(Story by Marco Stoovelaar)
   Team Europe shutout by Japanese pros
Nederlands
 TAICHUNG (Taiwan) -
Team Europe was shutout 6-0 by the Japanese NPB Team on Tuesday-afternoon (December 15) in its 14th game of the Asia Winter Baseball League.
With the win, the NPB Team moved into a tie for first place with the KBO Team (South Korea).
The European squad again played a good game.
There were some nice defensive plays, but it registered only four basehits.
The team reached base in seven innings, but five runners were left behind in scoring position.
And so, the team was left empty-handed for the tenth time in this Asian season.
In the evening, the Chinese Taipei National Training Team nipped league-leader KBO Team with a 5-4 score.
With this, the Koreans droppped to third place, while the Taipei Team moved into a tie for first place with the NPB Team.
Team Europe plays its final game in the Asia Winter Baseball League on Wednesday (December 16), starting at 6 PM local time (11 AM Dutch time).
The squad then meets the Taiwan Beer CPBL Team.
The season ends on Thursday, to be followed by the Play-Offs.
The championship-final will be played on Sunday.
(December 16)
Today's game was played again at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium.
It was a sunny day, but there was a strong wind blowing in from left-centerfield across the field.
In the first inning, both lead-off hitters reached base, but both were eliminated on the basepaths.
Ren Kajiya started for the NPB Team.
The righthander of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks-organization made his fifth appearance and had given up 16 hits in the 10 1/3 inning he had pitched before today.
Kajiya began the game with a walk for Urving Kemp, which was the first walk he had thrown in this season.
Moments later, Kemp was forced out on a double play-grounder by Sebastiano Poma.
Maickel Rietel started for Team Europe.
Like Kajiya, he also had given up a lot of basehits, 18 in the 10 2/3 inning he had pitched in his five previous outings.
Rietel walked lead-off hitter Shintaro Yokota.
Moments later, Yokota stole second base, but it appeared that he was tagged just before sliding into the base.
And thus opted Manager Gilberto Gerali for a challenge.
The Home Plate Umpire went inside to look at the video-images, then confirmed the close-play, safe-call of the 2B Umpire.
From another angle, Yokota might indeed have touched the base a milli-second before being tagged by short stop Mattia Mercuri and so, the call probably was correct.
With one out, Yokota was eliminated after all when he also tried to steal third base.
While taking off, Rietel stepped off the plate and threw the ball in time to third baseman Rashid Gerard.
In the second at bat, Team Europe again got its lead-off hitter on base when Maik Ehmcke singled.
Hereafter, Chris Howard appeared to hit a double play-grounder, but when third baseman Naomasa Yokawa saw that he had no play at second, he opted to eliminate the batter only.
Ehmcke advanced to second base, but stranded as two strikeouts followed.
In his second inning on the mound, Rietel was supported by his defense.
Third baseman Rashid Gerard caught a lead-off line drive.
Hereafter, leftfielder Urving Kemp caught a fly from the next batter, much to his own surprise.
Kemp was on one knee and might have picked up the ball a little late, made the caught, made a salto, then looked into his glove to see the ball.
With two outs, Shuhei Takahashi drilled the ball into rightfield, just out of reach of the diving rightfielder Maik Ehmcke, who hurt his left-shoulder while doing so.
The 21-year old German, who this ýear played in his second professional season in a Rookie League-team of the Arizona Diamondbacks, was able to continue playing.
While Takahashi neared second base, he initially stopped, but then continued running after seeing the lefthanded Ehmcke being able to make only a short throw back to second baseman Luca Martone.
Takahashi then beat Martone's throw to third base, but he also stranded in scoring position.
In the top of the third inning, Team Europe got another baserunner when Urving Kemp reached on an error with two outs, but he was caught stealing moments later.
The NPB Team also got another baserunner in its third at bat when Masahiro Harimoto led off with a single, but he was left on second base.
In the top of the fourth inning, the first four European batters reached base.
Sebastiano Poma led off with a single, but then was forced out on a grounder by Kevin Weijgertse.
The bases then got loaded when Maik Ehmcke and Chris Howard followed with a single.
Unfortunately, no runs were scored, as next batter Mattia Mercuri grounded into a double play.
After Team Europe was retired in order in the top of the fifth, the NPB Team opened the score in the bottom half.
With one out, Masahiro Harimoto singled, then advanced from first to third base on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly by Izumi Hara.
In the sixth inning, Team Europe got its fourth lead-off batter on base in six innings.
Facing new pitcher Satoshi Iizuka, Urving Kemp led off with a bunt-single.
With two outs, Maik Ehmcke walked, but the two runners were left behind.
The NPB Team took more distance in the bottom of the sixth.
Milvio Andreozzi took over the pitching for Maickel Rietel, who had thrown five fine innings.
With one out, the Italian righthander gave up a single to Kazuma Okamoto, then a double to Yusuke Masago.
This last hit came after a brief interruption, as the water sprayer behind the mound suddenly started to sprinkle water when Andreozzi had a 2-1 count on Okamoto.
To set up a force play, next batter Shuhei Takahashi was walked intentionally, but then Ren Wada followed with a 2-run single.
A nice double play ended the at bat, but the Japanese squad now led 3-0.
In the seventh inning, Robin Schel became the third European pitcher.
The Dutch lefthander had a good outing, as he retired the side.
| Standings |
| # | Team | G | W | L | T |
| 1 | Chinese Taipei Training Team | 13 | 8 | 4 | 1 |
| | NPB Team | 14 | 8 | 4 | 2 |
| 3 | KBO Team | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 |
| 4 | Taiwan Beer CPBL Team | 13 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| 5 | Team Europe | 14 | 1 | 10 | 3 |
In the top of the seventh, Yuta Kakita took over the Japanese pitching.
The righthander, who pitches for Yokohama DeNa BayStars, is one of the best pitchers in the Japanese staff.
Before today, Kakita, who has a high leg-kick (he almost hits hit head with his right knee) struckout 15 batters in 13 innings during his previous four outings.
He walked only three, but he began this at bat with a walk for Luca Martone, who became the fifth European lead-off hitter in this game to reach base.
Martone advanced to third base on following grounders by Urving Kemp and Sebastiano Poma, but herefater, Kakita struckout Kevin Weijgertse to end the inning.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, the NPB Team had a productive at bat, scoring three more runs.
Javier Sanchez became the new European pitcher, but he got the bases loaded quickly.
The Spanish righthander gave up singles to Naomasa Yokawa and Kazuma Okamoto, resulting in runners on first and third base.
The latter advanced on a passed ball, then the bases got loaded when Yusuke Masago walked.
Sanchez recovered fine, as he struckout the next batter, but a following sacrifice fly by Ren Wada gave the Japanese team a 4-0 lead.
Moments later, with Okamoto on third base, Masago stole second base.
The throw by catcher Chris Howard hit him on his helmet, ending up in the outfield, enabling both runners to advance, leading to the next run.
A following single by (new catcher) Iori Katsura lifted the lead to 6-0.
In the top of the ninth, Junki Kishimoto became the new pitcher for the NPB Team.
With 202, the pitcher of the Chunichi Dragons-organization wears the highest uniform number in this league.
With one out, Chris Howard walked for the Europeans.
But the game then ended when pinch-hitter Premek Chroust lined into a double play.
The European team collected only four basehits in this game.
|
