way around on one, lifting the ball into the stands beyond the right field fence! The Swallows go up 4-0 as the fans in left play Tokyo Ondo.

Iwamoto slaps a base hit to right, and Yakult continues with their hit factory.

Inaba, who hit an RBI double his last at bat, grounds to Gilbert at short. Moving toward second, he takes it to the bag himself the fires on to first for the double play.

Yakult added one more run on Manaka's home run to increase their lead to 4-0.

The big Buffaloe, Nakamura, leads off with a line drive to the resaurant in left field! Kintetsu has scored their first run of the Series on Mr. Full Swing's first hit of the Series.

Isobe ripped a hard line drive to the right side, but right at Petagine. It took quick reflexes to get that, but get it he did. One down.

Yoshioka pops out to Peta-chan in foul territory, and there are two outs.

Kitagawa lines a base hit to straight away center to better his Series results to 3 for 4 - the only Buffaloe to get a hit in Game 1.

Gilbert pops up a high fly that Petagine camps under and takes in for the final out. But not before Nakamura hit a home run to answer with the Buffs' first run of the Series. The now trail 4-1.

Left handed relief ace Maekawa comes in to pitch for the Buffaloes. And the first batter he faces is Petagine. And Peta-chan continues his hitless streak grounding out to Nakamura at third for out number one.

Furuta draws a walk on a pretty good pitch, just missing either low or inside. Take your pick.

Iwamura, 4 for 5 so far this Series, lifts a high fly just left of short. Gilbert camps under the ball and takes it in. Two down.

Ramirez goes the other way to right, and it's a long run for Isobe to get to it. Furuta makes a turn at third, but holds up there as Ramirez glides into second with a stand up double.

With Dobashi at the plate, Maekawa throws one that Furukubo can't handle and Furuta hobbles home. It looked like he might have hurt himself there. We'll see next inning.

Dobashi drew a walk after that.

IIda lifts his first pitch to Isobe in right to retire the side. But not before a wild pitch cost Kintetsu yet another run to increase Yakult's lead to 5-1.

Furuta remains in the game.

Furukubo battled Fujii to a full count and then some before drawing a walk. I think Fujii threw more pitches to Furukubo there than he did some whole innings.

Ohmura, 0 for 6 so far (not very good for a lead off hitter), lifts a fly ball to left field that neither Manaka nor Miyamoto can get to. It looked like Miyamoto's hesitation to look at where Manaka was cost him the catch. It goes as a base hit, though, putting runners at first and second with nobody out. Hey, this is the Buffs' biggest chance of the Series!

Mizuguchi lays down a beautiful bunt, and the two runners are moved along with Rhodes coming to the plate.

And he gives the crowd something to lift them for a second, a high fly to deep left. It turned out to be just deep enough for a sacrifice fly, though, as a good throw might have had Furukubo. Nonetheless, the Buffs now trail by three. Ohmura held at second.

After falling behind in the count no strikes and two balls, Furuta stood up and had Fujii walk Nakamura intentionally, much to the displeasure of the sell out Osaka crowd.

When Fujii fails to throw a strike with his first two pitches to Isobe, Furuta goes out to have a talk with him. Fujii manages a strike on the inside corner after that. A few foul balls later, Isobe grounds out to Dobashi at second, and the side is retired.

But Rhodes drove in his first RBI of the Series with a sacrifice fly to left to bring Kintetsu back up to a 3 run deficit, 5-2.

Yakult's top batter Manaka leads off yet again. And he rips a line drive to center, but Ohmura has no trouble getting over toward left to pull it in for the first out.

Miyamoto pulls a pitch over the third base bag and into the corner. He's got an easy stand up double.

Talking with former Buffaloe and Swallow Yoshii (currenly with the Expos, I think), he says that what he's seen so far is the opposite of the scouting reports he'd heard. Kintetsu is supposed to be the hard hitting team, but it turns out that Yakult is. That's easy enough to explain when you look at the game from the pitching angle. Yakult's pitchers have been great, Kintetsu's the worst of all 12 Japanese teams.

And as though on queue to my comment, Maekawa walks Inaba to put runners at first and second for Peta-chan.

And Petagine breaks his 0 for 6 streak with a base hit just past the first baseman and into right field. Miyamoto rounds third and heads home. He slides in well before the throw, and Yakult retakes a four run lead, 6-2.

Misawa is called in to replace Maekawa who seemed to be losing his control. Too late?

Furuta hits a low liner to right. Isobe dashes in to make the catch, then throws a strike to the plate. Furukubo does a great job blocking the plate again, and makes the tag. The home plate umpire rings up Inaba, and a run is saved.

But the Swallows still inceased their gap to 4 runs again as the lead 6-2.

Yoshioka hit one long and foul to give the crowd a short thrill. But went down swinging on three pitches.

Kitagawa follows with his third hit of the evening, just on the fair side of the first base bag and into the corner for a stand up double. He's now 4 for 5 in the Series.

Gilbert follows with a high foul fly to Peta-chan for the second out.

Takano comes in to pinch hit for Furukubo. Soon after Fujii has surpassed 100 pitches, Takano draws a walk. That prompts Itoh-pitching coach to go out to the mound, say a couple of words, and head back to the dug out.

Ohmura grounds his first pitch up the middle. Kitagawa rounds third and heads home. The throw is to third, where Takano is ruled safe. And Kintetsu has answered with a single run yet again, cutting Yakult's lead to 6-3.

And that'll be all for Fujii. Former BayStar Shimada takes the mound for the birds.

Mizuguchi, in the box with a very open stance, hits the ball long and high! It's going, going, gone! Three run doten home run! Kintetsu puts together a game tying two out rally! That ball just barly cleared the fence, hitting the concrete just beyond the fence. Yoshha!!!

That prompts yet another pitching change as Swallows all gather around the mound. Yamamoto will face the Buffs' clean up duo of Rhodes and Nakamura, who are catting a bit in the on deck circle as he warms up.

Now, Rhodes steps in and takes a pitch in his lower back. He jogs right on down to first, looking forward to being brought around. The Buffaloes have made many a team regret putting Rhodes on base all season.

Nakamura takes two strikes in a row after stepping up to the plate. He then managed to hold up on a high fastball for ball one. Yamamoto's next pitch is way up high and the count is even at 2-2. After fouling off a couple of pitches, he lifts a high fly ball to foul territory on the third base side. Iwamura is over and has it for the third out.

But not before Kintetsu tied the game at 6-6 with Mizuguchi's big three run home run.

After the 7th inning rendition of the Tokyo Ondo by the left field Swallows' fans, Iwamua grounds out to second for the first out of the inning.

Ramirez went the other way with the pitch, and has another double to right. Looks like he's got very good bat control in going with the pitch to me.

Dobashi lifts a fly to shallow left-center, not far from where Mizuguchi is playing at second. He calls it and takes the ball in for out number two.

Iida then swings out on a pitch way outside to retire the side.

Isobe hits a ground ball up the middle and a little to the right. It's well within Dobashi's range, and he throws him out for out number one.

Yoshioka strikes out to continue his two game hitless streak.

Kitagawa watches strike three go by to be retired for the first time this evening.

Swallows' top batter Manaka leads off yet another inning. How is it that they do that so often? And he flies out to center right away for the first out of the inning.

Miyamoto slaps a fly ball to the line in right. But Isobe gets to the ball in fair territory for the second out.

Inaba worked the count full before taking a pitch way up and away for ball four.

Misawa's first pitch to Peta-chan was in the dirt and to the backstop. Inaba heads to second easily. With that, Petagine gets a free pass. Looks like they'd rather face Furuta. And it looks like Nashida-kantoku wants Okamoto on the mound to face him.

Furuta abliges with a very high fly ball to foul territory just in front of third base. Inaba runs past Nakamura seconds before Nakamura makes the catch to retire the side. The intentional walk, like the walk of Rhodes before, worked.

Igarashi comes in to pitch for Yakult.

Masuda, who took over at shortstop struck out swinging for the first out.

Fujii, who took over behind the plate after Furukubo was pinch hit for, draws a walk on seven pitches.

Ohmura flies out to right for the second out.

Mizuguchi, the hero of the game so far with that big three run home run, lines a base hit to the gap in right-center. Fujii head over to third without a throw.

Now we've got a fast ball pitcher vs. the Pacific League home run king, Rhodes. And Rhodes lifts a fork ball all the way to the upper deck in right field! Three run home run! Kintetsu takes a three run lead!

And now Nakamura lifts one high and deep! The crowd is on their feet. Aw, but it comes down just at the warning track, and the side is retired.

But not before Rhodes hits his first long ball of the Series to give the Buffs their first lead. Kintetsu now leads 6-9.

Ohtsuka comes in to close for the Buffaloes.

He faces the bottom of the Yakult order starting with #6 batter Iwamura. And despite a number of foul balls to keep alive, Iwamura goes down swinging on strikes. One down.

Ramirez, with a pair of doubles his last two at bats, goes down swinging as well. Ohtsuka is pretty much only throwing strikes!

Dobashi lifts Ohtsuka's second pitch to the right side of the infield. Mizuguchi calls it, takes it in, and the ball game is over.

Kintetsu wins Game 2 on Rhodes' three run home run in the 8th. Nice come back victory Buffs!