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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Chiba Lotte Marines 4 at Rakuten Golden Eagles 2 - April 1, 2012

The Rakuten Golden Eagles are the newest franchise in the NPB, having been formed in 2005 to replace the Kintetsu Buffaloes, who merged with the Orix Blue Wave. The irony of replacing the Blue Wave is unfortunately noted here as the Eagles are based in Tohoku, which was devastated by the double disasters from last year. Sendai is the base city for the team and it sustained heavy damage from the earthquake before its coastal areas and airport were inundated by the tsunami. Kleenex Stadium was not spared, suffering structural damage that was only recently completely repaired. Last season the team played their first few home series in the Kobe area before returning home, becoming a symbol of the area's rebuilding efforts in the process.

Kleenex Stadium Miyagi

Kleenex Stadium Miyagi was opened in 1950 and actually served as the home ground for the Lotte Orions (now the Chiba Lotte Marines) between 1973 and 1977. However, it was very dated when the Eagles were granted a franchise and much renovation was done to modernize it in time for their first game. In fact, when I first went I initially thought it was a new stadium, a testament to the great job done here.

The stadium is located about a 20-minute walk from the main train station but if you prefer you can take the JR Senseki line two stops to Miyaginohara (above), which is known as "Baseball Station" due to its proximity to the ballpark. From there, it is just a 5-minute stroll to the stadium, which lies next to a track and field facility.

Gates open two hours before game time, but there is so much going on outside the ballpark that getting there early is worthwhile. First, there are dozens of concessions that sit outside the actual stadium and offer everything from hot wine to the local delicacy, gyutan (cow's tongue). For those without a taste for the unusual, there was even a KFC stand. Take your time to walk around and see all the possibilities; you can easily have two meals here. There are even some seating areas where you can grab a table and relax with your lunch.

The information desk has a great brochure listing all the spots both inside and outside the gates. My recommendation is the steak don on level 3, it is crowded and takes a while to get the food, but was good value for the price. The Eagles Nest Sports Lounge was very popular as well, likely for providing some indoor warmth on this chilly April afternoon.

Fans also arrive early to participate in many special giveaways. I noticed 3 or 4 large lines, each one for a different promotion. Often one needs to be a member of a fan club or have a special type of ticket to participate. There is always a guy holding a sign indicating the end of the queue, if you are not sure, you can ask him what the line is for.

The mascots make their appearance signing autographs the kids, who also have the option of riding a small train around the stadium for a small fee. You can also find a home plate and bases buried beneath thick plastic windows; there doesn't seem to be any meaning behind them and the windows were covered with condensation so I couldn't read the plaque inside. The Eagles have a very active cheer squad known as the Angels consisting of about 16 young ladies who dance on the field during the game. Beforehand they have a couple of shows on a stage located near gate R2, where you can also find the usual hordes of perverts with their zoom lenses.

Tickets here vary widely in price as Rakuten has adopted the variable pricing method, with five categories of game, ranging from Platinum down to Value, with Gold, Silver, and Bronze rounding out the list. I don't know why they didn't use a cheap metal like copper for the Value category; this inconsistency is highly bothersome. Anyway, the most expensive ticket is called a Golden Seat (yet again with the metals) and costs 7,700 yen for the Platinum games and only 3,100 yen for the Value games. So go to the Value games if you can. There are 18 different seating options, so the ticket matrix lists 90 possibilities, which I will not detail here. My advice is to sit in the infield A seats or upper level seats on the 3rd base side. One good thing about Kleenex Stadium is that the screen doesn't extend all the way down the lines so if you are sitting high enough, you can have an unobstructed view of the field from these seats.

I bought a field level seat from where the view was poor (see picture above), so I moved to a better location after a few innings. The field level seats have their own gate and no concessions as well as no other way to access the rest of the stadium. Fortunately, you can move back and forth between the main stand and the field seats as long as you tell them that you are going to get some food. Once I found a seat I liked, I planted myself down. A few innings later, a staff member inquired about my ticket and I said I didn't have one for this area. She said that's fine, but please move if the seat holder returns. Well duh!

Getting around the main part of the stadium is a pain. The walkway has two gates that force you to go up some stairs and back down on the other side. These gates are easily moved and vendors are constantly passing through them, so it makes no sense that fans can't have the same access.

The inner concourses are quite small, particularly the third floor which is heavily crowded before the game as fans line up for food. Capacity here is a 23,000, about half that of the Tokyo Dome, but it certainly seems much more busy with the small floor space.

There are two scoreboards: the main one is the typical Japanese one with lineups and the linescore, but there is also a video screen that shows detailed stats as the game progresses. Definitely something I'd like to see at other parks.

Some fans who won a contest are allowed on the field before the game to play catch, and all fans are invited on the field afterwards, although you have to wait 30 minutes after the game finishes.

Just before the game starts, an eagle flies in from beyond the outfield fence to first base, a majestic sight that is somewhat ironic given the team rarely soars into the playoffs (only one playoff appearance in seven seasons).

When I first visited here in 2005, I thought it was the best ballpark in Japan, but upon reflection, I think I overstated things then. The food selection is great and there are lots of cool things around, but the location is not that good and once inside, moving around is a hassle. Even with these problems though, it is better than the average domed stadium and certainly worth a trip to Sendai to see the Golden Eagles.

The Game

A very interesting pitching matchup was the story here with 43-year-old Tsuyoshi Shimoyanagi taking the hill for the Eagles against star rookie Takahiro Fujioka (below), who led his Toyo University team to the past two national championships. I saw him pitch one of the games during their 2010 run where he threw a complete game. Drafted 3rd overall, Fujioka was also coveted by the Eagles, but the Marines won the special lottery and were ecstatic to get him. (In Japan, the first round of the draft is governed by different rules: each team picks a player they want and if two or more clubs desire the same guy, a draw is held to decide which team gets him.) As this was only the third game of the season, this would be Fujioka's first pro start.

The Marines had won the first two games and started quickly here when Ikuhiro Kiyota led off with a double. Naturally, the next batter sacrificed and already I was annoyed with Japanese baseball. Why sacrifice when the first batter doubled? Challenge the pitcher! When former Chisox Tadahito Iguchi (below) popped out on a great over-the-shoulder catch by second baseman Kensuke Uchimura, it looked like the sacrifice would be for nought, but clean-up hitter Josh Whitesell singled and the Marines had the early lead.

Fujioka came on to much anticipation from the Lotte fans and promptly retired the first three batters, including two strikeouts. During the game, he showed a strong fastball touching 150km/h (93 mph) as well as a very good curve ball that had a couple of hitters missing badly. When the Marines added two more in the third including an RBI single by Iguchi, it looked like Fujioka had enough support. He yielded a run in the 5th on a walk, double, and Uchimura groundout, but Lotte got it right back in the 6th when Kiyota singled home Shota Ishimine who had doubled.

Fujioka continued unabated, retiring 10 in a row (that's Jose Fernandez making an out above) before giving up a single to lead-off batter Ryo Hijirisawa with two out in the 8th. After Ginji Akaminai (who follows Ichiro's annoying habit of going by his first name) got a lucky double that scored Hijirisawa, Fujioka was finally pulled. His scoreline was excellent, only 4 hits, 2 ER, and 6 K's while throwing 128 pitches. No rookie babysitting here; I was very impressed. Fellow rookie Naoya Masuda got out of the mini-jam and closer Yasuhiko Yabuta pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his second save of the season to give the Marines the 4-2 win and the series sweep. It is the first time in 55 years that they have won three in a row to start the season.

A fairly entertaining game that will be remembered for the brilliant debut of Fujioka. No doubt Lotte fans have forgotten last year's last place finish and are dreaming of a return to the championship glory years of 2010, led by their new, prized rookie. Should be a fun summer in Chiba!

Notes

After the game I went to Yurtec Stadium to watch a women's soccer friendly between the US and Japan. I'll post about that tomorrow.

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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