When 22 Hits Are Not Enough

The BayStars are really showing a knack for losing by one run. Friday night they lost 1-0 with 3 hits while allowing 4. Saturday afternoon at Jingu they managed to score 12 runs on 22 hits, but lost on a sayonara 2-run home run to the Swallows 12-13.

Let's start at the beginning, a very good place to start. One could say it was the best of innings, yet it was the worst of innings. After Takehiro Ishikawa struck out to start the game, Daisuke Hayakawa, Seiichi Uchikawa, Shuichi Murata, Terrmel Sledge, and Jose Castillo hit 5 singles in a row to jump on the scoreboard first with 3 runs. 9 batters came to the plate. Things were Good.

Then Hitoshi Fujie couldn't buy an out in the bottom half of the first. Kazuki Fukuchi led off with a single to left. Yuji Onizaki followed by drawing a walk (the only one given up by Fujie). Then Norichika Aoki hit a 3-run home run to the green umbrella toting Yakult fans in right to tie the game up. Three batters, three runs. Now that's efficient. Yet it wasn't enough for the Swallows. Jamie D'Antona kept things going with a double to right. After Aaron Guiel grounded out to first, Hiroyasu Tanaka singled D'Antona in to take the lead. Atsushi Fujimoto singled, then former BayStar catcher Ryoji Aikawa hit a 3-run home run to the BayStars fans in left. Boom! Yakult takes a 7-3 lead in the first with a pair of 3-run home runs. Fujie then gets pitcher Yoshinori Satoh to strike out, as well as leadoff batter Fukuchi. Whereas the BayStars sent 9 batters to the plate in the first, scored 3, and stranded the bases loaded, Yakult sent 10 batter up, scored 7, and stranded none. Argh!

Now, one would generally think that the 'Stars would be totally demoralized and give up. But they didn't! Three consecutive hits to start off the second inning produces 2 runs, making it a 2-run ball game. Aoki hits a solo shot with an out in the bottom of the second to bring that lead back up to 3 runs, but that's all reliever Hiroki Sanada gives up in 3 innings of work starting from the second.

The BayStars get three consecutive hits to start off the third inning as well. But instead of all singles (as had been the first 10 hits for the 'Stars), Tasuku Hashimoto connects with a 3-run home run to tie the ball game up at 8-8. (Hashimoto was intentionally walked to load the bases and face the pitcher in the first.)

Kazuya Takamiya and Atsushi Kizuka combine to allow a pair of runs in the fifth inning, Yakult taking a 10-8 lead. But that lead lasts only an inning.

Once again, the BayStars work hard at scoring in the 7th. Well, Castillo hits a solo shot to left, his third home run of the season, to bring us to within one. Then 4 consecutive singles add another two runs to the board and Yokohama retakes the lead for the first time since the top of the first. Yokohama is now up 11-10. Three consecutive hits to start off the 8th, including a double by Sledge, give the BayStars a 2-run lead; 12-10.

But closer Shun Yamaguchi can't sustain that lead for the last two innings. He allows a solo shot to Guiel with an out in the 8th. Then Yamaguchi walks the leadoff runner in the 9th - a very bad omen. He gets Takahiro Araki (who came into the game in the #9 slot earlier in the game) striking out swinging. Meanwhile, pinch runner Masayoshi Miwa steals second against Hashimoto. (You know? I don't think that Hashimoto has thrown out a single base runner this season!) Fukuchi pops out to center for the second out. We're just one out away from a hard earned victory. But that isn't in our cards. Pinch hitter Ryohei Kawamoto hits a sayonara 2-run home run into the BayStars fans in left field to end the game.

And so, the BlackStars appear to be without a closer yet again this season. Yakult's 5 home runs (two against our "closer") accounted for 10 of their 13 runs. Yokohama's 2 homers accounted for 4 of their 12 runs. And that's why 16 hits trumps 22 hits (19 of them singles!).