Games from the 29th:

Oakland A's 2 - Seattle Mariners 0
Ichiro Suzuki started in right and batted first.  He went 0-for-3: fly out to center, walk, fly out to left, strikeout swinging.  Ichiro finished the season with 184 hits.

Hideki Matsui entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the top of the 6th and remained in the game as the DH.  He went 0-for-2: fly out to center, GIDP.

Detroit Tigers 5 - Cleveland Indians 4
Kosuke Fukudome started in right and batted first.  He went 0-for-3: strikeout looking, strikeout (foul tip), fly out to left, HBP.  Fukudome was replaced by a pinch-hitter in the top of the 9th.

Texas Rangers 3 - LA Angels 1
Koji Uehara entered the game in the bottom of the 7th, with the game tied at 1, and tossed a shutout inning in relief.  Final line: 1 IP, 4 BF, 23-16 NP-S, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR.

Hisanori Takahashi entered the game in the top of the 8th (run on first, no out, game tied at 1) and got out of the inning without allowing a run to score.  Final line: 1 IP, 4 BF, 14-7 NP-S, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR.

Milwaukee Brewers 7 - Pittsburgh Pirates 3
Takashi Saito entered the game in the top of the 7th, with the Brewers up 7-2, and retired the side in order.  Final line: 1 IP, 3 BF, 19-12 NP-S, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR.

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The San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser notes that there's a good chance Hideki Matsui will return to the A's next season.  A snip from one of her articles:

I just spoke to team president Mike Crowley, who wouldn’t come out and say the A's are re-signing Matsui – the team wouldn’t do that until it's all official – but he did say, stating the obvious and somewhat tongue-in-cheek, "Certainly Major League Baseball would be very happy if we brought him back. Ichiro and Matsui in Japan would be a good thing for everyone."

If it happens, here's the thinking: He's not going to be very expensive ($2 million or thereabouts), it would be a one-year deal, and given the price tag, should Matsui dramatically underperform again in the first half, the team could let him go without taking an enormous hit.

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Hiroki Kuroda looks back on his season and beyond, from Nikkan Sports:

I did reach one of my goals (200 innings) and I did it by doing my best each and every game. ... Anything is a possibility right now and there's nothing I can say [about what I'll do for next season].  I need some time to think.

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Ryota Igarashi is open to playing in either the US or Japan.  Via Nikkan Sports:

I do have feelings of trying a little more in the Majors. ... But it might be difficult for me to get a contract for next season.  I'd like to consider my options and pick which is best for myself and for my family.  And Japan is included in that. ... I managed to learn things in the Majors and improve myself.

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Nikkan Sports posted the from an Ichiro Suzuki press conference:

It seems things didn't go quite as well as you could have wished this year...

I got to try a number of things this season.  I got to do a number of trial and error type things.  But because that went well in April, it made the second half more difficult for me.  That came out in May and June.

You must have heard a lot of background noise (or, the background noise must have gotten to you)...

Actually, I didn't really hear that much.  But in the second half, I started getting e-mails from people around me, like my friends.  Just the other day in Texas, [Koji] Uehara said to me, "It must be difficult with the racket."  From those kinds of interactions, I realized what the public sentiment was.  It's a completely different feeling for me and I found that to be amusing.

You said that you stopped paying attention to numbers last season...

Oddly, when people start talking about things you can't do, that's when you find yourself wanting to [prove them wrong].

Do you think expectations will change now that the streak is over?

I think it will make things easier.

Your thoughts on next year's opening series taking place in Japan...

The current season just ended.  That's still far-off in the future, so I can't really comment.

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Nikkan Sports has the following quote from Tsuyoshi Nishioka on his first year in the Majors:

I couldn't accomplish any of my goals this season.  I was a frustrating year.  I had to face myself a lot in tough times.  I think this will turn out to be a good experience for me.  Next year will be a very important year.  I'll still be a challenger.  I'd like to continue making adjustments in my playing style so that I'm a better fit for baseball over here.

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