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The Saitama Seibu Lions came up short again in the Final Stage on the Climax Series against the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks, losing the series 4-1 in game results, but without winning one on the field. This was the same outcome as last year, where the team won a pennant only to lose to the Hawks ii the postseason.
Instead of a normal game-by-game recap, this piece will be about what went wrong as a whole in the postseason.
Unfortunately, I saw this coming despite everything going right in August and September. Here's why the Lions couldn't win beyond the regular season:
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Katsunori Hirai's arm was done before the regular season ended
New pitching coach Kazuyoshi Ono had the reins of the Lions bullpen and used Hirai in what felt like every game. Hirai set a single-season Pacific League record for appearances by a pitcher with 81, but it was clear his arm was already fatigued and couldn't regain form in September.
Hirai was used for almost any role before the ninth whether the team was tied, trailing or leading by a run. On occasion, he would even take two innings. In the first Climax Series game, he left two men on base and it set the tone for the rest of the bullpen needing to step it up. With no clear identity before the 9th inning, everything went downhill.
This isn't to say Hirai was nothing, as he was the team's MVP of the first half as they were mediocre as a whole. It's just unfortunate the team had to live and die by one pitcher being the glue to the bullpen and more.
What also hurt was how other players with expectations didn't live up to hype. Hayato Takagi and Hiromasa Saito were supposed to help the team in the short term when acquired, but the former never adjusted to the Pacific League and the latter stayed in ni-gun. Everything before the 8th inning had the effects of a roulette wheel with anyone coming in.
Lions returning import pitchers Deunte Heath and Kyle Martin both regressed from 2018 and are unlikely to return in 2020.
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Rotation was overwhelmed, functioning without an ace
The Lions had the worst team ERA and won the pennant for the second consecutive year. While the pitching wasn't as awful as the stats say, there wasn't a true established ace this season when the expectations before the year were different. Shinsaburo Tawata was the opening day starter, but he failed to stay at the ichi-gun with poor form and didn't even see a game in the second half. In the world of memes, Tawata's face would be on a milk carton given how awful his 2019 was.
Zach Neal was the closest thing to an ace this year and was the team's best pitcher in the second half. While statistically he performed great, he doesn't miss bats or strikeout hitters like a true ace and the Lions defense was able to cater to his strength in forcing ground balls.
The rest of the Lions rotation was raw, unproven or downright mediocre. There is plenty of upside as a whole, but pitchers including Tatsuya Imai, Keisuke Honda and Ken Togame were No. 4 pitchers at best and not the greatest options for a postseason series. In the long run, the Lions hope Wataru Matsumoto, Imai and Kona Takahashi can be part of a Big 3 in the future.
It also hurt that Tetsuya Utsumi was a waste of a compensation selection when he didn't play an ichi-gun game due to injuries and setbacks. The Lions were hoping he would be a veteran presence for the young pitchers, but all he did was sell bento boxes.
This postseason featured a first run allowed in the first inning in three of the four losses. The Lions could have used a pitcher like Takayuki Kishi or (while in his prime) Hideaki Wakui in this situation. Some may argue Yusei Kikuchi, but his track record against the Hawks wasn't good. Historically, thee Lions will not pay the pitcher once he reaches free agency and hope to reload from within.
The pitching was as advertised in this postseason and it wasn't a shock to lose, but it was surprising they came in first place even with this obvious flaw.
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Offense was simply unclutch
Game 1 will be remembered as a game the Lions blew in the 8th inning, but the offense had plenty of runners on base while only scoring our runs to show for it. Takeya "Okawari-kun" Nakamura, Shogo Akiyama, Tomoya Mori and others didn't have the magic that came from the regular season.
Were the Hawks sandbagging in the regular season like how Shohei Ohtani was in the 2018 Spring Training? The Lions offense looked just as overwhelmed as the pitchers were. Softbank's bullpen was also in a similar situation with several young pitchers, but they stepped up to the occasion and got it done, especially in Game 1 when they were behind and kept the team within reach.
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Where do the Lions go from here?
Shogo Akiyama, Ernesto Mejia, Martin and Heath likely played their last games with the Lions in 2019. Togame also has Type C domestic free agent rights and could walk without compensation. Thee Lions already announced nine players not being offered a contract for 2020, meaning they aren't messing around.
With the 2019 NPB Draft this week, we'll have a short piece previewing it while also recapping what happens. It's possible they draft several players hoping to fix the pitching staff and more. The outfield will have to change with no Akiyama while the infield is all but set. Pitching is the big glaring hole while hoping the draft picks develop.
For Neal, there is uncertainty if he returns, given he could have an offer from an MLB team. Going one and done for positive reasons is rare with NPB as even Miles Mikolas and Colby Lewis spent more than one season to refine their game.
It's very likely this group takes a step backwards in 2020, but the pitching can get better with the right development and execution.
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