===
The Final Stage of the Climax Series is about to begin on October 17. With the first stage concluded, the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks will take on the Saitama Seibu Lions in a best of 7 series.
As a result of winning the Pacific League Pennant, the Lions are already awarded one game and all games played will be at MetLife Dome.
Here is a breakdown leading up to this point:
Background:
The Lions were a consensus pick to finish in A-class, but no one took them seriously enough to be a contender. There were larger question marks with the rotation losing Ryoma Nogami and the bullpen letting Kazuhisa Makita and Brian Schlitter leave via the posting system and free agency, respectively.
Everyone knew the Lions could hit, run and mash for power as they led the league in stolen bases the year before. This year, they set a franchise-record 792 runs scored, which was good for being in the top 3 all-time in NPB history. Sosuke Genda avoided a sophomore slump and continued to make plays defensively and set new records for most games played with every inning at the start of career.
Things weren't easy as the team struggled through bullpen issues in the first half, but a shuffle with three midseason pickups led to Deunte Heath, Kyle Martin and Ryuya Ogawa replacing Tatsushi Masuda, Shota Takekuma and Tomomi Takahashi on the back end.
This year was about the rise of Hotaka Yamakawa putting a full season together, to Daiki Enokida being a surprise acquisition and being a huge contributor to the rotation. Hideto Asamura and Shogo Akiyama also had MVP caliber years to carry the offense while Tomoya Mori was the catcher for majority of the season.
===
The Hawks came off last being the defending champions and were picked to repeat again by several experts. While some guys are a year older, everyone expected them to overcome any hangover and win the pennant again. Instead, they had an inconsistent offense through the first half of the year while Kodai Senga was continuously hurt.
Reigning PL MVP and Shoriki Award winner Dennis Sarfate and Sho Iwasaki were lost for the season early in the year, leading the back end of the bullpen to Ren Kajiya and Yuito Mori taking over. Yuki Yanagita is an MVP candidate while the Hawks found contributions from their foreign signings in Yurisbel Gracial and Angel Miranda to help in the second half.
A strong final two months had the Hawks in position to overcome a potential 10.5 game deficit to the Lions, but it was too little, too late as they came in second place for the second time in three years.
The Lions have a 1-3 playoff series record against the Hawks, which includes losses in 2006, 2011 and 2012. They last beat the Hawks prior to the Climax Series era in 2004, which was a best three out of five.
===
Rotation/Bullpen:
The Lions have Yusei Kikuchi and everyone else behind him which is an uncertainty. From Daiki Enokida to Shinsaburo Tawata, it's unknown how they can perform given their history with strikeouts. Bullpen is scary until the 9th inning when Deunte Heath comes in. Who is the bridge?
Softbank has Kodai Senga and a better cast of support with Angel Miranda and former starters moving to the bullpen. Their depth is greater in comparison to the Lions. Edge: Hawks
===
First Base:
Hotaka Yamakawa is the home run king of 2018. Defense isn't the greatest, but he gets on base, which is important for a slugger.
The Hawks have done a recent rotation which includes Akira Nakamura playing first at times. It's unlikely they will use Seiichi Uchikawa like before. Nakamura is a solid hitter and should be a threat, but the pop from Yamakawa is better when comparing the two. Edge: Lions
===
Second Base:
Hideto Asamura is coming off his best career season with 32 HRs and a .310 batting average, let alone an OPS above .900. Defensively he has also been a whiz.
Softbank used Taishi Makihara to end 2018. However, veteran Kenji Akashi took over the duties in the postseason as their 2B as the days of Yuichi Honda are officially gone. He has been a respectful light hitter, but nowhere near to what Asamura has done. Edge: Lions
===
Third Base:
Takeya "Okawari-kun" is coming off an amazing second half with 28 HRs since July and has hit .300 in that span. There's no question he has been a boost to the Lions offense since returning from injury and rehab.
Nobuhiro "Matchi" Matsuda has been a mainstay for the Hawk and continues to have power of his own. Okawari-kun has a slight edge by hitting for average, but defensively it's pretty even. Edge: Lions
===
Shortstop:
Sosuke Genda has created stability at this position for two consecutive years. Best thing is he can also hit without being a zero in the lineup.
Tomoki Takata would likely start for the Hawks if Kenta Imamiya remains injured. If Imamiya was healthy, both shortstops would be elite and it's even, but Genda has the clear cut advantage over Takata. Edge: Lions
===
Outfield:
Shogo Akiyama, Yuji Kaneko and Shuta Tonosaki are likely to be in the Lions outfield. They all have great range and know their roles. However, Tonosaki is coming off an injury and saw limited time when returning, it will be a question if he starts or not. Takumi Kuriyama has done well in the 4th outfielder role.
Yuki Yanagita is one of the best, while Seiji Uebayashi continues a strong form after cracking the ichi-gun last year. Yurisbel Gracial also has pop and can be dangerous as a result. With all three Hawks outfielders being a threat, their depth is greater than the Lions unless we're talking defensive range. Edge: Hawks
===
Catcher:
Tomoya Mori has been the starting catcher for most of the games, but it's possible the Lions could use Masatoshi Okada or Ginjiro Sumitani depending on the pitcher. All three have had respectable defense and hitting for a catcher's standards.
Takuya Kai is the best catcher in NPB with a great pop time Japan will value his defense more than anything else, but the Lions hitting can cancel out both. If anything, it's a battle of hitting vs defense in this case. Edge: Hawks
The Fighters have been going with a committee at catcher from Yushi Shimizu and Shinya Tsuruoka taking the games behind the plate. Both guys are respectable defensively, but the Lions depth is better with the bat. Edge: Lions
===
Designated Hitter:
The Lions have played Mori and Kuriyama at DH depending on the matchup. When Mori is the DH and batting 7th, it's a huge luxury given his talent.
Alfredo Despaigne is always a threat when it comes to power, but isn't hitting for average as much. He still serves his purpose on the team to boost the Hawks offensively. Edge: Hawks
===
Manager:
Hatsuhiko Tsuji took the team to another level since taking over as the Lions manager. There's enough creativity and use of the bullpen and pinch hits to keep the team respectable.
Kimiyasu Kudo has two rings to his name, but he is more aggressive with bunting while Tsuji doesn't. Kudo is also overly obsessed with lefty/righty when it comes to pinch hitters and pitchers, where he can use two players for one at-bat on the former. Edge: Lions
===
Overall:
The Lions went 13-12 against the Hawks in the regular season, but the home team won majority of the time. That being said, the Hawks could go into MetLife Dome and pull a small upset with their pitching and veteran presence that knows how to get it done. Never underestimate the heart of a champion. This should be a close one either way with it possibly going to the maximum distance.
===
Follow us on Twitter @GraveyardBall
No comments:
Post a Comment