A look back at 1997: After their surprising second place finish in 1996, many people thought the Fighters had a shot at going all the way in 1997. And for a while, it did look like they were going all the way. To the cellar.

No team got off to a worse start in 1997 than the Fighters, who dropped their first six games in a row. It wasn't until the end of April that the team reached .500, a spot that they would reach several times during the season. For only one day, May 10, did the Fighters place over .500. For most of the season, Nippon Ham resided just under the break even point.

At the all-star break, the Fighters held a 40-42 record, six games out of first place. At the same time, the team had scored 374 runs while only holding opponents to 370 runs. With hot bats, the team had compiled a .275 average (third in the league) and 75 home runs (second). Unfortunately, the Ham mound staff couldn't keep up, compiling a 4.16 ERA (fourth).

Though the team peaked again at .500 on August 22, the Fighters slowly faded out of the pennant race. By the end of the season, Nippon Ham held a tie for fourth place with the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks, both of who shared a 63-71 record with one tie each. Of the two teams, the Fighters played slightly worse, allowing 28 more runs than they scored (RS 572, RA 600) compared to Daiei's 23 run deficit. Though both teams hit an almost identical number of home runs, the Fighters actually compiled a better team batting average (.265) and ERA (4.18) than the Hawks. Considering Daiei has the worst pitching in the Pacific League, that's not much of an accomplishment.

Still, the Fighters had a great offensive year. First year import Nigel Wilson took the league home run crown and outfielder Yoshinori Ueda led the team with a .300 average. In 1997, the Nippon Ham offense improved a lot, but not enough to counter the team's faltering pitching staff.

Pitching: 1997 was a bad year for Nippon Ham's pitching staff. Their 4.18 team ERA ranked second worst in the Pacific League. In addition to giving up more home runs (127) and beaning far more batters (67) than any other PL team, the Ham hurlers gave up the second highest number of hits (1223), walks (486), runs (600) and earned runs (561). The team also compiled the lowest number of strikeouts (682) in either league.

Neither of the Fighters' top two pitching aces, Yukihiro Nishizaki and Kip Gross, pitched at top form. Despite tallying a 14-7 record with a 3.24 ERA in 1996, Nishizaki struggled through an injury-plagued season last year, finishing with a 3-3 record. (Probably sensing that Nishizaki's best years lay behind him, the Fighters traded him to the Lions shortly after the 1997 season ended). Kip Gross appeared on the verge of winning his third straight PL wins title when he suffered a cracked rib in August. After being jumped by a drunk and his cohorts, the right-handed import finished the season with a 13-11 record and a 3.63 ERA in 233 1/3 innings.

A 26 year old pitcher who went 10-9 in 1996, Tsutomu Iwamoto gave up a lot of home runs while posting a 4.74 ERA and a 7-6 record in 1997. None of the Fighters' other starting pitchers compiled enough innings to qualify for the pitching title. Only Tsuyoshi Shimoyanagi, a bewhiskered 29 year old southpaw, showed much improvement. Spending much of his early career in the team's bullpen, Shimoyanagi posted a 9-4 record in 1997 while posting a career-best 3.49 ERA with 136 strikeouts in 147 innings.

Even Nippon Ham's bullpen looked like dead meat. Top closer Takeshi Shimazaki compiled seventeen save points with a 6-7 record, eleven saves and a rather high 3.98 ERA (up from his 2.31 mark a year before). Hardly anyone else on the team made a ripple.

Entering the 1998 season, the Fighters do have some hope of turning things around. Though Nishizaki is gone, Gross has always been a very consistent pitcher and should be ready for opening day. If Shimoyanagi continues to grow into the role of starting pitcher, and if newcomer Takehiro Ishii (whom the Fighters received in exchange for Nishizaki) returns to his pre-1996 form, Nippon Ham should have a decent core of starting pitchers.

Though 1997 was an off year for fireman Shimazaki, there's a good chance he'll turn things around. Though the Fighters will have a tough time pitching their way to a pennant, chances are they're headed for an improvement.

Offense: Though it wasn't enough to keep the Fighters in the PL pennant race, Nippon Ham's offense really improved in 1997. While their team batting average jumped to .265 (up from .249 in 1996), the Fighters also earned substantially more runs, hits, doubles, total bases and walks than they did in 1996.

The impression one gets of the Fighters is a team that can hit pretty consistently and can belt home runs but has trouble moving runners around the bases. Their .265 average ranked third in the league, while they clubbed 128 home runs, second only to the Hawks' 132 roundtrippers. Ham hitters also placed third in hits (1213), doubles (221), and total bases (1850). They also collected more deadballs than any other team (49 batters hit by pitches) and earned the second highest number of walks (872). Despite leading the league in strikeouts (872), the Fighters didn't seem to have much trouble reaching base.

With most of their offensive numbers ranking second and third in the league, it would seem reasonable that the team would also compile the third highest number of runs. However, the Fighters only scored 572 runs, fifth in the league. The team is simply not scoring up to their potential and speed may be one factor. In both triples and steals, the Fighters rank last in the league.

Still, the Fighters do have their share of power hitters. Picking up where Bernardo Brito and Rob Ducey left off in 1996, Nigel Wilson and Jerry Brooks, the Fighters newest imports, together clubbed 53 home runs in 1997. Driving in 94 runs, Wilson took the PL home run crown by going deep on 37 occasions. Meanwhile, shortstop Yukio Tanaka and third baseman Atsushi Kataoka weighed in with 19 and 17 dingers respectively.

Kataoka positioned himself as one of the team's top batters with 28 doubles and a .383 on base percentage. Earning the same OBP, outfielder Yoshinori Ueda finally established himself as a credible hitter by leading the team with a .300 average. On an otherwise slow team, center fielder Tatsuya Ide led the club with 27 stolen bases while hitting 27 doubles and batting .284. Though compiling a .361 OBP, veteran first baseman Hiromitsu Ochiai got off to a really slow start and never really recovered.

Despite virtually no offense from their platoon of catchers and a 44-year-old question mark at first base, the Fighters have a pretty solid offense. They may not be able to improve much on their 1997 marks, but it's rather unlikely that the team will go flat. Unless they concentrate on getting more speed and better base running from their players, however, it's unlikely the Ham will lead the league in runs. A slight offensive downturn in 1998 seems likely.

Top Player: Nigel Wilson. The Florida Marlins first pick in the 1992 expansion draft, Wilson still didn't get much of a chance to play regularly in the Major Leagues. In 1997 the left-handed slugger joined the Fighters, and given the chance to play every day, compiled 94 RBIs with a .360 on base percentage and a .556 slugging percentage. With a .274 batting average, Wilson won the 1997 Pacific League home run crown with 37 long balls. On June 21, Wilson became the first Pacific League player to ever hit four consecutive home runs in one game.

Surprise Player: Yoshinori Ueda. A twenty-four year old outfielder, Ueda had compiled a .211 batting average in his first two years on the varsity team. But in 1997, he figured out how to use his bat, compiling a .300 batting average and a .383 on base percentage. The teams top batter last year, the Fighters are depending on him to get the team's offense moving in 1998.

Biggest Disappointment: Hiromitsu Ochiai. On one baseball blooper program last November, Ochiai made a cameo which he probably now regrets. After watching several segments of fans scrambling after home run balls, the aging superstar with 508 career home runs casually mentioned that it's difficult for people to catch balls he hits over the fence because he's famous and everyone wants the prize.

One of the hosts offered a different explanation: "I think your home runs are hard to catch because you only hit three last season." Judging by the laughter from the audience, this wasn't an isolated observation.

Arguably the greatest Japanese hitter of all time, when the three-time triple crown winner joined the Fighters, many critics though he would be able to offer leadership as well as an offensive punch. Instead, the team slid from second to fourth place. A career .313 batter, Ochiai compiled a .262 average in 1997, his worst season since his 1979 rookie debut.

Most over-rated: Hiromitsu Ochiai (see above).

New Faces: In a trade announced a week after the end of the 1997 Japan Series, the Fighters sent ace pitcher Yukihiro Nishizaki to Seibu in return for Lions hurler Takehiro Ishii and infielder Hiroshi Narahara. Ishii has compiled a career 3.12 ERA with a 66-46 record. In 1997, the right handed hurler went 4-5 with a 3.45 ERA. Narahara is a low-average hitter (career .226) with little offensive talent other than being able to steal bases.

Strongest areas: Power hitting: the team pounded 128 home runs, second in the league. Good outfield defense, particularly from Yoshinori Ueda and Tatsuya Ide. Generally solid offense from outfielders and infielders.

Weakest areas: No speed from offense: the Fighters compiled the fewest triples and stolen bases in the league. Catcher: the team can't seem to find a backstop who can also safely reach base. Bullpen: once a relatively good area, top closer Takeshi Shimazaki's ERA ballooned in 1997. First base: Hiromitsu Ochiai may become a liability if his recent offensive downturn continues.

Biggest question mark: Starting pitching in the post-Nishizaki era. In 1996, the Fighters posted the lowest team ERA (3.49) in the league, enabling the them to post a second place 68-58 record despite and anemic offense. But in 1997, the Fighters hit .265 (up from .249) while the team's pitching fell apart, compiling a 4.18 ERA. With an ineffective mound staff, Nippon Ham finished with a 63-71 record, tied for fourth place.

Pitching is the factor that will either lead the team back into contention or, if things don't go well, keep the Fighters out of the hunt. With ace Nishizaki headed for the Lions in 1998, the burden is going to fall on Gross, Tsuyoshi Shimoyanagi, Tsutomu Iwamoto and newcomer Takehiro Ishii.

Secret weapon: Kip Gross. Though certainly no secret after four years with the Fighters, Gross remains the team's most consistent pitcher. Despite his disappointing "rookie" season (4.29 ERA, 6-12), the right-handed Nebraska native led the Pacific League in wins two years in a row (1995-96). He might have made it three years in a row if he hadn't been jumped by a drunken group of thugs in Sendai during an August road trip, an altercation in which Gross suffered a cracked rib.

Pitching with pain for the rest of the 1997 season, the Nippon Ham workhorse still compiled a 13-11 record with a 3.63 ERA in 233 1/3 innings. Though Gross doesn't get a lot of strikeouts, he generally keeps the ball on the ground and inside the ballpark. Without him, the Fighters' mound staff would be in a lot of trouble.

Fading star: Hiromitsu Ochiai. Finishing his worst season since 1979, Ochiai's offensive numbers have been slowly declining since 1992. He was able to hit .311 and .301 his last two seasons with the Giants, but even those numbers would have been considered disappointing in his prime.

Chances are probably even that Ochiai can patch together a decent outing in 1998. But if he stalls again, the Fighters probably won't give him a third chance. It's doubtful any other team will either. During the 1997 Japan Series, Ochiai served as a televised guest commentator. The man may be thinking about his future.