Settsu's first start disastrous

After setting a record for appearances in each of his first two years in NPB (and having great success while at it), one would wonder what would ever possess Akiyama-kantoku to make him a starter?

After this first start, fans can continue to wonder because Settsu (0-1, 20.25) was nothing short of awful. He gave up four runs in the first and four more in the 5th to supply the Lions with eight of their nine runs on the day. Settsu only went four and one-third innings,

While Kaz Ishii wasn't much better (1.1IP, 3ER, 5H, 2BB), the quick hook was probably Seibu's salvation as Ming-Chieh Hsu put forth four and one-third innings of one-run ball to keep the Lions ahead and seal the 9-4 win.

Six of Seibu's eight runs came off the bat of Takeya "okawari-kun" Nakamura, as he hit a pair of three-run home runs in the first and fifth innings (2, 3). Hiroyuki Nakajima also drove in two runs, so it was due to two players that Settsu gave up eight runs.

SoftBank didn't go down without a fight as they scored three runs in the first two innings. Timely hits from Cabrera, Hasegawa and Honda pulled the Hawks to 4-3 before the four-run explosion in the 5th.

However, good news came from the one-time Golden Rookie, Shota Ohba, who delivered two and two-thirds innings of perfect ball, with three strikeouts. However, I've expressed early hope for Ohba before, only for him to crash and burn later in the season, so it would be a mistake to say he's back so soon.

The Hawks go back to work to try and get above .500 again as they close out their weekend series with Seibu. Venezuelan Winter League star Sho Iwasaki takes the mound against Masamitsu Hirano.