But in their last fifty-five games of the season, the Buffaloes went 33-19 with three ties, the best record of any Pacific League club after the all-star break. Kintetsu's batting remained consistent, slightly falling to .274, while their pitching improved more than any other second half team, compiling a 3.79 ERA for the entire season (down from 4.45 in early July).

Finishing with a third place 68-63 record (four ties), the Buffaloes nearly took the league's second spot from Orix. Essentially, the team's pitching was OK in April and May, but Kintetsu's bats remained cold until the beginning of summer, just as the team hurlers started to sputter. But under the lead of DH Phil Clark, who had a .280 average in early June but finished the season batting .331, and Tuffy Rhodes (hit over .300 for most of the season), the Buffaloes offense caught fire in the second half of the season. After the all-star break, both pitchers and batters were playing in sync.

If manager Kyosuke Sasaki can figure out what went wrong before the all-star break, and why the team did so well in the second half, the Buffaloes could be very hard to beat in 1998. Assuming the Lions and BlueWave sputter, Kintetsu has the tools to go all the way.

Pitching: Coming off a lousy 1996 outing, no one expected much from Kintetsu's pitching staff in 1997. By the all-star break, the team's hurlers had compiled a 4.41 ERA as the Buffaloes stalled in fifth place.

Led by Hideo Koike, Kintetsu's mound staff turned around dramatically in August. Starting the season with a 3.79 ERA and 6-5 record, Koike went 9-1 with a 1.95 ERA in the last two months. Finishing the season with a 15-6 record, the lefty compiled a career-best 2.96 ERA. Akira Okamoto, who came off a terrible 1996 season on the Buffaloes' farm team, backed up Koike with a 10-6 record and 2.82 ERA.

The team's third starter, Hiroshi Takamura, however, followed far behind with an 8-9 record and 4.76 ERA. After being rocked for over ten runs in one inning early in the season, import Bob Milacki spent the rest of the season on the team's minor league bench bitching about Kintetsu's inept management.

Even assuming Koike and Okamoto can repeat next year, the Buffaloes currently lack a strong third and fourth starter. Erratic pitcher Hiroki Sakai and Takamura may be able to turn themselves around in 1998, but that would only solve part of the problem. Kintetsu just doesn't have a very strong or deep pitching staff.

But the Buffs do have a relatively strong relief staff, led by closer Motoyuki Akahori. Though the right-handed reliever led the PL with a 1.80 ERA in 1992, his first of three sub-2.00 ERA years, he's been a bit erratic since 1995. Earning 33 save points and a 3.05 ERA in 1997, Akahori posted 10-7 record with 23 saves.

Offense: Though the Buffaloes didn't provide many fireworks early in the season, the team's batters surged in July. By the all-star break, the team was batting .276 and would remain consistent through the rest of the season. Their final team .274 average ranked second in the league, and third behind Orix and Yakult.

Though the Buffaloes had relied heavily on the long ball in past years, when they moved to the Osaka Dome the team concentrated more on speed and base running as their offensive weapon of choice. Stealing 66 bases in 1996, the Buffaloes nearly doubled that total with 112 steals their first year in the dome. And as their home run total fell to 112 (from 146 their last year in Fujiidera Stadium), the Buffaloes hit more 46 more doubles and eight more triples than they did in 1996.

Leading the 1997 Buffaloes offense were the team's two foreign sluggers, Tuffy Rhodes and Phil Clark. Hitting consistently from wire to wire, Rhodes finished the season batting .307 with 22 home runs, 22 steals, a .409 on base percentage and 109 RBIs. Clark made a late season run for the league's batting title, finishing with a second-place .331 batting average and 93 RBIs while leading the team with 23 home runs and a .513 slugging percentage.

Backing up the two imports, second baseman Eiji Mizuguchi batted .284 while infielder Takashi Muto hit .282 and stole 26 bases. Outfielder Takahisa Suzuki compiled a .261 average with ten home runs and 53 RBIs. Despite only hitting .240 with 105 strikeouts, third baseman Norihiro Nakamura hit 19 home runs and collected 68 RBIs. Though only appearing in 95 games, young lefty outfielder Naoyuki Omura hit .281 while aging designated and pinch hitter Kazunori Yamamoto earned a .264 average with twelve home runs.

All of this bodes well for the Buffaloes in 1998. Rhodes has been consistent the last two years and after a brief learning period Clark has demonstrated an ability to hit for average. Both should be powerful in the future. Muto, Nakamura and Omura are all young and can improve. If the Buffaloes falter in 1988, it probably won't be because of their offense.

Top Player: Tuffy Rhodes. One of the best foreign players currently in Japan, Rhodes had a great first season in 1996, batting .293 with 27 home runs, 29 doubles and 97 RBIs. In his sophomore year, Rhodes tied for the league lead with 37 doubles. In addition to batting .307 and stealing 22 bases, the 29 year old lefty led the team in RBIs (102), runs (88), and on-base percentage .409. Though striking out 109 times, Rhodes got more walks (87) than anyone else on the team. A decent outfielder, the imported slugger has a powerful bat, a good eye, and the wheels to get around the bases.

Surprise Players: Hideo Koike and Akira Okamoto. Neither pitcher had ever amounted to much. From 1993-96, Koike had compiled a 15-19 career record with a 4.48 ERA. In 1996, his first season on the Kintetsu farm team, Okamoto went 1-6 with thirteen saves and a 8.10 ERA. But in their first year in the Osaka Dome, both pitched like all-stars, with Koike earning a 15-6 record and 2.96 ERA while sophomore Okamoto posted a 2.82 ERA (second best in the league) and a 10-6 record.

Biggest Disappointment: Bob Milacki. After a handful of starts, including one game in which he gave up ten runs in one inning, Bob Milacki soon found himself on the Buffaloes' farm team. So far had his confidence eroded that by late July, he told John De Bellis of the Asahi Evening News, "I want to prove to them that I can pitch here and win a game." The Buffaloes did not renew Milacki's contract.

Most over-rated: Norihiro Nakamura. Nakamura is a reasonably good player with a number of faults. Though he has the power to hit 20 to 25 home runs a year, his batting average swings wildly from one year to the next. Not a terribly fast base runner, he still earned three triples and thirteen steals his first season in the Osaka Dome. Despite clubbing nineteen home runs and a career-high 23 doubles, his average sank to .240 and he struck out 105 times while only earning 54 walks. Never very graceful with a glove, the third baseman led the Pacific League with eighteen errors. (To be fair, a lot of third baseman have high error figures.)

New Faces: Phil Leftwich: former Anaheim Angels pitcher who signed a 50 million yen contract with a 25 million yen signing bonus in November 1997. Rob Matson, a 31 year old minor league player who received a 12.5 million yen contract and 7.5 million yen signing bonus at the same time as Leftwich. Koki Morita, a middle relief pitcher who has had trouble the last few seasons.

Departures: Shintaro Yamasaki. One of three Japanese players to declare free agency and actively seek to join a new team, pitcher Yamasaki signed a one year contract with the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks for the 1997 season. Hitoshi Nakane was traded to Yokohama for middle relief pitcher Koki Morita.

Strongest area: Offense. The Buffaloes were able to use an effective mixture of power and speed to score more runs than four other PL teams. They can club home runs, steal bases and hit for average.

Weakest area: Starting pitching. Until Koike and Okamoto started turning on the heat after the all-star break, the Buffaloes were going nowhere. If the team hopes to contend for the pennant in 1998, they're going to need a solid third starter at least. Also, the Buffaloes are weak behind the plate, unable to find a good defensive catcher that can hit with regularity.

Biggest question mark: Starting pitching. The Buffaloes would have never surged after the 1997 all-star break if the team's pitchers hadn't caught on fire. As such, the team's success in 1998 is going to depend heavily on whether Koike and Okamoto can repeat and if any others can follow their lead.

Secret weapon: Motoyuki Akahori. The Buffaloes top reliever, Akahori has earned 139 career saves with a 51-37 record. Though he's never been quite the same since a 1995 injury, the twenty-eight year old reliever remains one of Japan's best closers, compiling 33 save points in 1997 (23 saves with a 10-7 record) while posting a 3.05 ERA.

Fading star: Kazunori Yamamoto. Everyone loves Kazu. Forty-year old Yamamoto has been dumped twice in his career but both times came back to prove his old team wrong. The next time he's cut he may not get a third chance to prove himself. A lifetime .283 batter, Kintetsu's designated hitter has compiled 172 career home runs, including twelve in 1997. In the highlight of his career, the balding lefty hit a pinch hit home run to help the Pacific League win the first 1996 all-star game (three were played).