A disappointing six-game home stand had the Saitama Seibu Lions go 2-4 against the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks and Chiba Lotte Marines. As of Thursday, they have a two-game lead on the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in a race for second place. The Softbank Hawks would clinch the Pacific League pennant and the Lions also clinched being in A-class for the first time since 2013.
Here's how we got there:
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The first game against the Hawks had Ryoma Nogami against Nao Higashihama. Hotaka Yamakawa struck first blood with a HR in the bottom of the 2nd.
Softbank answered back with a two-run HR by Yuki Yanagita. Nogami would struggle in the top of the 5th where the third time through the order penalty would strike. Timely hits from Kenta Imamiya and Yanagita end Nogami's day at 4.1 innings. Katsunori Hirai came in and Alfredo Despagine made it 6-1 with a single through the infield.
Higashihama would go six innings with nine strikeouts and only one other hit besides the HR. He was efficient at striking out Lions on a full count with his slider. Despaigne hit a solo HR off Frank Garces for good measure in the top of the 7th. Shuta Tonosaki had a late two-run hit, but it was all too late as the Hawks would win the pennant.
Hawks 7, Lions 3
Game note:
-The Lions clinched A-class after this game despite losing. Orix would lose 6-3 in Hokkaido to the Fighters. It ended a three year hiatus from the postseason where they last made an appearance in 2013.
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The second game would have Kodai Senga against Shinsaburo Tawata. For the second inning, the Lions were able to load the bases and Shuta Tonosaki fought a long at bat for 14 pitches to earn a sacrifice fly for the first run of the game.
While the Lions had runners on later in the game, they would botch every opportunity after the 2nd as Senga went through six inning unscathed. Tawata had three situations with multiple runners on base, but some solid defense from the infield and more prevented any scoring through seven innings.
Brian Schlitter took the 8th and allows three consecutive hits, where Despaigne plated two runs home off an RBI single. Sho Iwasaki would take the bottom of the frame and give up a solo HR to Yamakawa and it was tied.
Tatsushi Masuda had a clean 9th inning while Kazuhisa Makita took the 10th with little trouble. It would be Livan Moinelo taking the bottom of the 10th where he ran into early trouble as Genda had a leadoff single. A pickoff attempt by Moinelo failed and got Genda to second base with the ball being thrown away.
The Hawks would intentionally walk Yamakawa and Asamura to see Takumi Kuriyama. After a 1-2 count, Kuriyama was able to make it a full count after a check swing. Moinelo would miss upstairs and the Lions won on a walkoff walk.
Lions 3, Hawks 2 (10 innings)
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The rubber matchup had Brian Wolfe against Tsuyoshi Wada. This one would have scoring early as the Lions scored four runs off Wada in the first through timely hits by Asamura and Mori with the latter hitting a triple. Kuriyama hit a sacrifice fly for the last run of the inning.
Yuki Yanagita would hit a solo HR in the top of the 2nd and the Hawks answered in the third with three more runs with doubles from Kenta Imamiya and Akira Nakamura. Wolfe's day was already done going 2.1 innings as Katsunori Hirai prevented anymore damage.
Frank Garces came in for the 4th and it was a disaster. The bases were loaded with one out after a lack of control hitting a batter and a walk. Imamiya added one run and Nakamura slapped two more to have Garces exit. With Ryohei Fujiwara pitching, an error from Genda extended the frame as he couldn't pass the ball to Asamura, scoring another run. Uebayashi cleared the bases giving the Hawks an insurmountable 11-4 lead, or so it seemed.
The Lions chipped away at the lead with an RBI groundout from Akiyama in the 4th. Wada's day would end after five innings as he was in line for the win. Shunta Ishikawa came in as a reliever for the 6th and allowed three runs thanks to a gapper from Ginjiro Sumitani and a HR from Akiyama.
It would be a one run game in the 7th with Ryota Igarashi pitching. Okawari-kun hit a sac fly and Shuta Tonosaki had a timely single after Yuji Kaneko stole 2nd as a pinch runner.
A two-out rally would come out of nowhere in the bottom of the 8th off Igarashi. Asamura walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Yamakawa was walked intentionally shortly after and Fumikazu Kimura came in as a substitute. Mori then hit another timely triple, scoring both runners and giving the Lions their first lead since the first inning.
Masuda pitched in the 9th, but gave up a solo HR to Despaigne and the game was tied again. In the bottom of the 9th against Yuito Mori, Masatoshi Okada reached first base and Akiyama beat Y. Mori to the bag on an infield single. However, Okada was caught trying to advance to third base and the game would go to extra innings again.
Keizo Kawashima would get a double as both Genda and Kaneko lost the ball in the sun as it was setting down from MetLife Dome's roof. After a bunt, Imamiya did damage again with a gapper down the LF line to give the Hawks a 13-12 lead. Masuda couldn't even finish the frame as Makita got Despaigne to flyout.
Dennis Sarfate was a healthy scratch from the game and was ineligible to play. Moinelo would take the bottom of the 10th. Genda's leadoff double gave immediate life knowing the game was far from over. Ryo Sakata came in as a pinch hitter and walked, later being pinch ran by Daichi Mizuguchi.
Genda stole third base and Mori hit another timely single to tie the game. Kimiyasu Kudo would have Hayato Terahara enter in the middle of Yuji Kaneko's at-bat with a 2-1 count. Kaneko sliced a ball that hit the wall and it was just fair, landing right on the line for the second straight sayonara win as Mizuguchi scored.
Lions 14, Hawks 13 (10 innings)
Game note:
-Nien Ting Wu and Schlitter were the only two players to not play.
-This was the 5th sayonara win of the season.
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The homestand continued with the Chiba Lotte Marines throwing out Kota Futaki against the Lions using Yosuke Okamoto. Chiba scored first with a timely 2-RBI single by Shohei Kato as the bases were loaded. The lead wouldn't last long as Kaneko hit a timely double and Akiyama plated him shortly after in the bottom of the 2nd.
Okamoto failed to get a shutdown inning in the 3rd as Katsuya Kakunaka hit a two-run HR. Okamoto left the game in the 5th with a lack of control with two runners on base. Hirai cleaned up the inning with a pop out, but the Lions failed to respond on offense in the bottom of the frame.
Genda made it a one-run game in the bottom of the 7th with a timely single, but that was as close as it would get. Kazuhisa Makita allowed two runs in the top of the 8th as the bases were loaded. The first run came as Okawari-kun couldn't field an unusual dribbler and the second came from a sacrifice fly from Kazuya Fukuura to seal the game.
Marines 6, Lions 3
Game note:
-Frank Garces and Brian Wolfe were taken off the roster, with the latter not needed due to an extended break ahead. Kentaro Fukukura and Okamoto were added.
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Game 2 had Ken Togame facing rookie Tomohito Sakai. The Marines struck in the first inning off a timely hit from Daichi Suzuki. Yamakawa tied the game with a solo HR in the bottom of the 2nd.
The Lions ruined a chance with two runners on and nobody out in the bottom of the 4th as Yamakawa lined out and Mori grounded into a double play. Scoring wouldn't come again until the top of the 7th, where Yuta Yoshida hit a two run blast off Togame.
A two-out chance for the Lions came in the bottom of the 7th with two runners on base, but Tonosaki flew out to right field. Sakai would go the distance and earn a complete game with five strikeouts, one walk and only four hits allowed.
Marines 3, Lions 1
Game note:
-This is the only time the Lions have lost a three-game series to the Marines in 2017.
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The final game of the series and head to head matchup against the Marines had Yusei Kikuchi against rookie Chihaya Sasaki. Asamura and the Lions scored first with a solo HR in the bottom of the 1st inning. The Lions failed to add more run support as Mori hit into a double play in the bottom of the 4th.
Kikuchi had two houdinis, but escaped with six scoreless innings, seven strikeouts and two walks while allowing four hits. Hatsuhiko Tsuji pulled a quick hook as Kikuchi only had 83 pitches and brought in Makita for the 7th. This would backfire as Shota Omine hit an RBI gapper to tie the game. Noda was forced to come in the game with inherited runners and retire the final out to keep it tied.
Schlitter came in the 8th inning and already allowed two base runners, having one score off a sacrifice fly from Tatsuhiro Tamura. Jimmy Paredes added another run with a single and it was 3-1 in the 8th. Katsunori Hirai did worse in the 9th as he balked in a run.
Every mistake would be crucial as the Lions threatened in the 9th. Asamura hit another solo HR and Tonosaki added another run with a single. With two runners on base, Ryo Sakata struck out and Kaneko grounded out as the Marines swept the series in a one-run loss.
Marines 4, Lions 3
Game notes:
-The Lions finished with a 16-8-1 record against the Marines in 2017. They were 10-2 on the road at Zozotown Marine Stadium.
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Is this a disappointing stretch? Of course it is. We can only hope that the bullpen is just hungover temporarily and it doesn't continue towards the end of the season. We'll see what lies ahead, but it's unusual how Tsuji pulled the hook on Kikuchi. Let's hope he's not hurt.
Right now, Schlitter looks like the biggest mess, as he struggles to strike anyone out. Get well soon to both Shota Takekuma and Tatsuya Oishi.
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