An Afternoon at Jingu

While Tokyo's Big 6 university league is more famous, the Touto (Tokyo Capital) league is considered to be superior. Taking in a double header of Touto ball is definitely a great way to spend an afternoon.

The first game today (May 12, 2009) was between Toyo University and Chuo University. Kan threw for Toyo against Sawamura for Chuo. The first hit that Kan allowed was a home run to the left field bleachers with one out in the 6th inning, a fast ball down the middle to #1 batter Mima 美馬. Kan struggled to get out of the inning, but that was all he allowed. Toyo had 6 hits in all against Sawamura (to Chuo's 4 hits), but nobody was able to cross home plate.

Game final: Toyo 0 - 1 Chuo

For the second game it was Asia University vs. Rissho University. I was hoping that former Okinawan Koshien heart throb Higashihama Nao (a.k.a Obama) would be throwing for Asia, as he had just completed three consecutive shutouts from his college debut on April 21.

Date  vs         Score  IP   PC  H  K  BB  R  ER
4/21  Chuo        1-0   10  130  5  8   1  0   0
5/ 5  Kokugakuin  1-0    9  120  3  5   4  0   0
5/ 8      ''      4-0    9  109  3  7   1  0   0

Well, he started for Asia, and threw the complete game. Rissho came close to scoring in the bottom of the 4th, the runner from second getting gunned down at the plate on a base hit to left to end the inning.

But in the 5th, with 1 down and a runner at second, Rissho came through with a timely base hit, scoring the first run off of the Asia-U freshman. It wasn't enough as Asia went on to defeat Rissho 5-1.

What was different about this game from the first one was that both dugouts would clear to welcome their teams back from the field after every inning. And while out in the field, the dugouts were the source of a great deal of cheering. It was electrifying, the energy coming out of each dugout.

Oh, and infield practice before the game, for both teams, was the same. Intense and impeccably choreographed. Both teams had completed and were bowing to the field (and opposing team) as the air siren rang completion for each. While good, I didn't get the same "well oiled machine" impression after Toyo's and Chuo's infield practice.

Once again, I took a few (334) photos of the two games. I hope to someday have time to annotate them all. In the mean time, feel free to brows the 334,000 "words" the photos tell.

Toto Baseball: Toyo vs. Chuo - May 12, 2009

Asia vs. Rissho - May 12, 2009