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The Saitama Seibu Lions went 4-1-1 this week against the Chiba Lotte Marines and Orix Buffaloes. They currently sit at .500 while just on the outside of A-class. This week also represented the end of the Heisei era with Reiwa beginning on May 1.
Here is how it all went down:
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The first game had Hideaki Wakui and Zach Neal in for a rematch. Both pitchers couldn't go more than five innings as Neal was pulled in the 4th, due to giving up several timely hits. Ken Togame had eat some innings while the Lions had a 7-4 deficit after seven innings.
In the seventh inning, the Marines had two key errors including one on Katsuya Kakunaka which led to a four-run frame and gave the Lions a lead. Ryuya Ogawa coughed it up with a solo HR by Daichi Suzuki in the bottom half.
This game remained tied through extra innings and Yasuo Sano had a jam in the 12th. With two runners on, he forced a double play to earn a tie.
Lions 8, Marines 8 (12 innings)
Game note:
-Kaito Awatsu and Ken Togame were called up for the first time in 2019. Hiromasa Saito and Hayato Takagi were taken off as corresponding moves.
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The second game had Keisuke Honda and Daiki Iwashita. Hotaka Yamakawa had two HRs and Fumikazu Kimura's timely hit was enough offense to give the Lions an insurmountable lead.
Honda went 6.2 innings with one unearned run allowed while the bullpen closed. Kyle Martin and Tatsushi Masuda took the 8th and 9th innings with little fanfare. As a result, Honda would win his 2nd career game on his 26th birthday.
Lions 4, Marines 1
Game note:
-Zach Neal was taken off the roster for Makoto Aiuchi.
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The final game of the series had Aiuchi facing Kota Futaki. This was once again a high scoring affair for both sides. Home runs came from Tomoya Mori, Takashi Ogino, Shogo Nakamura and Seiya Inoue while both starting pitchers went six innings and allowed four runs.
Aiuchi was trying to get his first career win and the Lions scored three in the 7th off timely hits from Genda and Akiyama. However, Chiba chipped away at the lead with two runs in the 6th as Yasuo Sano couldn't get a clean frame and Katsunori Hirai gave up several base hits.
Off Shogo Noda, the Marines tied it in the 8th off a timely hit. The 9th inning also had its drama, as Fumikazu Kimura hit a solo HR into the terrace to put the Lions back up, but the Marines also recorded a timely hit by Kennys Vargas to tie the game again. The Marines tried sending the winning runner home, but Shuta Tonosaki's throw denied the sayonara.
"Aito" Takeda came in as a pinch runner for Takumi Kuriyama earlier in the game and was the DH taking an AB after a fielder's choice kept the inning alive in the 10th. He delivered on a timely double down the LF line and Tomoya Mori scored from first. Ryuya Ogawa closed it out for his first save of the season and the Lions took the series.
Lions 9, Marines 8 (10 innings)
Game note:
-To make room for Aiuchi, Keisuke Honda was deactivated.
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The week shifted to Osaka with the beginning of Golden Week as Shinsaburo Tawata took on Taisuke Yamaoka. Both pitchers wouldn't last for six inning and gave up five runs each, which included timely hits from Tomoya Mori and Hotaka Yamakawa.
Despite the high scoring affair, the Lions had a 7-4 lead in the 6th inning, but Shogo Noda coughed it up with a timely triple from Shuhei Fukuda and RBI single from Kodai Sano. Orix didn't take the lead thanks to Katsunori Hirai striking out Joey Meneses.
With two runners in scoring position in the top of the 7th inning, Yamakawa delievered with a single to bring both of them home. It was the game winner and the Lions even scored insurance runs to prevent any comeback as the win streak hit three games.
Lions 11, Buffaloes 7
Game note:
-Deunte Heath returned to the ichi-gun and pitched in the bottom of the 7th, allowing one hit, but striking out two.
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Game two had Tatsuya Imai facing Kohei Suzuki. Two timely hits from Meneses and Shuhei Kojima gave Orix a 2-0 lead after three innings. The Lions couldn't capitalize on early chances as this looked to be low scoring.
Imai went seven innings, giving up eight hits and three walks, but his efforts were not in vain. After squandering a 7th inning chance, the Lions loaded the bases in the eighth inning with three consecutive walks. Yamakawa and Mori walked two plate two runs, while Takumi Kuriyama had the game-winning hit off a sharp single to give a 3-2 lead.
With this comeback the Lions were able to achieve a 4th straight win.
Lions 4, Buffaloes 2
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The final game of the series had Andrew Albers against Ken Togame, where the latter made his first start of 2019. Yamakawa hit a two-run HR in the first inning, but Orix tied it on a double from Shuhei Fukuda in the 4th. Both teams traded a run in the 5th to make things even as it stayed 3-3 through six innings.
In the 8th, the Lions ruined a chance with runners on the corners with one out. Yamakawa hit an infield fly while Shuta Tonosaki struck out with the bases loaded. Orix made the Lions pay in the bottom of the frame as Masataka Yoshida hit a two-run HR off Ryuya Ogawa to take the lead for good.
With this loss, the Lions ended the Heisei Era on a losing note.
Buffaloes 5, Lions 3
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Overall, it was still a good week. Being .500 in April is not the end of the world given who was missing. Of course they'll need to learn how to defeat Softbank and Rakuten, but after the second time through the order in the Pacific League, nothing is decided yet.
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