The Art of Walking - May 15, 2013

Neither starter for this game remained long enough to see the 4th inning, each walking 5 over the first 3 innings.

Hiroshi Kobayashi got his first start in a couple of seasons, mainly being used in middle relief where he had yet to give up an earned run over his first 4 appearances. While he opened up the game by walking the first two batters he face, Kobayashi did manage to escape the first inning unscathed. He wasn't so fortunate in the 2nd when a pair of hits sandwiching a walk loaded the bases with nobody out. A 4-2-3 double play helped things out, but another walk loaded the bases back up and Kazuya Fujita lined in the tying run.

After a pair of singles to start off the top of the 3rd inning, Kobayashi walked Motohiro Shima to load the bases. A sacrifice fly and failed double play later, Yokohama found themselves down 1-3. Kobayashi wasn't sent out there to work the 4th.

Despite drawing three walks and having base hits by Tony Blanco and Norihiro Nakamura, the only run the BayStars managed to produce in the first against Brandon Duckworth was on Nori's RBI double. Duckworth was pulled in the bottom of the 3rd inning after loading the bases with nobody out on a single and two walks. Against Hiroshi Katayama, Hitoshi Tamura was only able to drive in one run on a double play ball to the second baseman.

With both starters gone, the game progressed quietly until the top of the 6th inning. Kentaro Takasaki allowed a leadoff walk then an infield base hit to start things off. Third Eagle pitcher Shinichiro Koyama batted for himself and laid down a bunt to move the runners along. Kazunari Tsuruoka fielded the ball, fired to third for one, the relay to first got the batting pitcher, double play. Or so it appeared. But the umpire called him safe at third! How in the world was that safe? It wasn't even close. Nori didn't come off the bag. How? Why?

Nakata-kantoku was equally appalled at the call and dashed from the first base dugout. He (clearly deliberately) brushed up against the umpire in his arguments, but amazingly wasn't ejected immediately. It was only after arguing for a couple of minutes that a touch set the umpire off and the BayStars' skipper was ejected.

In the aftermath, Kazuo Matsui grounded the ball to third, where Nori threw high to the plate allowing the run to score. Kazuya Fujita singled to left to score another. Then a strange double play that wasn't occurred. The ball was grounded to Kensuke Uchimura at second. He chased the runner back toward first, then threw the ball to first for the force. Blanco then threw the ball over the shortstop's head at second base, allowing another run across, the base runner winding up safe. That was three runs that should not have been, putting Yokohama down 6-2.

But we didn't give up. Blanco led off the bottom of the 7th getting plunked in the back, Nori sent him to third on a single to right, then Blanco scored on a sacrifice fly by Tamura. After another single, Alex Ramirez grounded into an inning ending double play. I really hope he gets his swing back soon.

A single by Blanco followed by a solo home run to straight away center by Nori added two in the bottom of the 9th, but we were still short. After factoring in a solo shot by Teppei Tsuchiya in the top of the 8th, the final was Eagle 7 - BayStars 5. We came up just a little short again.

On the bright side, Blanco went 2 for 3, walking once, getting hit by a pitch, and scored twice. Nori went 3 for 3, scored once, and drove in 3 runs while drawing 2 walks. That's a promising day for the cleanup duo.

In the walk department, Rakuten pitchers walked 9 batters to Yokohama's 6. If only we could have made a little more out of those free passes.