Sayonara Grand Slam Sinks Kroon

I am totally beside myself with the results of the past couple of games between the BayStars and the Giants. Going into the weekend series, Yokohama was 2 and 8 against the mighty Giants. Now they take 2 out of 3? And with an astounding dramatic finish this afternoon? I'm at a loss for what to say.

Friday night's game seemed pretty typical. Work hard to match the opponent, just to see the opponent slip away again with hardly lifting a bat (except to bang the ball over the wall).

I missed Saturday's game as I was in Tokyo for one of our quarterly SABR meetings. Chiba-san is always fascinating to listen to, talking about turn of the 20th century Spaulding guide books and war-time and post-war Sporting News guides. Ryo Ueda-san then talked about "100 RBIs, 200 Hits, and .300 BA" in the Major Leagues. Who was the one player in NPB history to accomplish that feat?

Anyhow, as I was in Tokyo, I missed the BayStars' surprise come from behind victory over the Giants on Saturday. And it was a huge surprise to open the newspaper on Sunday morning to see that it was Shun Yamaguchi who came through with the game deciding hit with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 8th. How many pinch hitters and/or cleanup batters have I seen fail with the based loaded this year? And the pitcher - the closer - is the one to get the important hit? This is insane! Well, at least somebody knows what to do with the bat.

Then comes the rubber match. Tomokazu Ohka threw 5 perfect innings before I got home from my softball league game. (We lost due to one BayStars-like 8 run giveaway inning - 10-7.) Yokohama had just added their third run to lead 3-0 as I settle in for the game.

Of couse, I don't see anything of the "perfect" Ohka on the mound. Ohka gives up 4 consecutive hits before getting pulled. In all, Ohka, Takayuki Shinohara, and Hitoshi Fujie combine to allow 7 runs, culminating with back to back homers by Shinnosuke Abe and Hisayoshi Chono. Looks like the same ol' same ol' to me.

Terrmel Sledge hits a solo home run in the bottom of the 8th to make the score 7-4, a little closer.

As with all former BayStars, Kroon has pretty much owned Yokohama since they let him go. Since moving to the Giants and going into this game, Kroon has thrown in 25 games against his former team mates, with no wins, no losses, and 17 saves in 25.2 innings. He had never allowed a home run, and has only allowed 1 earned run in all that time for a 0.36 ERA, striking out 33 while walking just 2.

So, Kroon is on the mound and has absolutely dominated Yokohama. Not this afternoon.

Tasuku Hashimoto singles to right to lead off the 9th. Pinch hitter Takahiro Saeki, like so many pinch hitters before him, flies out to center for out number one. Nothing out of the ordinary so far.

But Seiichi Uchikawa and Takehiro Ishikawa draw back to back walks. That nearly doubles the number of walks Kroon has allowed the free swinging BayStars in 3 seasons.

So we've got the bases loaded and number 3 batter Brett Harper coming to the plate. This is the point in the story I see daily where nobody else can get any wood on the ball, especially not the cleanup section of the lineup. Somebody re-wrote the story.

Harper swings and, well, there was no doubt about where that ball was headed, deep into the stands over the right-center field power alley. Low and behold, a gyaku-ten sayonara grandslam home run! Yokohama wins 8-7! The BayStars greet Harper at home plate by pummeling his head and showering him with bottled water. Welcome to Japan.