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(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Henk Seppen)
 Nippon-Ham Fighters take lead in Japan Series
Nederlands
  TOYOHIRA-KU, SAPPORO / MINAMI-KU, HIROSHIMA (Japan) -
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Japan Series by winning 5-1 against Hiroshima Toyo Carp on Thursday-evening (October 27).
The Series continues on Saturday in Hiroshima.
So far, all games were won by the home team.
The Japanese Championship Series opened last Saturday (October 22) in Mazda Stadium, the home of Toyo Carp in Hiroshima.
There, Toyo Carp won the first two games with a 5-1 score on Saturday and Sunday.
The next three games were played in the Sapporo Dome on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Playing at home, Nippon-Ham Fighters respectively won 4-3 (10 innings), 3-1 and 5-1 to take the lead in the Series.
Hokkaido reached the Japan Series by winning the best-of-seven Final Roud of the Climax Series 4-2 against Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, which therefore was dethroned as champion.
Last year, Fukuoka had won its second consecutive Championship-title.
This season, Dutch righthander Rick van den Hurk pitched in ten games for Fukuoka.
He was 6-1 with a 3.41 ERA.
In 66 innings, Van den Hurk struckout 64 batters and walked only 13.
Last year, Van den Hurk was 9-0 for the Hawks.
Hiroshima qualified by winning its series against Yokohama DeNA BayStars, 4-1.
In the First Round of the Climax Series, Fukuoka swept Chiba Lotte Marines in two games, while Yokohama won 2-1 in its best-of-three against Yomiuri Giants.
By finishing first place of their respective league in the regular season, Hiroshima and Hokkaido automatically qualified for the Final Round.
(October 27)
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...Brandon Laird playing for...
...New York Yankees during...
...Spring Training 2011...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
Game 1
In the opener, Hiroshima was outhit 10-7 by Hokkaido, but took an early lead.
In the second inning, the first run was scored in a double-steal situation with runners on first and third base.
Hereafter, Hiroshima added two runs in the fourth at bat when Ryuhei Matsuyama and Brad Eldred both homered off of starter Shohei Otani.
Matsuyama led off the inning with his homerun, then Eldred homered with one out.
Eldred is playing in his fifth season for Toyo Carp, but before that had played in 90 Major League-games for Pittsburgh Pirates, Colorado Rockies and Detroit Tigers.
Hiroshima-starter Kris Johnson gave up his first run in the top of the seventh inning when Brandon Laird led off with a homerun.
Johnson and Laird both also has played in the Majors earlier before going to Japan.
With two outs, Haruki Nishikawa and Takuya Nahashima both singled for Hokkaido, but were left behind.
Leading 3-1, Hiroshima added two insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh inning on a single by Yoshihiro Maru and a sacrifice fly by Brad Eldred.
Kosuke Tanaka led off with a double and moved on a sacrifice bunt by Ryosuke Kikuchi, then scored on the single by Maru.
The bases then got loaded when pinch-hitter Takahiro Arai and Seiya Suzuki both walked, which was followed by the sac-fly by Eldred.
Winning pitcher Johnson struckout five batters and gave up nine hits in 6 2/3 inning.
Losing pitcher Shohei Otani struckout eleven batters in six innings and gave up only five hits, but ended up empty-handed.
Last year, Otani played for Team Japan in the Premier12.
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Game 2
In the second game, Brad Eldred again homered for Hiroshima, which registered another 5-1 victory.
Hiroshima opened the score in the second inning, but Hokkaido came alongside in the fourth.
In the second at bat, with one out, Brad Eldred singled and scored when Tetsuya Kokubo followed with a double.
In the fourth, Sho Nakata led off with a single and later scored the tying run when an error was made with two outs on a grounder by Shota Ono.
Hiroshima then rallied for four runs in the sixth to take a decisive 5-1 lead.
Kosuke Tanaka led off with a double, then scored the go-ahead run on a single by Ryosuke Kikuchi.
He moved to third base when an error was made on a sacrifice bunt by Yoshihiro Maru, then scored with one out on a sacrifice fly by Seiya Suzuki.
Herafter, Eldred hit his second homerun of the Series to lift the lead to 5-1.
Winning pitcher Yusuke Nomura threw six strong innings for Hiroshima and gave up only two basehits.
In the regular season, Nomura led the Central League with 16 victories.
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Game 3
The third game was played in the immense Sapporo Dome, the home of Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.
Again, the home team was outhit (8-6), but left the field victorious.
Last year, the opening game of the inaugural edition of the Premier12 was played in the Sapporo Dome.
Japan then won the opening game against South Korea with a 5-0 score.
Hokkaido took an 1-0 lead in the first inning.
With one out, Kensuke Kondo singled and Shohei Otani doubled, then the first scored on a grounder by Sho Nakata.
Hiroshima then scored twice in the second at bat.
With one out, Seiya Suzuki singled, then Brad Eldred connected for his third homerun in the Series.
Five scoreless innings followed, but then Hokkaido scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth.
Takuya Nakashima led off with a walk and moved on a sac-bunt by Haruki Nishikawa.
With one out, Shohei Otani also walked and that was followed by a 2-run double by Sho Nataha to make it 3-2 in favor of the home team.
That lead didn't last long, as Hiroshima came alongside in the top of the ninth.
Brad Eldred led off with a triple and scored on a 2-out single by Tomohiro Abe.
The decision then fell in the bottom of the tenth inning.
Shohei Otani, who was the starting and losing pitcher for Hokkaido in Game 1, was the designated hitter in this game and was 3-for-4.
He hit two doubles, then delivered the game-winning, walk-off single in the tenth inning.
With one out, Haruki Nishikawa walked and he went on to score on the single with two outs by Otani.
Hiroki Kuroda started for Hiroshima and with his 41 years, he became the fourth oldest pitcher to throw in a Japan Series.
The oldest is Masahiro Yamamoto, who was 45 when he pitched in the 2010 Series.
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...Sho Nakata played against the Netherlands for Japan...
...in the 2013 World Baseball Classic...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
Game 4
In the fourth game, the winning team was outhit for the third time in this Series.
Hokkaido collected five basehits, while visiting Hiroshima had six, including three by Ryosuke Kikuchi.
Hokkaido again decided the game late.
The team trailed 1-0 after four innings, then came alongside in the sixth and scored two runs in the eighth to win 3-1.
With the win, Hokkaido evened the Series at 2-2.
In the top of fourth inning, Hiroshima opened the score when Takahiro Arai scored on an error.
Hokkaido tied the score in the sixth when Sho Nakata homered.
In the eighth, it was a 2-run homerun by Brandon Laird that gave Hokkaido a 3-1 lead.
In this inning, Sho Nakata walked with one out, then scored when Laird homered with two outs.
In the top of the ninth inning, Hiroshima had the bases loaded, but was held scoreless.
With two outs, pinch-hitter Tsubasa Aizawa walked, then Kosuke Tanaka and Ryosuke Kikuchi both singled.
But the three runners stranded when closer Naoki Miyanishi struckout Yoshihiro Maru.
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Game 5
In the fifth game, Hokkaido again held the spectators in suspense and decided the game late.
This time, in spectacular fashion.
Hiroshima took an 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
Kosuke Tanaka led off the game with a single, moved on a sacrifice bunt by Ryosuke Kikuchi and a single by Yoshihiro Maru, then scored on a 2-out single by Seiya Suzuki, which was to be the lone run for Toyo Carp.
Hokkaido came alongside in the seventh inning.
Kensuke Tanaka led off with a walk, moved on a sac-bunt by Tomoya Ichikawa and a single by Takuya Nakashima, then scored the tying run on a sacrifice fly by Hiromi Oka.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, Hokkaido got the bases loaded and it again was the 25-year old Nakashima, who connected well, this time hitting a walk-off, grand slam homerun with two outs.
Last year, Nakashima was a member of Team Japan, that won the Bronze Medal on the Premier12.
In the ninth, with one out, Kensuke Tanaka walked and moved on another sacrifice bunt by Tomoya Ichikawa.
A single by Takuya Nakashima and a hit batter for Hiromi Oka then loaded the bases.
Moments later, Nishikawa hit his walk-off grand slam.
The last time that a walk-off grand slam was hit in the Japan Series was in 1992 when Sugiura Toru did it playing for Yakult Swallows in Game 1.
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