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Japanese Baseball News
Archives: October 1998

October 6, 1998

Start saving those Kida cards

Orix BlueWave reliever Masao Kida, who has compiled 15 saves this year, said last week that he will file for free agency at the end of the season. Having already been scouted by several Major League teams -- including the Dodgers, Expos and Mets -- Kida said that will make the move with the intention of trying out for a Major League team.

Kida, a 30-year-old righthander, was quoted in the Daily Yomiuri (Oct. 2, 1998): "I'm going to file for free agency for the purpose of trying to make the Major Leagues. I'm already 30 and want to try while I still can."

33-year-old Fukuoka Daiei Hawks right-handed pitcher Kazuhiro Takeda (currently leading the Pacific League with 13 wins) also stated last week that he will file for free agency but has not indicated whether he hopes to play in the Major Leagues.

Meanwhile, 30-year-old Seibu Lions right-hander Tetsuya Shiozaki stated last week that he may file for free agency, he will likely remain with his current team. While other free agents have yet to announce their plans, Major League teams have become emboldened in their ambitions to sign Japanese players.

Cradle Robbing: MLB teams go after
Japan's top amateur prospect

Taidai University pitcher Koji Uehara (pronounced "way-ha-rah") has been the subject of a lot of speculation recently. A 23-year-old right-handed seniro at Taidai (Taiiku University) in Osaka, Uehara has a 95 mph fastball which he used to pitch a no-hitter in a tournament earlier this year. Considered one of the top prizes in this year's draft, the Yomiuri Giants have already made it known that they want him. But they aren't the only ones.

According the Japanese draft rules, high school students have no choice regarding the teams that draft them -- if they don't want to play for the team that picks them, their only choice is to play in college or the industrial leagues. College students, however, have an option known as "reverse designation," which means that they may, in effect, pick the team they want to be drafted by.

In the past, only Japanese teams have drafted college students. The only amateurs that Major League teams have picked up from Japan have been those passed over by Japanese clubs in the annual player draft. But with Major League clubs expressing an interest in Uehara, that could change. And if a Major League teams succeeds in selecting Uehara, it would have obvious implications for both Japanese and Major League baseball.

For the Japanese, it would mean that their pool of young talent would be siphoned off by American teams. And for the MLB clubs, it would be hunting season for young Japanese players -- which, because of expansion's effect on league pitching, appears to come at the perfect time.

Two trains are now speeding toward each other on the same tracks, and the crash is going to take place within the next month. That's because, according the Nikkan Sports (October 2), Uehara has decided to he wants to play for a Major League team. And unlike Nomo, Uehara has a great deal of long-term value.

In addition to Uehara's already impressive resume, there's one ohter reason he's such a valuable prospect: in high school he was an outfielder. Japanese secondary schools have a tendency to burn out younger pitchers by having them throw extreme amounts. But since Uehara didn't become a pitcher until college, there's probably been a lot less wear-and-tear on his arm, which likely means he could have reasonably long pitching career.

A look around the leagues:
Central League:

BayStars: Now that Yokohama's magic number has been reduced to 3, rumor has it that an employee of Maruha, Ltd., which has business ties to the BayStars, has been discreetly contacting other Japanese teams who have won championships in recent years. The reason: Yokohama players have never won a pennant and are unsure of the proper way to hold and shake a champagne bottle. According to other reports, BayStars players have begun to discreetly practice the proper way to perform the doage (throwing the manager in the air). When the Yakult Swallows won their first pennant of the decade in 1992, the team almost dropped manager Katsuya Nomura on his head. The BayStars hope to avoid that problem and have therefore been diligently rehearsing this spontaneous event.
A shrine containing a statue of reliever Kazuhiro Sasaki's forkball bearing arm has already been erected in Yokohama Station. Nearby skyscrapers light up the team's magic number every night. Pictures in newspapers show local liquor stores stockpiling case upon case of victory beer and sake.
No wonder then that the overconfidence in Yokohama has turned to unease as Yakult has swept three straight games from the CL leaders. BayStars fans have begun posting messages on the Yakult Swallows internet bulletin board, accusing manager Nomura of trying too hard to beat the BayStars, as if Yokohama is entitled to win.
While the possibility remains that Chunichi will be able to squeeze by Yokohama to earn the league flag, we'll probably be taking an extra close look at the BayStars in next week's news. Get ready for the Japan Series preview.

Dragons: Trailing the BayStars by 5.5 games, the Dragons have virtually no chance of taking of taking the Central League flag by themselves. However, hope appears to have been extended to the team by an unlikely source: the kingmaker Swallows. Already locked into third place, Yakult has no intention of being an insignificant player during the final weeks of the season. The team used up their three best starters -- Tomohito Ito, Kenjiro Kawasaki and Kazuhisa Ishii -- during the weekend and will face Chunichi with their fourth and fifth starters on Wednesday and Thursday. If ever the time was right for the Dragons to close the gap, it is now. Or never.
On October 16, Chunichi gold-glove outfielder Toshikatsu Hikono announced that he will retire at the end of the season. And on the same day, a player at the opposite end of his career made a strong bid to earn the league's Rookie of the Year award. Kenshin Kawakami pitched seven innings, allowing only one run, to pick up the win and improve his record to 13-6 and ERA to 2.52. With a few more innings under his belt, Kawakami would also be a good choice for the Sawamura-sho, Japan's Cy Young Award.

Giants: In order to justify retaining incompetent manager Shigeo Nagashima, the Giants have tapped two scapegoats to take the blame for Yomiuri's disappointing season -- head coach Tsuneo Horiuchi, who was one of Yomiuri's best pitchers in the 1960s and '70s, will step down as well as Shozo Doi, the egotistical Orix BlueWave manager who kept Ichiro Suzuki on the team's farm club before being fired and returning to the Giants as their infield coach.
The Giants then picked up two new coaches so swiftly it casts doubts on claims that Horiuchi and Doi voluntarily took the fall. Tatsunori Hara, an all-star third baseman with the Giants during the 1980s, with join the Yomiuri coaching staff while Katsuhito Mizuno will become the new pitching coach. Mizuno retired as a pitcher for the Giants in 1996 and, after a brief attempt to resurrect his career in the Dominican Republic last year, has worked in television. Hara, since his overblown retirement ceremony in 1995, has appeared in Suntory beer commercials and hosted a televised sports program.
Hara's choice is an interesting one considering that Giants manager Nagashima had tendered his resignation earlier this year only to be coaxed into staying for one more year. For the last twenty-five years, Yomiuri has selected their managers more on the basis of their popularity and marketability than for their leadership skills. Hara -- who has struck many poses in his career, none of them as the Thinker -- may return not so much as coach but instead as Nagashima's replacement after a year of grooming.
On October 1, former New York Mets reliever Takashi Kashiwada made his first appearance of the year with Yomiuri's varsity team. The reason the team waited so long to give Kashiwada a chance was because, according to one Giants coach, the team already had a left-handed reliever on the top team. In Kashiwada's two innings on the mound, he allowed one hit and no runs.
With their victory over the Hiroshima Carp on October 3, the Giants wrapped up their season with a 73-62 record. Hideki Matsui currently leads in several batting categories (runs, home runs, total bases, RBIs and walks), but since other teams in the league have several more games to play, his only untouchable mark appears to be his 34 home runs. It will be his first title of any kind. Rookie Yoshinobu Takahashi still remains one of the three likely candidates for the CL Rookie of the Year Award, but he faces considerable competition from Chunichi right-hander Kenshin Kawakami.
Despite an unimpressive 4.05 ERA, Masumi Kuwata (16-5) remains a possible choice for the Sawamura Award since he's the only pitcher in Japan with a winning percentage over .750. But Matsui deserves the award more than Kuwata since he was the one whose run support made Kuwata's winning record possible.

Swallows: Showing a final spurt of fight before the end of the season, Yakult has won their last three games, all against Yokohama. In fact, the Swallows have prevailed in their last four contests with the CL leader. Good pitching has played a part as Tomohito Ito three-hit the BayStars on October 3 while lefty Kazuhisa Ishii allowed just four-hits while striking out eleven Yokohama batters two days later. Between those two complete-game efforts, the Swallows overwhelmed the BayStars with a with an 8-4 victory. Why the sudden success? While part of the reason is that Yokohama manager Hiroshi Gondo may be saving his best starting pitchers for when he faces second-place Chunichi later this week, another reason may have to do with wily Yakult manager Katsuya Nomura, who a few weeks ago opined that no first-year manager should be able to win a pennant. With his ego on the line, Nomura appears determined not to allow his team to watch the Yokohama doage from the visitors' dugout.

Carp: Now that retiring pitcher Yutaka Ono and second baseman Kozo Shoda have said farewell to Hiroshima's fans, the team will soon begin to look toward next season. While Ono's departure merely adds to their substantial pitching problems, the infield gap left by Shoda presents an opportunity for some of the team's younger players. And while Dominican Alejandro Quezada -- dubbed the Hungry Domincan in a recent Shukan Baseball article -- has spent much of his time in the outfield, next year could mark a change. Named the MVP of this season's Jr. All-Star game, Quezada has proven himself an adept right-handed batter (he's now hitting .322), his defense shows a lot of potential. In the team's final home game against the Yomiuri Giants last Friday, Quezada made a spectacular diving catch then got to his feet and fired the ball at second base to complete the double play. Wherever he plays, Quezada is sure to be an asset.

Tigers: Apparently considering whether to keep him one more season, the Hanshin Tigers recently promoted lefty pitcher Doug Creek to their varsity squad. In the Tigers October 3 game against Chunichi, Creek pitched four strong innings before giving up two runs on three successive doubles in the fifth inning. But given rumors that Darrell May would like to return to the Major Leagues, Creek's return for another year with the Tigers seems likely. Considering that Hanshin's weakest point -- their pitching -- is largely responsible for their dismal 50-81 record, the Tigers would be wise to retain all the proven pitching help they can.

Pacific League:

Lions: Barring disaster, the Lions will take the Pacific League pennant later this week. With a magic number of three, a 3.5 game lead over second-place Nippon Ham, and nine games remaining, the team's only worry now is whether they have enough champagne. But whether or not they are able to win the Japan Series depends largely on the mistakes manager Osamu Higashio made during last year's fall classic, and whether he has learned anything in the interim. For more that, check back to this page next week for our Japan Series preview.

Fighters: After watching their pennant hopes deflate over the past two months, the Fighters now must come to grips with their own mortality. How is it that a team which led the Pacific League by nine games at the all-star break has fallen so far? That's something manager Toshiharu Ueda will be mulling over for the next six months as his team begins preparations for a new season. One person who likely won't be troubled by that dilemma is Hiromitsu Ochiai, the three-time triple-crown winner who joined the Fighters after being replaced at first base by Kazuhiro Kiyohara. Reports in the press indicate that the Fighters want to cut Ochiai loose, and they had hoped he would retire before the end of the season so they could hold a farewell party for him. But since Ochiai has not divulged his plans, the party will have to wait.

BlueWave: Determined to end the season on a better note than which it started on, Orix has extended their wining tear into their second month. On October 1, the BlueWave crushed Lotte 10-2 behind the home runs of So Taguchi, Troy Neel and Harvey Pulliam. Two days later, Pulliam put two more over fence to increase his home run total to 17 while Neel went three-for-four en-route to a 6-4 victory over Kintetsu. The win lifted Orix to third place with a 65-64 record, the first time this year the BlueWave have edged over .500. Even with the likely loss of Kida this Winter, the BlueWave bullpen is showing signs of life. After starter Masahiko Kaneda was knocked out of the October 3 game after giving up three runs in less than four innings, a succession of five BlueWave relievers held the Buffaloes to just one unearned run. If only Orix can resist the temptation to release slugger Troy Neel again -- he's now having the best year with the BlueWave -- the team may be able to escape the sluggish start that plagued them six months ago.

Hawks: It's all over for the Hawks. Completing their last game of the season on October 4, Daiei ended the season with a 67-67 record -- the twentieth time since 1978 that the Hawks have failed to climb over the .500 hurdle. Although the team will benefit from the return of Hiroki Kokubo (the slugger is now recovering from shoulder surgery), the potential loss of Kazuhiro Takeda to free agency will no doubt hurt an already hobbled Hawks pitching staff.

Buffaloes: Five games out of first place and virtually eliminated from the pennant race, the Buffaloes have three games to work with in their quest to finish with a winning record. Kintetsu now has a 65-65 record with two ties. And in those three contests, Phil Clark will attempt to reach the 50-doubles plateau. If playing for a pennant-winning team, Clark would be an easy choice for MVP. But he will likely finish this season without any titles or honors. But being in the top two or three in virtually every batting category guarantees Clark one thing -- a significant raise. But Phil won't be the only one crying his way to the ginko -- Rob Mattson, whose success has inspired kids all over Japan to take up the knuckleball, will finish the season with Kintetsu's best win-loss record (9-6) and ERA (3.46).

Marines: The only team with a fixed position in the Pacific League standings, the Marines are guaranteed of a last place finish. Already thinking about next year, the team will reportedly dump pitchers Joe Crawford and Shane Dennis.

October 13, 1998

Follow this link to read Latham's 1998 Japan Series Preview, which first appeared on the October 13 news page.

October 20, 1998

BayStars sink Lions: Yokohama lead series 2 - 0

Starting the Japan Series one day late because of Typhoon No. 10, the Yokohama BayStars have put to rest doubts that they lack the experience to go all the way.

Yokohama lead-off hitter started the BayStars assault in the bottom of the first inning of game by successfully bunting his way to first, a surprise he admitted thinking about for several days. Eight innings later, the Yokohama "machine gun" offense secured the BayStars their first win Japan Series win in 38 years, a 9-4 stomping of the Seibu Lions.

The following day, Yokohama right-hander Takashi Saito pitched a complete game, three-hit shutout to lead the BayStars to a 4-0 victory over Seibu. Make no mistake -- Yokohama played both games masterfully. But in neither match would they have been able to win so convincingly without plenty of help from the floundering Lions.

Game one was probably the worst played matches in Japan Series history. Errors were the norm. While some have blamed the wind and slippery turf for the blunders, several mistakes had nothing to do with atmospheric conditions.

In addition to Seibu left fielder Rudy Pemberton misplaying a ball -- it bounced by him the first time, and he came up with an empty glove while chasing it down -- Shinji Mori allowing a run on a wild pitch with a Yokohama runner on third, and Seibu third baseman Ken Suzuki appeared virtually unable to catch any pop-ups in foul territory there was one other unbelievable screw-up, courtesy the Seibu Lions.

In the bottom of the fourth with Takuro Ishii on first base, Yokohama's Toshio Haru hit a ball to Lions' center fielder Masaji Shimizu, who threw the ball back to second to prevent Haru from taking an extra base. But Seibu second baseman Norio Tanabe was so busy watching Ishii score that he forgot to turn around and catch the relay. The ball cruised behind Tanabe's back and into foul territory between first and home while Haru took two extra bases.

You can't blame these mental blunders on the wind. It really looked like the Lions defense was playing a pre-season game rather than the first match of the Japan Series. Maybe that has something to do with Seibu manager Osamu Higashio's determination to platoon every possible position. Pemberton has had very little playing time in left field with Seibu's top team this season. Evidently in an attempt to stock his line-up with more right-handed hitters (against lefty game one Yokohama starter Hiroki Nomura), Higashio sidelined regular center fielder Susumu Otomo and replaced him with Masaji Shimizu, who does bat right but seldom plays center. No wonder there were so many mistakes.

On the BayStars side, catcher Motonobu Tanshishige did a fine job throwing out Seibu's supposedly lethal base-runners. Yokohama closer Kazuhiro Sasaki, who had a fever prior to the game, appeared a bit less impressive. He walked the first batter he faced and appeared on his way to giving another free pass when Tanishige threw out a Lions runner trying to steal third.

(By the way, there has been a lot of speculation recently as to why so many BayStars players, including Sasaki, have recently gotten sick. According to popular rumor, it seems all the beer and champagne the Yokohama players drank and poured on each other the night they clinched the pennant had been refrigerated at a much lower temperature than other teams normally do for the event. Between all the alcohol they imbibed spat on each other and the extra cold temperature...)

After the first game, former Yakult manager Katsuya Nomura offered his impression of the game on a televised sports program. First, he noted that Seibu shortstop Kazuo Matsui showed little patience at the plate... in one case he was ahead in the count, one ball and no strikes, but hit a pop fly out on his next pitch. Since Matsui was doing a great job of keeping himself off base, it made Yokohama's job of containing him much easier.

Nomura also noted that the BayStars seemed to have studied their opponents very well. Yokohama shortstop Takuro Ishii's first-inning bunt came as a surprise to the Lions defense. Moreover, Ishii stole a few bases tonight because he knew Seibu starter Fumiya Nishiguchi's motions. Likewise, Tanishige had evidently studied the Seibu base-runners since he was very effective in throwing them out. Nomura also mentioned that Seibu catcher Tsutomu Ito seemed to get rattled because the BayStars batters were outmaneuvering him and the Lions pitchers.

All of this seems to point back to Lions manager Osamu Higashio's shortcomings. Instead planning a winning strategy, he gambles on his impulses. Instead of researching his opponents, as the BayStars evidently did, Higashio evidently tossed together what he considered the best line-up to face a left-handed pitcher without giving much thought to how his team would play together. In game two, Higashio reshuffled his line-up and the Lions only managed to get three hits. But Seibu's defense did look a lot better.

Off-season notes:

Retirements: Drawing a close to his twenty-season baseball career, three-time triple-crown winner Hiromitsu Ochiai announced last week that he is retiring. Compiling 510 career home runs and a lifetime .311 batting average, Ochiai spent much of this season with the Nippon Ham Fighters as a pinch-hitter.

Jumping the ship before being kicked overboard, Yakult hurlers Akimitsu Ito and Hisanobu Watanabe both announced their retirement last week. While Ito led the Central League with 18 wins in 1988, former-Lions ace Watanabe dominated the PL in the late 1980s leading the in wins three times. After several years of decline, the Lions released him and he drifted to the Swallows but was unable to revive his career. Tomio Watanabe (no relation), who was Hisanobu's teammate on the Lions and led the PL in pitching with a 2.35 ERA in 1991, also announced his retirement last week.

Fired: Neither the first nor last foreign player to get his walking orders, pitcher Willie Fraser was recently informed that the Orix BlueWave would not renew his contract.

Meanwhile the Hanshin melodrama continues. The team two weeks ago announced they would cut loose manager Yoshio Yoshida who led the Tigers to a last place finish this year. In the interim, Hanshin has been conducting a highly public courtship of former Yakult manager Katsuya Nomura. As if the public groveling weren't enough to lure Nomura, the Tigers are reportedly offering a three-year contract reportedly worth 600 million yen ($5 million US). Rumor has it, however, that Nomura is holding out for complete control over team affairs -- something the Hanshin head-office is unlikely to relinquish.

Hanshin's last-place Pacific League counterpart, the Chiba Lotte Marines announced nearly two weeks ago that they would replace manager Akihito Kondo, who just finished the second season of a three-year contract. The Marines quickly tapped Koji Yamamoto, a former infielder with the Yomiuri Giants before becoming a Marines coach and minor league manager, to be Lotte's varsity skipper next year.

A week prior to learning that ace reliever Dong Yol Sun has fractured his left kneecap, the Chunichi Dragons and Nippon Ham Fighters have both decided to retain their current managers. Chunichi skipper Senichi Hoshino led his team to a strong second-place finish one year after the Dragons placed in the CL cellar. Although held a seemingly insurmountable lead at the All-Star break, manager Toshiharu Ueda was unable to keep his team from dropping into second place. Last week, two other teams officially announced their new managers -- the Hiroshima Carp installed Mitsuo Tatsukawa while the Yakult Swallows formally named Tsutomu Wakamatsu their new manager.

Acquisitions: Two teams have decided to pick up new foreign players from unusual places. The Chunichi Dragons are trying to acquire 19-year-old pitcher Lu Jiangang, a right-hander from the People's Republic of China. Meanwhile, the Yakult Swallows have signed two 17-year-old Brazilian nissei (children of Japanese immigrants), right-handed infielder Jiro Sato and left-handed outfielder Yuichi Matsumoto. The Swallows plan to train the recruits for two-to-three years on their minor league team.

The Kintetsu Buffaloes announced last week that they are moving to sign Dominican Carlos Valdez, a right-handed fastball pitcher who posted a 1-0 record and a 0.00 ERA in four games with the Boston Red Sox this season.

The Yokohama BayStars last Friday acquired minor league infielder Arquimendez Pozo, from the Red Sox. Pozo found few opportunities to play with Boston. The Red Sox had been bent on converting the Dominican from third base, where his defense was quite shaky, to second where he has shown more potential. A player with nothing left to prove in AAA (he hit .305 with 12 home runs this season), Pozo comes to Japan after seeing few playing opportunities at the Major League level. But it's very unclear where the Yokohama plans to use Pozo since his best position, second base, is currently occupied by Bobby Rose, who will be back next season.

Honors: Yokohama ace reliever Kazuhiro Sasaki and second baseman Bobby Rose, who signed a contract extension with the BayStars last week, were named Central League Most Valuable Players for August. Orix BlueWave pitcher Masahiko Kaneda and So Taguchi earned the Pacific League honors.

The Yakult Swallows farm team won Japan's minor league championship on October 10 when pitcher Ryota Igarashi led the Swallows to a 4-1 victory over the Hanshin Tigers. Igarashi earned game MVP honors by striking out five batters and allowing one hit in five shutout innings.

A week after being named the Central League's comeback player of the year, Takashi Saito pitched a complete game three-hit shutout in Japan Series game two. On the same day, Yokohama skipper Hiroshi Gondo was named CL manager of the year for leading the BayStars to their first championship in 38 years.

October 27, 1998

Yokohama BayStars win 1998 Japan Series:
take first championship in 38 years

After a week of blowouts, sloppy play and the kind of pitching that's more commonly seen among second division also-rans than pennant-winners, the Japan Series ended tonight with the BayStars 2-1 victory over the Seibu Lions at Yokohama Stadium.

The win gives Yokohama its second franchise championship. The last time the team won it all, a 1960 four game sweep of the Daimai Orions, they were named the Taiyo Whales and played their home games five miles north in Kawasaki. None of Yokohama's current players had even been born yet.

A young team guided by a first-year manager, not many critics predicted the BayStars to place much higher than third this year. After Yokohama right-hander Tateo Kawamura pitched a one-hit shutout on opening day, the BayStars won their next two matches but soon skidded to fifth place. Slowly climbing their way back up the league, the BayStars took over the top spot in June when the Hiroshima Carp took a dive. There Yokohama remained until they clinched the pennant on October 8.

That cool Autumn night, BayStars stopper Kazuhiro Sasaki recorded his record 45th save of the season and lowered his ERA to 0.64. Earlier in the year, Sasaki set records for most consecutive saves, save points and career saves. He's been called Japan's all-time greatest relief pitcher, possessing a 95 mph fastball and a fork that's been described as "unhittable."

With or without Sasaki, the BayStars would have never reached the Japan Series without their "machine gun" offense, a term widely used by the media to describe Yokohama's flood of late-inning hits. Leading the attack were two-time batting champion, left fielder Takanori Suzuki (30 doubles, 16 home runs, 87 RBIs, .337), second baseman Bobby "Mr. Consistency" Rose (29, 19, 96, .325) and shortstop Takuro Ishii (103 runs, 39 steals, .314). With hardly a weak spot in their line up, Yokohama featured the deadliest offense in Japan.

But what finally gave the BayStars the lift they needed to win their first pennant in 38 years was a coherent pitching plan introduced by new skipper Hiroshi Gondo. In contrast to many Japanese managers who leave their pitchers in a game as long as they remain effective, Gondo usually replaces his starters after seven innings or 100 pitches. As a result, Yokohama has experienced few problems with their starting rotation -- a group which had never distinguished themselves before. Regardless of the Japanese media's assertion that Gondo's pitching policy amounts to genius, the changes he made differ little from what Major League managers have been doing for the last twenty-five years.

Prior to the capstone series, some critics claimed the Seibu Lions had the edge because of their experience in the spotlight during last year's Japan Series. But after the BayStars won the first two games -- both marred by Seibu's haphazard defense -- recently retired three-time triple crown-winner Hiromitsu Ochiai wrote in the Nikkan Sports that the kind of experience the Lions had was irrelevant. Yes, they had won the Pacific League pennant two years running, but with so many line-up changes, it was as if Seibu manager Osamu Higashio were fielding a new team every day. They BayStars, on the other hand, had the experience of playing together the entire season. And that apparently made the difference.

In the first game of the series, the Lions crumbled as their defensive miscues contributed to Yokohama's 9-4 victory as much as the BayStars' artillery. One key goof came in the bottom of the fourth inning when Lions second baseman Norio Tanabe forgot to turn around and relay center fielder Masaji Shimizu's throw. The ball rolled into foul territory, allowing a Yokohama single to become a triple. Several other players misjudged pop flies and grounders. At times, it was embarrassing to watch.

The following day, Yokohama's Takashi Saito held the Lions to just three hits while posting a complete game shutout.

But after a travel day in which the Series moved two hours north to the Tokyo suburb of Tokorozawa and a one-day rain delay, the BayStars appeared to lose their momentum, dropping two straight games to the Lions. With good pitching, Seibu evened the series and appeared to have their own momentum going into game five. But that was quickly ended by Yokohama's nineteen hit outburst, giving Yokohama a 17-5 victory and a three-game to two series lead.

Returning to Yokohama after a second travel day, Gondo decided to go with starter Kawamura, whose opening day shutout prompted symbolic talk that the right-hander would win the first and final games of the season for Yokohama. However, Kawamura had grown unreliable as the regular season progressed, prompting Gondo to eventually pull him from the rotation. With Higashio planning to use fever-stricken Seibu hurler Fumiya Nishiguchi, game five appeared destined to be full of fireworks.

It wasn't.

It took more than seven innings before the first run of the game was scored. Kawamura, well known for his tendency to give up home runs, kept the ball in the park. Nishiguchi, for his part, allowed just three hits in his complete game bid. But after walking Yokohama center fielder Toshio Haru and allowing left fielder Takanori Suzuki to reach first on a controversial play -- he hit the ball to Lions second baseman Hiroyuki Takagi who just missed tagging Haru -- Nishiguchi gave up a two-run double to Norihiro Komada.

In the ninth, the Lions came close to tying it up. Yokohama closer Sasaki started the top of the ninth for Yokohama and gave up a lead-off triple to Seibu left fielder Koji Otsuka. Sasaki then struck out pinch-hitter Rudy Pemberton before walking Domingo Martinez. With runners on the corners, Lions catcher Satoshi Nakajima hit a grounder to third but Otsuka scores when neither of the throws to second or first base arrive in time to force the runners. Sasaki then got pinch-hitter Yoshiaki Kanemura to ground into a game-ending double play.

After the obligatory doage (throwing the manager in the air) and an ecstatic jog around the stadium while leading fans in banzai cheers, the Yokohama players lined up from third base to first to receive their victory trophy.

Takanori Suzuki was named Japan Series MVP. With the season over, the only mystery is who will win the regular season MVP and the Rookie of the Year Awards. That news should come in the next few days.

Off-season news:

The Yomiuri Giants announced on Friday, October 24, that they were lifting their suspension of pitcher Balvino Galvez, who was penalized for throwing a ball at an umpire earlier in the season, after receiving a written pledge by the player that he would obey the code of conduct outlined in his contract. While the Giants claimed they intended to sign Galvez for next season, it remains a mystery how his past conduct will influence Central League umpires. One suspects that his strike zone may dramatically shrink, and with it his effectiveness and value to the Giants.

Yakult Swallows pitcher Kenjiro Kawasaki (17-10, 3.04 ERA) was named this year's Sawamura Award winner. The prize, modeled after America's Cy Young Award, ostensibly goes to the best pitcher in Japan. In practice, however, the prize usually goes to the workhorse pitcher who earns the most wins. Neither criteria -- innings pitched and wins -- do much to indicate pitching ability. Since Kawasaki got relatively few strikeouts (94 in almost 200 innings) and gave up a fairly average number of hits, home runs and walks, there really is nothing extraordinary about his pitching. Kawasaki had a decent year, and benefited from timely run support. But to call him the best pitcher in Japan simply reflects the mockery that the Sawamura Award has become.

According to a brief story in the Nikkan Sports last week, the Kintetsu Buffaloes have signed pitcher Phil Leftwich to a minor league contract for next season. Presumably, if Leftwich pitches well, he'll be brought up to the top team.

Fukuoka Daiei Hawks shortstop will be sidelined for nearly two months after surgery to repair a torn tendon in his left thumb. Needing six weeks for recovery, Iguchi should be able to join Spring training.

The Daily Yomiuri reported last week (October 21), that 29-year-old Kintetsu Buffaloes pitcher Koki Morita has been released from a hospital after having a brain tumor removed in September. Morita appears hopeful of a full recovery and plans to begin training as soon as his rehabilitation is completed.

The Marines will likely be getting some new help on the mound. Last week, 29-year-old Tokyo Gas pitcher Masahide Kobayashi indicated that he wishes to play for the Marines next season. A "top amateur prospect" as indicated by the Daily Yomiuri, Kobayashi will take advantage of Japan's reverse designation system, in which college and company players may choose the team they wish to be drafted by.

Finally, the Hanshin Tigers have landed the big one. After a very public courtship of Katsuya Nomura, the former-Yakult Swallows manager stated on October 25 that he would sign a contract with the Osaka-based team. Terms of the agreement have not been released, but a previous offer made public reportedly called for Nomura to receive 300 million yen (over $2 million) a season over the next three years. In making the announcement, Nomura tried to lower expectations that he would be able to turn the Tigers around quickly. Asked what Hanshin needs to do, Nomura was quoted in the Daily Yomiuri (Oct. 26): "The first thing we have to do is look at the talent on the team and make the club as competitive as we can. . . players and people within the organization need to honestly evaluate their abilities . . . Year by year, players need to learn what it takes for them to win. After three years, I hope people will look at the team and say, 'the Tigers have really changed.'"

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