A look back at 1997: Winning their first two games, the Marines got off to a reasonably good star. After one month, the team held a slim first place lead in early May. After a few weeks the team dropped below .500 and on July 2 they fell into the PL cellar. Shortly after the all-star break Lotte had a mini-surge, winning eight of nine games and climbing as high as high as fourth place. On August 17, the Marines again dropped to last place, remaining there until the end of the season.

Though the team's batting remained consistent in the first and second half of the season, their pitching improved quite a bit. In late July, Lotte's hurlers had compiled a 4.27 ERA. After a brief winning streak in August, Lotte finished the season with a 3.84 team ERA, fourth in the league. Much of that improvement had to do with Satoru Komiyama who topped the league in ERA and Tomohiro Kuroki following close behind.

Compiling the worst record in professional Japanese baseball, the Marines finished the season with 59 wins, 76 losses and two ties. Offensively, no team scored fewer runs. Though better than four other teams, Lotte's pitching and defense were also below average, allowing 584 runs.

Pitching: With the team's top two pitchers, Eric Hillman and Hideki Irabu, defecting after the 1996 season, things didn't look too good for the Marines. In their last season with Lotte, Hillman and Irabu posted the two lowest ERAs in the league and combined for a 26-15 record--not bad considering the terrible run support Marines' batters offer their pitchers. Of the three remaining Lotte starters--Tomohiro Kuroki, Yasuhiko Yabuta and Satoru Komiyama--none looked very promising. It didn't take a vivid imagination to predict that Lotte was headed for the PL cellar in 1997.

And that's exactly where they landed. But a few interesting things happened on the way down.

Lotte's pitchers got off to a lousy start, compiling a team 4.27 ERA before the all-star break--only the Buffaloes did worse. But after the break, the Marines gave up the league's second lowest number of earned runs. Leading the pitching staff back on track, Komiyama compiled a PL-best 2.49 ERA (down from 3.03 in late July) and an 11-9 record while only allowing eight home runs and 30 walks--the lowest marks in either league. Backing him up, Kuroki posted a 2.99 ERA while leading the PL with 240 2/3 innings pitched and thirteen complete games, one a shutout and three without surrendering a walk.

With Kuroki and Komiyama as the core of Chiba's starting rotation, the Marines finished with a respectable 3.84 team ERA. Unfortunately, third starter Yabuta posted a 3.94 ERA and other fill-in starters did worse. Neither imported pitcher, did very well. Shane Dennis posted a 0-3 record with a 5.45 ERA in 33 innings while Mark Fyhrie went 3-4 and 5.82 in 43 1/3 innings.

Assuming Komiyama and Kuroki can remain consistent, the Marines have something to build upon. But that's a big if. Komiyama is 32 years old, and though he surely has a few more good seasons left, 1997 was his best outing to date. He's been erratic in the past and it's going to be tough for him to repeat. Though 24, Kuroki pitched a really heavy load in 1997 and he may be headed for arm trouble if he continues to be overworked. If either starter has trouble in the future, Lotte is going to have a tough time filling the hole.

While there are a lot of questions regarding the Marines' starting rotation, the team has two of the best relievers in the Pacific League. In 1997, Yasuyuki Kawamoto earned 31 save points in 49 games, posting a 1.96 ERA with a 6-6 record and 25 saves. Though sidelined for much of the 1997 season, Lotte's top closer Toshihide Narimoto earned 63 saves from 1994 to '96. Since Kawamoto was able to easily fill in for Narimoto, the Marines will continue to have a solid relief staff in the future.

Offense: It's not easy to paint a pretty picture Lotte's offense. In 1997, the team scored 466 runs, the lowest total of all twelve teams. Only the Tigers and Dragons compiled a team average below the Marines' .249 mark, and no team hit fewer doubles (171) or home runs (75) or collected a lower number of total bases (1565) and RBIs (429). Only the Tigers drew less walks than the Marines (429).

Earning the team's top average, Mark Carreon hit .279, ranking twenty-first on the list of PL batters. All eleven other teams had at least one player who had a higher average than Carreon, and all Pacific League teams had at least three who topped Lotte's lowly batting king. Partly because of Chiba Marine Stadium's huge dimensions, Carreon and Jason Thompson led the team with fourteen home runs each. Unless the team decides to play without bats next year, it's hard to imagine them getting any worse.

Still the Marines did have a few bright spots. Lotte batters hit 29 triples (second in the league) and stole 117 bases (second). This might indicate that the team is finally developing a speed strategy, a good move since home runs are scarce in their home ball park. Unfortunately, most of that speed is coming from one player. Earning the 1997 Rookie of the Year award, shortstop Makoto Kosaka stole 56 bases; without him, the Marines would have only collected 61 steals, the lowest number in the league. Likewise Kosaka and outfielder Kenji Morozumi together compiled 13 triples, almost half the team's total.

One has to wonder if the Marines have any offensive strategy at all. The team has two decent hitters who accomplished little in 1997. If Kiyoshi Hatshushiba and Hirai can stay healthy, they might lift the Marines in 1998. Koichi Hori can hit over .300, but he slumped in 1997. The team has potential to score more runs. Look for the Marines offense to improve in 1998.

Top Player: Makoto Kosaka. The 1997 Pacific League Rookie of the Year, Kosaka got off to a red hot start. Going three for three with two RBIs in the Marines' season opener and batting near .400 in the next few weeks, the 167 cm (5' 5") shortstop earned the PL MVP award for April. Though his bat cooled down as the season progressed, Orix manager Akira Ogi selected the twenty-four year old for the Pacific League all-star squad.

Incredibly shy and so polite he nearly apologizes to pitchers after they bean him in the head, Kosaka finished the season with a .261 average and a record (for a rookie) 56 stolen bases. Though he committed fourteen errors, he got to a lot of balls that slower shortstops would have missed and made some spectacular catches. Few Japanese players are more fun to watch.

Surprise Player: Satoru Komiyama. A somewhat erratic pitcher since his rookie debut in 1990, Komiyama broke through in 1995 with a 2.60 ERA. A year later, however, the right-hander went 8-13 with a 4.54 ERA. But after Hillman and Irabu departed, Komiyama helped fill the void by leading the Pacific League with a 2.49 ERA while posting an 11-9 record.

Biggest Disappointment: The imports. Few teams had worse luck with their foreign players in 1997 than the Marines. While first baseman Jason Thompson batted .247 with fourteen home runs and 62 RBIs, he registered 114 strikeouts against 25 walks and compiled a miserable .285 on-base percentage, the lowest of any regular player in either league. And the two imported pitchers didn't help the team very much either. In 33 innings, Shane Dennis went 0-3 with a 5.45 ERA while Mike Fyhrie posted a 5.82 ERA in 43 1/3 innings with a 3-4 record.

Most over-rated: Mark Carreon. Touted before the 1997 as one of the few big-name players to arrive in Japan, Carreon inspired big expectations. Though hardly a star in the Major Leagues, the left-hander who bats right compiled a career .277 average with 69 home runs in ten seasons with the Mets, Tigers, Giants and Indians. Not bad. As the Marines top batter in 1997, Carreon hit .279 with fourteen home runs and 77 RBIs.

Though admitting his numbers were "decent, not good," the slugger clashed with management several times over the season. After pulling himself out of the line-up in September because of a supposedly injured knee, he was found playing ping-pong in the team clubhouse. A few weeks later, he missed another game and Lotte fined him $5,000. After the penalties, Carreon's attitude soured.

Finishing the first term of a two year contract, Carreon spent the final weeks of the season practically daring the Marines to release him. Knowing that the team would have to pay him $1.65 million for the second year either way, Carreon began swinging the bat as if his main objective was to miss the ball. As he told Ken Marantz of the Daily Yomiuri, "If they want to release me, I have no problem with that. If they're tired of having me around, believe me, the feeling's mutual."

New Faces: Julio Franco hit really well for Lotte in 1995, compiling a .306 average, but reportedly left in a huff after the Marines (and GM Tatsuro Hirooka) fired successful skipper Bobby Valentine. Returning for his second stint with Lotte, Franco will turn 38 in August 1998, and may be slowing down. Allegedly, the first baseman's return had a lot to do with ace pitcher Satoru Komiyama's demand that the Marines get another good foreign hitter "like Franco." Also joining Lotte will be two new foreign hurlers. 29 year old Mark Holzemar compiled an 0-0 record with a 6.00 ERA in 14 appearances for the Seattle Marines in 1997 while Joe Crawford, a 28 year old member of the New York Mets, compiled a 4-3 record with a 3.30 ERA in 19 games.

Departures: Jason Thompson. Joining the Marines in a deal that gave the San Diego Padres negotiating rights to Hideki Irabu, Thompson got off to a miserable start with Lotte and never recovered. After posting the league's worst on base percentage (.285) and only accumulating 25 walks while posting 114 strikeouts, the Thompson received his walking papers.

Strongest areas: The Marines have the core of a good starting rotation, but need a third and fourth reliable starter. Relief pitching team, Kawamoto and Narimoto, among the best in Japan. The team is relatively quick on the base paths, bust most of their speed comes from shortstop Makoto Kosaka. If Kosaka improves with his glove, the Marine's defense should improve.

Weakest areas: The team lacks power hitting and players are prone to low averages. Lotte lacks any catcher who can both hit and supply good defense. Though they have two good starting pitchers, the rotation is very thin. In recent years, Lotte's management has had very poor relation with foreign players.

Biggest question mark: Offense. Lotte needs to score runs if they hope to win games. Unless the team starts hitting for average and getting on base, there's little chance the Marines will climb out of the cellar.

Secret weapon: Closing pitchers Toshihide Narimoto and Yasuyuki Kawamoto. On the team that has an uneven pitching staff and mediocre offense, the Marines' strongest link remains their relievers.

Fading star: The Marines have several players, most of whom may not be stars, but all appear to be fading. Pitcher Koji Nakada had one really great year in 1992 (2.53 ERA, 14-12, 194 strikeouts) but has been mediocre ever since. Mitsuchika Hirai has been sliding downhill since he won the 1991 PL batting crown. Finally, 31 year old Kiyoshi Hatsushiba has been slowing down since he hit .301 in 1995.