(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photo by Henk Seppen)
 Fukuoka Hawks takes 3-0 lead in Japan Series
Nederlands
 YOKOHAMA (Japan) -
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks nipped Yokohama DeNa BayStars 3-2 on Tuesday (October 31) to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the 68th Nippon Series.
Fukuoka is now one win away from winning the title, while Yokohama has to win all four remaining games to do so.
Fukuoka, the team of Dutch pitcher Rick van den Hurk, had opened the best-of-seven on Saturday with a convincing 10-1 score.
On Sunday, the Hawks won 4-3.
Game 4 will be played on Wednesday.
Van den Hurk is the possible starter for Game 5 (if needed).
At Yokohama Stadium, Fukuoka opened the score in the first inning and added two runs in the fourth at bat of the game that lasted almost four hours.
Yokohama narrowed the deficit to 3-2 by scoring in the fourth and sixth inning, but was left empty-handed for the third time.
In the top of the first inning, Yuki Yanagita led off with a single, moved on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a 2-out double by Seiichi Uchikawa off of starter Joe Wieland.
The 27-year old American is playing in his first season in Japan and briefly played in the Major League, appearing in 12 games.
He made his Major League-debut in 2012 with San Diego Padres.
Wieland then pitched in only five games, was sidelined with a shoulder-injury and underwent Tommy John-surgery that ended his season.
The righthander also started the 2013 on the disabled list and missed the entire season.
He needed surgery on his elbow in 2014 and made his comeback on the mound in September of that year.
Wieland was then traded to Los Angeles Dodgers for whom he pitched once in May and September of 2015.
In January 2016, he was traded to Seattle Mariners with whom he made one more big league-appearance.
He then signed with Yokohama in November last year.
After stranding a runner on first base in the next two innings, Fukuoka added two runs in the fourth.
Akira Nakamura led off with a walk and Kenji Akashi singled with one out.
Both scored when Hiroaki Takaya followed with a single into deep centerfield to make it a 3-0 score.
...Seiichi Uchikawa batted in the first run for Fukuoka...
...On the photo, he hits for Team Japan during...
...the 2017 World Baseball Classic...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
Yokohama got three baserunners in the first and second inning combined, but all were eliminated at the bases.
In the bottom of the fourth, Yokohama got one run back when José López homered with one out off of starter Shota Takeda.
Hereafter, the team got the bases loaded when Yoshitomo Tsutsugo singled, Toshiro Miyazaki was hit by a pitch and Hiroki Minei walked.
They all stranded, as an infield-fly and a strikeout followed.
In the sixth inning, Yokohama again got the bases loaded, but scored only once.
Yoshitomo Tsutsugo led off with a walk and Toshiro Miyazaki singled off of reliever Shuta Ishikawa.
The two moved on a sacrifice bunt, which led to a pitching change.
Shinya Kayama took over, but walked Tatsuhiro Shibata to load the bases.
Another pitching change followed.
New reliever Yuito Mori began with a strikeout.
The lone run in the inning was scored when Toshihiko Kuramoto reached on an infield-hit.
With the bases still loaded, a flyout ended the inning.
Fukuoka was held scoreless from the fifth inning on.
The team left runners in scoring position in the sixth and ninth inning.
In the sixth inning, the Hawks got its first two hitters on base when Seiichi Uchikawa led off with a single and Akira Nakamura walked.
But two grounders and a flyout followed.
In the ninth, Keizo Kawashima led off for Fukuoka with a single and moved on a sacfrice bunt, but also was left behind.
Yokohoma reached base only one more time in the final three innings off of three relievers.
Dennis Sarfate threw the ninth inning, retired the side and earned his second save of the Series.
(October 31)
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