Nippon Ham Fighters 1 at Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 3 - April 10, 2012

As my time in Japan winds down, I'm making a last visit to those stadiums I haven't seen in a while in order to review them for Stadium Journey. Fukuoka was one I thought would be difficult to get to as flights are not as cheap as those to Sapporo. Recently though, StarFlyer, another low-cost carrier that flies out of Haneda, initiated a Wednesday special to Fukuoka for just 10,000 yen one-way. The Softbank Hawks just happened to be playing the Nippon Ham Fighters on Tuesday night, so I was able to fly down for the game that day and fly back on Wednesday using the cheap ticket.

Fukuoka Dome

Built in 1993, the Fukuoka Dome was Japan's first stadium with a retractable roof (below). In 2005, the naming rights were bought, and the venue is now known as the Fukuoka Yahoo! Japan Dome, or Yahoo Dome for short. I prefer the original name and will refer to it as such.

The dome is a 10-minute walk from Tojinmachi subway station, which is itself just 15 minutes from downtown Fukuoka, so it is easy to get to. The venue is part of a larger complex called "Hawks Town" which consists of a mall, several restaurants including a Hard Rock Cafe, and a Hilton hotel (called the Sea Hawk in keeping with the theme). The surrounding area is next to the waterfront and there is a beach just on the other side of the highway, although I didn't immediately see how to access it. If you have time and the weather is nice, it is worth exploring this area before the game.

The Hawks have been one of the NPB's most successful teams, and are the defending Japan Series champions. As such, they are charging much more for tickets than the other clubs, with seats behind the plate going for as much as 10,000 yen. The seats are the big and comfy type, but $120 is way too much for a baseball game in my mind.

If you like to be close to the action, the S reserved seats are 5,500 yen, still a bit overpriced. The best bet might be the outfield reserved seats listed at 1,800 yen but marked down to 1,000 yen at the game I went to. If you are not interested in getting inside the stadium, you can try the museum experience. Above the outfield seats is a museum dedicated to Sadaharu Oh, the world record holder with 868 home runs. For just 1,400 yen, you can visit this and see the game. This used to be a restaurant (similar to Windows in Rogers Centre) and I sat here a few years ago and found it bizarre as you can't hear the sounds of the game. In 2010, the Hawks decided to create a museum to honour Oh, who managed the team for several years and is now the chairman. I would have liked to have seen this but time did not permit on this rather quick visit.

Despite being much larger than the Tokyo Dome in terms of size, Fukuoka Dome only has a single seating bowl with 32 aisles that provide access from the main concourse. You can walk around the entire concourse, but it gets busy when a crowd of 35,000 fans is on hand.

There are a few displays worth noting as you wander. First, at every gate there are "V" shaped pillars that commemorate each of the Hawks' 15 Pacific League titles as well as their first two championships in the Japanese Baseball League.

There is a Material Wall that simulates a pitchers mound and home plate, exactly 18m44 apart (that's 60'6" for those who don't know metric).

Finally, the entire Hawks roster is shown under their place of origin. Brad Penny (#31) is there; he joined the team but is currently off the active roster after suffering an injury in his first start; Wily Mo Pena (#8) is another MLB vet who is with the squad.

Don't try to enter the good seats without a ticket, each aisle is manned by an eager usher who will not let you pass unless you are ticketed for that specific aisle. Once in the seating area, you are again limited to how far you can go as plastic fencing blocks you from moving to a different section of seats. Not good if you are trying to get pictures, but you can enter the outfield sections at any time as they are the cheapest.

Food options are not as good as at some other parks in Japan and I struggled to find something unique, settling on a chicken burger in a focaccia bun. It came with a soft drink for 780 yen, not exactly cheap eats. Interestingly, you fill up your own drink here, something I've not seen at other ballparks. If you want something unusual, the fried squid (below) should fit the bill. As usual, explore all the options and you should find something to enjoy.

For me, that is where the fun ended. I am used to Japanese ballgames being loud with the presence of the two cheering sections in the outfield, but the Hawks take things to the extreme. To begin, there is an MC named Max, an overly hyper DJ from Chicago who started working here in 2007. He first appears before the game to get things going with lots of rah-rah and then becomes more and more irritating with between-inning appearances (called Max Time!) to interview fans and spout the Hawks slogan, which is "V V" this year (for victory victory - you can see the logo on the yellow banners above). You'd have to live in Japan for a while to appreciate just how bloody awful this is; foreigners acting goofy is a staple of Japanese TV and seeing it brought to the ballpark was depressing.

There are three video boards above the outfield seats but two of them are used exclusively for advertising. These were given the names "Left Wing Vision" and "Right Wing Vision" in an obvious attempt to show that regardless of political bent, commercialization is the key to happiness.

In fact, that was the main theme I took away from my visit here - spend, spend, spend. Moreso than most ballparks, I found myself inundated with commercials, right from when I walked through Hawks Mall on the way to the stadium. There are logos everywhere around and even Max got into the act, interviewing a couple of young ladies in English for a local language school.

There was a dance team (above) and at least six mascots to further aggravate me. Everything here is just so overboard that by the end of the evening, I desperately needed a drink in a quiet bar. Fortunately, the two fans in front of me were more than happy to show me to one of their favourite haunts, but more on that later. After all, there was a game to be played amongst all the noise.

The Game

Bobby Keppel started for the Fighters and gave up a run in the first inning on 3 consecutive singles. The Fighters got that back in the top of the 2nd when Dai-Kang Yang tripled off Hiroki Yamada and was singled home by Makoto Kaneko. Keppel did not appear from the dugout for the 2nd (turned out he was experiencing tightness in his shoulder), and Masahiro Inui came in to take over.

Inui pitched well for a couple of innings, but in the bottom of the 4th, he walked Hiroki Kokubo, an 18-year veteran who began his career in 1994 with the then-named Daiei Hawks. Although he played three seasons with the hated Giants, he returned to Fukuoka in 2007 and has been a solid contributor since. With Kokubo on first, Nobuhiro Matsuda crushed Inui's first offering well foul. No worries though, two pitches later Matsuda launched another shot, this one staying well fair to give the Hawks the 3-1 lead.

That was all that Yamada and his relievers would need as the Fighters never really threatened. Brian Falkenborg pitched the ninth for his 6th save of the season and the Hawks ran their winning streak to five games.

Most fans stayed for the celebrations afterward. For about 30 minutes there were hero interviews, singing of the team song, fireworks, and more balloons being released. I must say that the fans seemed to really enjoy themselves here and I am probably just an old scrooge who likes a more quiet and reflective atmosphere at the ballpark.

Notes

The Fighters' Dai-Kang Yang is an interesting case study on the difficulties of translating non-Japanese names into English. He is Taiwanese and thus his name consists of Chinese characters. His last name (Yang) means sun and is pronounced Yoh in Japanese, which is how he officially registers himself with the NPB. However, on their English site they still use Yang. I'm not sure which is right, but for consistency within English, I'll use Yang here.

Tommy

Remember that drink I mentioned earlier? As I was leaving, I noticed that one of the ladies in front of me had dropped her ticket, so I picked it up and handed it to her, saying in very simple Japanese "Excuse me, you dropped this". Well, they were stunned at my language abilities (those foreigners who live in Japan will understand this experience;, even the most tongue-tied are praised for their linguistic talents) and promptly asked me the normal questions (i.e. country of origin, time in Japan, age, marital status, which team I root for, etc). We talked for a while and I mentioned that I was looking to grab a nightcap and they told me about a place they knew, so off we went.

They ended up taking me to Tommy, a small "karaoke snack" run by a flamboyant drag queen who keeps your glass filled up all night long. At just 3,000 yen for unlimited shochu or whiskey, it is much cheaper than similar places in Tokyo and very relaxing. Once the karaoke started, it wasn't that quiet, but by then my headache had been washed away and all was good until late in the evening. I have no idea how to get there as it is hidden in the back alleys of an area known as Nishi Nakasu, but there are hundreds of similar places in that neighborhood, so if you can find a local to guide you around it could be a very interesting experience.

Next Up

I'm planning to see an AFC Champions League game featuring FC Tokyo on Tuesday evening and then traveling to Nagoya for three games in three days. Those will be my last games as a resident of Japan and somewhat bittersweet as I've certainly seen my share of events here over 15 years.

The last two weeks here will be spent preparing for the move and then I'll be in Singapore for 10 days where I hope to check out an S League game. Then it's home to Canada for the summer, starting with a 3-game set between the Mets and Jays. It will be busy, so check back often to see what happens.

Best,

Sean

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Orix Buffaloes 1 at Nippon Ham Fighters 3 - April 5, 2012

The Nippon Ham Fighters were formed in 1948 and spent 55 years in Tokyo, where they were always a distant second in popularity to the Yomiuri Giants. Fighters games often saw the Tokyo Dome nearly empty and the team could never win anything, save a Nippon Series in 1962. The club was widely ridiculed and the corporate owners realized that their brand might be suffering as a result.

Fortunately, there was a savior. In 2001, the Sapporo Dome opened in the biggest city on the northern island of Hokkaido and promptly began seeking a pro team for the 2003 season. Having had enough of being second fiddle in the capital, Nippon Ham decided to move the Fighters up north, re-branding the club in the process, and the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters were born. It was a brilliant move and the local fans were overjoyed to finally have a pro team to call their own. The players in turn responded, winning the Nippon Series in 2006 and making it back again in 2007 and 2009.

Sadly, I myself had never made the trip to Sapporo to watch a game here. It was always something that I would do "next year" but other trips ended up taking precedence. I also wanted to see the local J League team in action, but as both use the dome, it was tough to find a time when they would play within a 3-day span. With my departure from Japan growing closer, a couple of fortuitous events happened. First, Consadole was promoted back to J1 for this season, and second, the schedule maker had them at home just two days after the Fighters closed out a series against Orix.

So I finally headed up to Sapporo so I could once again say that I have been to every ballpark in the NPB.

Sapporo Dome

Built for the 2002 World Cup, the Sapporo Dome is a unique venue in Japan as it can host both baseball and soccer on two different surfaces. Baseball games are played on artificial turf, while soccer uses a grass pitch that slides into and out of the stadium. This in itself is not unknown elsewhere, the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale also features a sliding surface.

Conversion from baseball to football begins with the storage of the baseball field. Once complete, a set of lower bowl bleachers rotate from an angled position to a position parallel to the pitch. A set of seats on one end of the dome then retracts, and the football pitch is slid into the stadium before the entire lower bowl is rotated 90 degrees. Due to the retraction of seats, the dome has a capacity of only 40,476 for baseball games compared to 41,484 for soccer.

The stadium is located about 10 minutes south of Fukuzumi Station on the Toho Line subway. As you round a corner, you are greeted by what appears to be an alien spaceship with a protruding nose (that's the observation deck which costs 500 yen to enter, not open during the game though). There is nothing of note around here, and no vendors along the way as outside food is not permitted. There are three main gates at the north, west, and south sides of the facility and you should enter at the gate printed on your ticket.

Gates open only 90 minutes before game time, but there are a few things to see before entering. In particular, the west gate has a number of interesting displays on the history of the Dome, including memorabilia from the 2002 World Cup, the Fighters and Consadole, and other sporting events that have been held there.

On another wall is a display honouring MVPs for each year for both baseball and soccer, below is Yu Darvish from 2008.

The west gate is completely covered, so it makes sense to wait here for the gates to open as the north and south gates are outdoors and it can be cold in Sapporo in early April. If you bring gym clothes, you can work out at the Training Room, a full gym that costs only 500 yen per entry and is at one end of the west gate.

Once inside, you will find yourself on the main concourse (1F), which is spacious and very clean. Most of the concessions are located here. My recommendation is the Prince Hotel stand which had a good variety of smaller snacks that looked better than the KFC or Mos Burger next to it. The fried chicken with black vinegar sauce was very nice, although it won't come close to filling you up. As usual in Japan, it pays to walk around and check all the different options as there are dozens of stands. One had a cucumber on a stick for those on a health kick.

The second floor (2F) is where you enter the seating area, which are marked by 118 aisles starting from centerfield and going clockwise. Some of these aisles are only accessible by bridges which provide a view of the main concourse below.

This stadium is rare in Japan in that you can walk the entire way around without losing view of the field, but still you need to show your ticket before entering your particular aisle. Rows are numbered from field level to the top, with 76 being the highest.

The best thing about the Sapporo Dome for baseball is that there is no screen down the lines. I was sitting midway between home and first and had an unobstructed view of the game. Finally, a venue that understands that most fans prefer to see the game clearly and don't need unnecessary protection. I had an SS seat and was in row 9, but that was only 3 rows from the field in my area. For 3,500 yen, it was a bargain, especially without the screen. The only problem here is that this section is very moderately sloped, so my view was often blocked by some fans two rows in front who kept moving around to chat to each other. The rest of the seating is very steep and you don't have to worry about that sort of thing.

The Fighters have three game categories and I was fortunate to see a Value Game. The same seat would have been 5,000 yen for a Regular game and 6,500 for Platinum. In those cases, I would recommend the A seats which are quite a bit cheaper. The Field seats are the most expensive but well down the line and protected by a screen so should be avoided. Another seating area that is not for most is the Cinderella seats, as seen in pink below. These are for women only, the catch being that they buy two seats for just slightly more than the price of one, the second seat to be used for their oversized bag.

There is also a third floor above center field where the Kids Plaza is located. Anyone can walk up and take a look out, it is an impressive venue from this angle.

The scoreboard is average at best, and doesn't have the typical layout that you see at other parks. It's all electronic and rather cramped. I didn't snap a picture during the game and they immediately turned it to live TV when the game ended, so you'll have to trust me on this.

After the game, there is a rush back to the station, but I found that it moved well and the train wasn't that crowded. There are also shuttle buses to various other locations in the area, so if you are not staying downtown, you might want to check these out.

I really enjoyed the spaciousness and ease of moving around the dome, along with the food. The problem here turned out to be the fans. First, there were few of them (just over 15,000 spread around the place), so there was no atmosphere. Second, the people in my section were particularly annoying. Those chatting ladies, the parents with their terribly agitated child who couldn't sit still and kept kicking me, the dork with the tripod at the end of the row who forced people to climb over seats, and the old guy who came in the 5th inning and sat next to me before proceeding to suck on a toothpick for the rest of the evening. I know not all Fighters fans here are bad, but damn, people, watch the game!

The Game

Brian Wolfe (above) made his first start of the season for the Fighters against Alfredo Figaro (below), the Buffaloes' ace who had started on opening day, becoming the first foreigner to do so since 2004. Figaro got off to a rough start, giving up two singles to lead off the game. With Yoshio Itoi up, Orix catcher Hikaru Ito tried to fake a throw to second but the ball fell out of his hand and bounded slowly to short, allowing both runners to advanced. Itoi promptly doubled down the left field line to stake the Fighters to a 2-0 lead.

Figaro settled down, retiring 15 of the next 16, but his offense was no help, scratching out a run in the 6th on two singles and a groundout. Wolfe was replaced by Naoki Miyanishi and then Hirotoshi Masui, each of whom threw a scoreless frame.

Aarom Baldiris singles

In the bottom of the 8th, Sho Nakata came up with two out. He was 0-22 to start the season and the fans were on his case. Orix brought in righty reliever Ryota Katsuki, who grooved a 2-1 pitch that Nakata simply crushed to left field, to much cheer from the supporters. The 3-1 lead was enough for closer Hisashi Takeda, who retired the side in order in the 9th for his first save of the year.

A fairly pedestrian game with those initial two runs holding up for the Fighters, who salvaged a win in the three-game set. Despite the loss, Figaro shaved over 2 runs off his ERA with some great cut fastballs.

Notes

The Fighters have an interesting balloon operation running here. Fans are given both blue and gold balloons. The blue ones are released in the 7th inning as is tradition, while the gold ones are saved for when the team wins. With a 3-1 lead, I saw many fans inflating their balloons, which I thought was a bit of a jinx move, but the Fighters prevailed.

After the game, they even had a very brief display of fireworks in the outfield.

Next Up

Tomorrow sees defending J League champions Kashiwa Reysol here to take on Consadole. Check back for a report in a couple of days.

Best,

Sean

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Fighters 1 at Marines 5/Marines 3 at Fighters 2 - Minor Major Doubleheader - August 17, 2010

The Nippon Ham Fighters are back in Tokyo this week for a 3-game set against the Chiba Lotte Marines. The teams are locked in a battle for the 3rd and final playoff spot in the Pacific League, with the Marines holding a 2.5 game lead. Orix is also in the running just another game back. It's not quite as exciting as a pennant race, but with the NPB allowing half the teams into the playoffs, it's the best we can get.

Interestingly, both teams' minor-league squads faced off in the afternoon in Lotte Urawa Stadium. So I decided to check that out as well, making it a doubleheader with the same teams, just in different stadiums.

Game 1 - Nippon Ham Fighters 1 at Chiba Lotte Marines 5

Lotte was the home team here and Yuta Ohmine (above) got the start for them. He was the hard-luck loser in the game I saw in the Tokyo Dome last week, giving up just two runs in 6 innings but falling to the Giants 2-1.

Today though, he got some run support as Lotte broke out with 2 runs in the 2nd off Mitsuo Yoshikawa. After Juan Muniz (above on third) walked and Shota Ohmine singled, Katsuya Kakunaka doubled them both home. That's Shota rounding third below.

In the 6th, Makoto Imaoka led off with a double and later scored on a sac fly by catcher Masahiko Tanaka (shown below stretching in the bullpen). Lotte added two more in the 7th on a Kakunaka walk and doubles from Takumi Kohbe and Imaoka.

Meanwhile, Ohmine was pitching a gem. Through 8 innings he had given up just three hits and two walks while throwing 127 pitches. With the Marines holding a 5-run lead, I figured they would take him out as it was a rather stifling 35C (95F) out. But no, he wanted the shutout, so he came in to pitch the ninth. Pinch-hitter Kazuya Murata led off with a double and advanced to third on a groundout. Ohmine then uncorked a wild pitch and the shutout was gone. After walking Kenji Satoh, Ohmine was finally taken out of the game, having tossed a mere 140 pitches. Kodai Matsumoto came in and got pinch-hitter Manabu Iwadate to ground into a double play to end the game.

Fighters 3rd baseman Suguru Ichikawa

This was a critical win for Lotte who are now tied for the lead in the Eastern League with the Giants. I was impressed with Ohmine's stamina given how hot it was. Imaoka (below), who is in his first season with Lotte after 13 campaigns with Hanshin, was the key offensive player with the two doubles. What I found amusing is that he didn't waste any time at the plate, only seeing 6 pitches in his 4 appearances. His two outs were deep flies to center, so he was certainly seeing the ball well.

Overall, an interesting and thankfully quick game that allowed me to get down to the Tokyo Dome in plenty of time for the nightcap.

Game 2 - Chiba Lotte Marines 3 at Nippon Ham Fighters 2

The starters were both foreigners, with Bill Murphy (above) getting the call for Lotte against Bobby Keppel (below) for the Fighters. Murphy spent the last two seasons with the Blue Jays organization but only saw action in 8 big league games before signing a lucrative contract to play in Japan. He was 9-4 with a 3.69 ERA. Keppel was with the Twins last season but decided to seek his fortune over here and it was a wise choice as he is 12-4 so far.

I had high expectations for this game and wasn't disappointed. Murphy started poorly though, giving up two runs in the first, highlighted by a double from Eiichi Koyano. But the Fighters left the bases loaded when catcher Shinya Tsuruoka grounded out.

In the top of the third, Toshiaki Imae grounded a single past diving shortstop Makoto Kaneko, who didn't get up immediately. The Fighters gathered around as the trainer checked him out, and it wasn't good news. Kaneko had to be helped off the field (looks like a torn calf) and was replaced by Yuji Iiyama. What's interesting is that Iiyama had played in the afternoon's game as well, going 0-for-4 before being taken out in the 9th, no doubt so he could make the trip down to the Dome.

Despite the setback, Keppel continued to pitch well, breezing through 4 innings before running into trouble. With two out and runners on first and second, Tadahito Iguchi (who won the World Series with Chicago back in 2005) blooped a ball that fell just inside the right field foul line. It rolled to the fence and both runners came around to score, with Toshiaki Imae taking out Tsuruoka with an aggressive slide. Tsuruoka didn't like that much and must have said something because next thing you know, both dugouts emptied. A bench-clearing brawl! Not really, this is Japan after all. The players merely milled around home plate for a minute before returning without any punches being thrown.

The score remained tied through 7, but in the 8th Iguchi took Keppel's first offering to deep center to give Lotte a 3-2 lead. Keppel finished the inning but the damage was done. In the bottom half, the Fighters Sho Nakata was hit by reliever Shingo Ono with one out. Tsuruoka sacrificed him to second but Iiyama grounded out to end that threat.

In the 9th, closer Hiroyuki Kobayashi came on for Lotte and gave up a leadoff single to Kensuke Tanaka. After another sacrifice, Atsunori Inaba walked. Koyano grounded out to advance both runners and bring Yoshio Itoi to the plate. It was do-or-die time but Itoi couldn't come through, grounding to Iguchi to end the game. Murphy got his 10th win and Kobayashi picked up his 21st save while Keppel dropped to 12-5.

This was a thriller that came down to the last pitch. The story of the game was how many chances Nippon Ham wasted. They left 13 men on base and constantly took themselves out of rallies with sacrifice bunts (5 in total, plus a missed bunt that resulted in a line drive double play). Murphy and the relievers did not pitch particularly well, yielding 15 baserunners, but they were able to escape every jam as the Fighters just gave them outs. I felt like Nippon Ham was playing scared, just trying to get a run here and there when a big rally was what they needed. I am not a fan of the sacrifice to begin with, but using it 5 or 6 times in a game is just silly. That's Itoi below preparing for another one.

With the win, Lotte moved 3.5 games up with two more games in the series. You have to feel for poor Iiyama, he played 15 innings in the two losses, going a combined 1-6 in the process.

Thoughts

It is unfortunate that the NPB changed the rules to allow three teams into the playoffs in each league as there would be two great pennant races now: Hanshin leads Yomiuri by a game in the Central League with Chunichi just 2.5 back; in the PL Seibu leads Softbank by 1.5 games. First place still matters as that team hosts all games in the Climax Series final stage, but it's not as compelling as eliminating the other team during the regular season. Fans of the teams fighting for third might disagree, but I think the long baseball season should reward only the best teams with a playoff spot. Even the wild card in MLB is a bad idea.

Best,

Sean

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Orix Buffaloes 3 at Nippon Ham Fighters 2 - March 31, 2010

The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters play most of their home games in Sapporo now, but they have three series in Tokyo this season. I'm not sure why this is, but it is a bit strange that their first home game is not even in their regular home ballpark. But I'm not complaining, it gives me a chance to get to the Tokyo Dome without having to watch a Giants game. Today was the second in a two-game set against the Orix Buffaloes. The defending Pacific League champion Fighters are off to a terrible start at 1-5-1 while Orix, who finished in last place in 2009, is leading the Pacific League at 6-1.

The Game

Buddy Carlyle got the start for the Fighters. He's a journeyman who pitched for Hanshin back in 2001-02 and he spent last three seasons with the Atlanta organization, where he won 8 games in 2007. He was opposed by Shogo Yamamoto, whose in his 10th NPB season but only his 3rd as a regular starter. He's a control pitcher who averages just over 2 walks per 9 innings.

Both pitchers were on their game tonight, albeit with completely different styles. Carlyle challenged the Orix hitters, only walking one and scattering 4 hits over his 6 scoreless innings. He was taken out after 6 with a remarkably efficient pitch count of 72. I'm not sure why he was taken out either as it seemed like he could have continued without a problem.

Yamamoto had a tough second inning giving up a run-scoring double to Tomohiro Nioka but he struck out Sho Nakata and induced Shota Ohno into a ground out to leave two runners stranded. He settled down after that but his pitch count was quite high - still he remained in game through 8 innings, ending with 134 pitches but only one walk. But he was in line to be the hard-luck loser as the Buffaloes couldn't get anything off relievers Yoshinori Tateyama and Naoki Miyanishi.

Alex Cabrera watches a towering popup

Orix was down to their last three outs but with the Nippon Ham bullpen struggling this season, it wasn't game over. Closer Hisashi Takeda blew two saves over the weekend and is currently sporting a 20.25 ERA, so in the top of the 9th, newcomer Brian Wolfe trotted out to close the game. Wolfe had spent the last 3 years with the Blue Jays organization and had an ERA under 3 for the first two season, but he struggled in 2009 and now he's in Japan. So far this season he's made three 1-inning appearances without yielding a run, so he was a good candidate for the closer role.

Unfortunately, the role seems to be jinxed. Alex Cabrera lined the first pitch to left for a single, and Greg LaRocca (shown above) followed with a single of his own to bring Takahiro Okada to the plate. For some reason, he likes to be called T-Okada. He was the Buffaloes' first round pick in 2006 but has spent most of his career in the Western League, where he bashed 21 homers last year. Wolfe challenged him and Okada responded, belting the first pitch just over the left field fence for a 3-run shot! Wow. I was sitting near 3rd base and was surrounded by Orix employees who were extremely excited at this sudden development. Wolfe was less than thrilled, but he managed to get the next three hitters in order to send us to the bottom of the ninth with the Fighters down 3-1.

Jon Leicester entered for Orix and after getting one out, gave up a walk and a single. This brought Nioka to the plate, and he got his second RBI of the game with a single to left and it was 3-2. Tomochika Tsuboi pinch-hit and crushed the first pitch to deep center. It looked like the Fighters would win after all but centerfielder Tomotaka Sakaguchi raced back and made a game-saving catch at the wall. Kazuya Murata pinch-hit for the slumping Ohno but he swung on the first pitch and grounded weakly to first. Leicester took the throw covering and the game was over just like that. Wolfe takes the loss and Carlyle gets nothing for his work. But Yamamoto was rewarded for his stamina, getting the comeback win.

This was a strange affair with all the action packed into the last 20 minutes. I enjoyed the different pitching styles on display, but was happy that only 3 walks were given up by both teams. There was also some great defense, including a leaping grab at the hot corner by LaRocca to take a double away from Atsunori Inaba. That's Inaba below on 3rd with LaRocca defending in the 6th inning. Needless to see, Inaba was stranded there.

Notes

Tickets to the upper deck were not sold and still there were plenty of empty seats. The Fighters simply don't rate here in Tokyo, which is why they moved to Hokkaido, where their fan base is strong. The next Tokyo Dome series for the Fighters is in July against Softbank.

The Japanese national anthem was played before the game but most fans didn't bother standing. It's not a tradition here so I think most people don't know how to react.

The 2009 Pacific League Pennant was hoisted to the top of the dome along with the team flags as you can see in the picture below.

After the game, my friend Chris and I stopped at a cafe which was showing the Giants game. They were down in Yokohama to take on the Bay Stars. It was 5-5 when we arrived but ex-Fighter Termel Sledge ended things with a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 9th. I found it ironic that the Fighters are struggling and lost on a 3-run shot while one of their best players from last year was winning his game with a 3-run jack just a few miles away.

Next Up

I'm flying to Singapore tomorrow morning and hoping to catch the Formula 1 Malaysian Grand Prix this weekend. Check back next week for an update.

Best,

Sean

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Nippon Ham Fighters 0 at Yomiuri Giants 4 - March 30 - Eastern League

One of the best things about Japanese baseball is the early season start. The Pacific League got underway on March 20th while the Central League began on the 26th. The Western League began even earlier with a couple of games on Friday the 19th. As for the Eastern League, which has 6 teams in the greater Tokyo area, it also began on the 20th but poor weather has kept me at home for the first week. But today was a relatively balmy 10 degrees so I decided to visit Giants Stadium to get back into baseball.

I was in for a bit of a shock when I arrived. Last season tickets here were only 700 yen but inflation has hit the minor leagues suddenly and this year it's now 1,000 yen to get in. That's a whopping 43% increase! It's still a bargain though, but it means that 3 of the local stadiums charge 1,000 yen (unless they've raised their prices this season) while 3 are still free.

The Game

I got to the park just a few minutes before first pitch and was surprised to see that Kazuhito Tadano was starting for the Fighters. Despite being a highly touted prospect back in 2002, he was blackballed by the NPB after appearing in a gay porn video. Instead he made his way to the majors where he appeared in 15 games for Cleveland in 2004-05. But he couldn't stick in MLB and was finally drafted in Japan in 2007, pitching for Nippon Ham the last two years. I'm not sure why he's in the minors at this time. He was opposed by Satoshi Fukuda, who has pitched in 48 games over 5 seasons with the big team but seems to be a career minor leaguer.

Tadano delivers

Both pitchers were strong over the first four innings but Fukuda was slightly better, yielding just a single and a walk in that time. In the 5th, Giants' rookie catcher Tomoya Ichikawa crushed a double to left to score Takanori Hoshi and give the Giants a 1-0 lead. But Tadano escaped with no further damage and left after 6 innings still trailing by a run.

Daijiro Tanaka grounds out

In the 7th, ex-Fighter Kazunari Sanematsu hit a sharp grounder to third but Takahiro Imanami made a poor throw and Sanematsu was safe. Next up was Daisuke Fujimura who grounded to second. But Kenshi Sugiya lost his grip on the ball throwing to first and suddenly there were runners on first and second with nobody out. After a sacrifice bunt, Ryota Wakiya (shown below) singled to score both runners. Wakiya later scored on a Kenji Yano double to make it 4-0. All 3 runs were unearned for Shintaro Ejiri, who has pitched with the big club already this season.

Fukuda was replaced by Takahiko Nomaguchi who pitched the final 3 innings, yielding just two more hits and notching the save as the Giants won 4-0. It wasn't a great game for the Fighters who had 4 hits and 3 errors to snap a 5-game winning streak and drop to 5-3. The Giants moved to 3-1 on the year. Because there are 7 teams in the league, teams have several days off and the Giants have already had 3 off days and two rainouts. As an aside, I really can't understand why they don't just merge the two minor leagues; Japan is not that big and travel costs shouldn't be prohibitive. Doesn't make sense to have players not playing.

Balls and Strikes

One interesting change this year in Japanese baseball is that balls are now counted first. Until now, strikes were always first, so a full count was 2-3. But the powers that be decided to follow the west and modified the rule. I noticed it when the umpire called out "Suree-two" when the count was full. Scoreboards have not been fixed yet as you can see below - strikes are still above balls. I wonder if they will bother...

The Gondola

I had some time after the game so took the gondola ride over Yomiuriland, the amusement park that is next to the stadium. If you are visiting, I highly recommend this ride as you get a great view of the ballpark as you go by. It's only 200 yen and takes about 5 minutes. The pictures below show the steps that you need to take to the stadium, as well as the Giants working out after the game. Yep, in Japan there is always work to be done, even after a win. The players were running sprints as I passed overhead.

Next Up

The big-league Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters have a 2-game set in Tokyo this week. So I'll go to the game tonight with my friend Chris, who has yet to see a baseball game in Japan. Then I'm off to Singapore tomorrow for a couple of days before heading to Malaysia for the Grand Prix this weekend. Not sure how much time I'll have to post, but check back on occasion for updates.

Best,

Sean

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