===

Sapporo Dome | Attendance: 42,328 | Time: 3h 43m | Fighters take series, 4-1

The Fighters beat the Eagles, 9-4, and will now take on the Yomiuri Giants at the Nippon Series.

A sac fly by Terrmel Sledge (3-for-3, BB, HR, 2 R, 5 RBI) in the bottom of the first with the bases loaded and 1 out gave the Fighters a 1-0 lead.   The Fighters tacked on 3 more runs in the bottom of the 2nd when Yoshio Itoi (1-for-3, BB, R) started the inning off with a single, advanced to second on a sac bunt, and then an out later, came around to score on triple into right by Kensuke Tanaka (1-for-4, BB, 3B, R, RBI);  Hichori Morimoto (4-for-5, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI) followed with a homer to left that gave the Fighters a 4-0 lead.

The Eagles finally made some noise in the top of the 4th on an RBI single by Fernando Seguignol (2-for-4, R, 2 RBI) with runners on first and second and 2 out.  A walk later, with the bases loaded, Ryuji Miyade (1-for-2, 2 RBI) drove in 2 runs with a single in to center.

But the Fighters pushed away in the bottom of the 7th on an RBI single by Sledge with a runner on second and 1 out; and Shinya Tsuruoka's (1-for-1, RBI) squibber down the third base line that allowed Sledge to score from third with 2 out.

Down 6-3 in the top of the 8th, Naoto Watanabe (1-for-5, 2 R) led off the inning with a single.  An out later, Takeshi Yamasaki (1-for-3, BB, R) walked to put runners on first and second.  Seguignol's single into right pulled the Eagles to within 2 runs of tying the game.  But both Todd Linden (1-for-2, 2B) and Masato Nakamura (0-for-2) went down on strike outs to ruin the best chance the Eagles had all game.

Terrmel Sledge, the Eagles' nemesis for the series, nailed a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 8th with 2 outs to give the Fighters a 9-4 lead.

Hisashi Takeda took the mound in the top of the 9th and gave up a lead-off single to Daisuke Kusano (1-for-4) before retiring the next three batters in order to end the game and the series.

Missed Opportunities
Eagles
4th: runners on second and third, 2 out > Kusano flied out
5th: runner on second, 1 out > N. Watanabe flied out and Teppei fouled out to first
6th: runner on second, 2 out > pinch hitter M. Nakamura grounded out
8th: runners on first and second, 1 out > Linden struck out and M. Nakamura struck out

Fighters
1st: runners on first and third, 2 out > Koyano flied out
4th: runners on first and second, no out > Koyano popped out bunt, Itoi walked, Ohno struck out, M. Kaneko grounded out
7th: runners on first and second, 2 out > M. Kaneko grounded out

Eagles: 7 LOB, 0 DP
Fighters: 9 LOB, 0 DP

News
The Fighters outhit the Eagles, 14-9. ... Sho Nakata made it into the game on Saturday as a pinch hitter and struck out in his only at bat in the 6th.

Rakuten Eagles

Nippon Ham Fighters

===

...In a move that usually isn't done, Katsuya Nomura was tossed into the air after the game by both members of the team.

===

Takeshi Yamasaki after the game:

"From the first very first step, he took a weak Eagles team and turned it into a strong on. He taught me about burning regret.  And it was the manager that brought us here to the Climax Series.

Masahiro Tanaka after the game (from the same article linked above):

"He said some pretty harsh things to me, but I consider it tough love. ... I'll do my best not to forget all the things he has told me."

Nomura's message to Masataka Nashida:

"I wish you the best of luck as a rep of the Pacific League.  I'll be going to was you play at the Nippon Series."

===

...The fans were a bit anxious for the game to end as some fans prematurely sent streamers onto the field thinking that the final out would be made.

...Yu Darvish continues to hold on to hope that he might be able to pitch during the Nippon Series but Nashida feels differently, saying, "He probably won't pitch. We'll see how it goes but if he can't pitch, then he can't pitch.  He had his heart set on pitching so I feel really bad."

...Nomura Katsuya originally wanted to intentionally walk Terrmel Sledge in the bottom of the 8th but Hisashi Iwakuma wanted the challenge of facing him.

...Fighters' pitching coach Masato Yoshii was a pitcher under Nomura while he was with the Yakult Swallows. He was apparently one of the first people on the field to rush over and give Nomura a hug at the end of the game.

...The Fighters held a public viewing for their employees at their Osaka Nippon Ham offices on Friday night.  About 200 employees showed up.  A public viewing event held Fighters' Town in Kamagaya drew about 500 fans.

===

PL Climax Series MVP

Terrmel Sledge

Sledge didn't do much hitting during the middle 2 games, but otherwise did extremely well.  And it was his walk-off grand slam in game 1 that set the tone for the rest of the series.

Game 1: 3-for-5, HR, R, 5 RBI

single, ground out, strike out, single, grand slam

Game 2: 0-for-3, HBP

line out, line out, strike out, HBP

Game 3: 0-f0r-4

ground out, strike out, foul out, strike out

Game 4: 3-for-3, BB, HR, 2 R, 5 RBI

sac fly, single, walk, single, 2-run HR

Total: 6-for-15, BB, HBP, 2 HR, 3 R, 10 RBI

===

Tokyo Dome | Attendance: 46,535 | Time: 3h 37m | Giants take series, 4-1

The Giants convincingly beat the Chunichi Dragons, 8-2, to advance to the Nippon Series.

Hayato Sakamoto (2-for-4, 2) led off the first inning with a double and came around to score when Kenichi Nakata (P) made a throwing error on  Tetsuya Matsumoto's (1-for-2, BB, 2 R) sac bunt.  Michihiro Ogasawara (1-for-3, 2 BB, R) walked to put runners on first and second.  Alex Ramirez (1-for-5, R, 2 RBI) struck out next for the first out of the inning, but Yoshiyuki Kamei (3-for-4, R, RBI) hit a single in to center to give the Giants a 2-0 lead.  Yoshitomo Tani (1-for-4, HR, R, 4 RBI) struck out and Shinnosuke Abe (0-for-2, 2 BB) flied out to left for the final two outs of the inning.

The Giants pushed 5 more runs across in the bottom of the 3rd:

Matsumoto walked and stole second.  Ogasawara hit a single that put runners on first and third. Ramirez drove in the third run of the game with a single into left.  Kamei reached on a bunt single that loaded the bases.  And Tani delivered the decisive blow: a grand slam to put the Giants up by 7.

Chunichi finally got on the board in the top of the 4th on a 1-out solo homer by Tony Blanco (1-for-4, HR, R, RBI).  In the top of the 5th, the Dragons tacked on another run after Masahiro Araki (1-for-4, RBI) hit a single into center following a 1-out single by Motonobu Tanishige (2-for-4, R), a fielding error by Kamei (1B) on a grounder to first by pinch hitter Kazuki Inoue (0-for-1), and a single into center by Hirokazu Ibata (1-for-4) to load the bases.

An RBI ground out by Ramirez in the bottom of the 6th with runners on first and third and 1 out gave the Giants an 8-2 lead.

The Giants bullpen retired the last 10 batters in  row to keep the Dragons from scoring any more runs after the 5th.

Missed Opportunities
Dragons
3rd: runner on second, 1 out > Ibata grounded out, runner on third, Araki struck out
5th: bases loaded, 1 out > Morino struck out and Blanco struck out

Giants
1st: runners on first and second, 1 out > Tani struck out and Abe flied out
3rd: runners on first and third, 1 out >  Sakamoto struck out
6th: runner on second, 2 out > Kamei flied out
8th: runner on 2nd, 1 out > Ogasawara flied out, runner on third, Ramirez struck out

Dragons: 6 LOB, 0 DP
Giants: 8 LOB, 0 DP

News
The Giants outhit the Dragons, 9-6. ... The grand slam was Tani' first of his career. ...Attendance of 46,535 established a new season high.

Chunichi Dragons

Yomiuri Giants

===

Hiromitsu Ochiai after the game:

"Although we ended up losing, [I think] we still have room to grow.  If we can improve ourselves a bit more, we can become as good as the Giants.  We didn't have what it takes to win this year, but I think we have more than enough chance to overtake them next season."

===

...Giants' players have been staying at the hotel near the Tokyo Dome for the Climax Series.  Since there's some concern about the swine flu, the players have been told to avoid public places.  Because of that, it seems some Giants' players have turned to holding rock, scissor, paper tournaments to pass the time away.

Like I said, this country just loves a good game of rock, scissor paper.

===

Kazuyoshi Tatsunami's last ever at bat of his career ended up being a fly out to left in the top of the 9th  against Marc Kroon.  Fans gave Tatsunami a nice round of applause he trotted back to the dugout after his at bat.

===

CL Climax Series MVP

Ryota Wakiya

Wakiya had only three trips to the plate over the four games the Giants played against the Dragons, but it was his pinch hit 2-run double in Friday night's game that helped the team continue its winning ways.

===

Sapporo Dome | Attendance: 42,328 | Time: 2h 48m | Fighter lead series, 3-1.

The Eagles managed to stave off elimination for at least one more day by beating the Fighters, 3-2.

Shinji Takahashi's (1-for-4, HR, R, RBI) home run to lead off the bottom of the second gave the Fighters a 1-0 lead.

In  the top of the 4th, the Eagles scored all the runs they'd need for the game:

Naoto Watanabe (2-for-3, HR, R, RBI) led off with a home run that tied the game at 1. Teppei (1-for-4, R) followed with a single in to right. Takeshi Yamasaki (0-for-4) flied out to right. Fernando Seguignol (1-for-4, R) singled into right, runners on first and third.  Toshiya Nakashima (1-for-2, BB, RBI) drove in the go ahead run with a single into left, runners on first and second.  Todd Linden (0-for-4) hit into a force at second, runners on first and third.  Daisuke Kusano (1-for-3, RBI) pushed across a big insurance run with a single into left, runners on first and third.  Jin Nakatani (0-for-3) flied out to left to end the inning.

Meanwhile, after giving up the home run to Takahashi in the 2nd, Masahiro Tanaka was doing a great job of shutting the Fighters down.  After giving up a 2-out single in the 4th, Tanaka retired 10 straight batters before giving up 2 consecutive singles in the bottom of the 8th, which ultimately ended up being the turning point of the game.

Pinch hitter Naoto Inada (1-for-1, R) and Makoto Kaneko (2-for-3) started the inning off with back-to-back singles.  A sac bunt by Kensuke Tanaka (1-for-3) advanced the runners to second and third and set up Hichori Morimoto's (0-for-3, RBI) sac fly in to center.  With a runner now on third and 2 out, Tanaka walked Atsunori Inaba (0-for-3, BB) on 7 pitches, one of which was a 153km/h fastball, to put runners on first and third.  And that brought up Takahashi, who earlier hit a home run and had 5 RBIs in the series so far.  But Tanaka bore down and managed to strike out Takahashi to end the inning and preserve the 1-run lead.

Both teams went down in order in the 9th as the Eagles managed to stay alive for at least one more game.

Missed Opportunities
Eagles
1st: runner on second, 1 out > Teppei struck out and T. Yamasaki struck out
4th: runners on first and third, 2 out > Nakatani flied out

Fighters
3rd: runners on first and third, 1 out > Morimoto struck out and Inaba grounded out
8th: runners on first and third, 2 out > Takahashi struck out

Eagles: 4 LOB, 1 DP
Fighters: 5 LOB, 0 DP

News
The Eagles outhit the Fighters, 7-6. ... Other than the 4th inning, the Eagles' offense was held to just 2 hits and a walk. ... This is Tanaka's second straight complete game victory during this year's Climax Series.

Rakuten Eagles

Nippon Ham Fighters

===

...Fighters GM Masao Yamada once again appeared on the field before the game wearing a red necktie.

"I wore this tie yesterday and we won so I figured I'd wear it again today," said Yamada.

...Katsuya Nomura on Masahiro Tanaka's victory:

"Even if we lose with Ma-kun, no one would be upset.  He did a great job for us.  I have nothing more to say."

...Game 3 starters: Hiromichi Fujiwara (RAK) vs Shugo Fujii (HAM)

===

Tokyo Dome | Attendance: 45,409 | Time: 3h 33m | Giants lead series, 3-1.

The Giants beat the Dragons, 5-4, to take a 3-1 lead in the series.

The Dragons took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first after Masahiro Araki (3-for-5, 2B, 2 R) hit a 1-out single and came around to score on a home run hit by Masahiko Morino (1-for-4, HR, R, 3 RBI).

Yomiuri managed to tied the game at 2 in the bottom of the 6th on back-to-back 2-out home runs by Alex Ramirez (1-for-4, HR, R, RBI) and Yoshiyuki Kamei (1-for-4, HR, 2 R, RBI).

But the tie wouldn't last long as the Dragons retook the lead in the top of the 7th:

Pinch hitter Kazuki Inoue (1-for-1, R) led off with a single and advanced to second on a sac bunt.   Araki followed with a single that put runners on first and third.  Tetsuya Yamaguchi relieved Daisuke Ochi.  Morino's ground out to second scored Inoue from third and advanced Araki to second.  Tony Blanco (1-for-4, RBI) then hit a single in to right to score Araki from second.  The inning ended with Kazuhiro Wada (0-for-3, BB) grounding out to short.

Down 4-2 in the bottom of the second, the Giants staged a mini-rally of their own to accomplish what they couldn't do before:

Takuya Asao relieved Akifumi Takahashi to start the inning.  Hayato Sakamoto (0-for-3, BB, R) walked to start the inning.  Tetsuya Matsumoto (2-for-4, R) hit a single into right that put runners on first and second.  Michihiro Ogasawara (1-for-4) flied out to right.  Ramirez advanced the runners to second and third on a ground out to second.  A fielding error by Ibata (SS) allowed Sakamoto to score, advanced Matsumoto to third, and put Kamei on first.  Pinch hitter Ryota Wakiya (1-for-1, 2B, 2 RBI) then came up with a big 2-run double that put the Giants out in front, 5-4.  Shinnosuke Abe (2-for-3, IBB, 2B) was intentionally walked to put runners on first and second and Shigeyuki Furuki (1-for-4) almost kept the inning going with a single into left, but Wakiya was thrown out at home for the final out of the inning.

Marc Kroon took the mound for the Giants in the top of the 9th and retired the side in order for the save.

Missed Opportunities
Dragons
3rd: runners on second and third, 1 out > Morino struck out and Blanco struck out
4th: bases loaded, 1 out > Yoshimi GIDP
6th: runners on first and second, 2 out > Tanishige struck out
7th: runner on second, 2 out > Wada grounded out

Giants
1st: runners on first and second, 1 out > Ramirez fouled out to first and Kamei grounded out
2nd: runner on second, 1 out > Furuki flied out and H. Takahashi struck out
5th: runners on first and second, 1 out > Sakamoto GIDP
8th: runners on first and second, 2 out > Furuki singled, runner on second thrown out at home

Dragons: 7 LOB, 1 DP
Giants: 6 LOB, 1 DP

News
The Giants outhit the Dragons, 10-8. ... Takahashi has not lost a game since 8/30. ... Prior to his single in the 7th, Blanco had stuck out in 7 straight trips to the plate.

Chunichi Dragons

Yomiuri Giants

===

...Hiromitsu Ochiai after the game:

"I'm not answering any questions that look back on what happened during the Climax Series. So stop asking the same questions.  I know what you guys already want to ask."

...Game 3 starters: Kenichi Nakata (CHU) vs Shun Tono (YOM)

===

Sapporo Dome | Attendance: 32,713 | Time: 3h 19m | Fighters lead series, 3-0

The Eagles dropped a must-win game against the Fighters, 3-1, and are now 1 loss away from elimination.

Fernando Seguignol (2-for-4, BB, HR, R, RBI) gave the Eagles a 1-0 lead in the top of the 4th with a solo homer to lead off the inning.  The Fighters quickly tied the game in the bottom of the inning when Atsunori Inaba (2-for-3, IBB, 2B, R) started things off with a double, advanced to third on a ground out, and 1 out later, came around to score on a double by Eiichi Koyano (1-for-3, BB, 2B, RBI).

The game would remain tied until the bottom 7th:

Makoto Kaneko (1-for-3, 2B, R) hit a 1-out double.  Kensuke Tanaka (1-for-4, R) followed with a single into center that put runners on first and third.  Hichori Morimoto's dribbler in front of the catcher advanced Tanaka to second and an intentional walk to Atsunori Inaba (2-for-3, IBB, 2B, R) loaded the bases.  Shinji Takahashi (1-for-3, 2 RBI) then came through with a 2-run single into left that gave the Fighters a 3-1 lead.

The Eagle would put together their best chance to score some runs in the top of the 8th when they loaded the bases on 2 singles and a walk.  But the Fighters' Takayuki Kanamori did a magnificent job in relief by keeping the Eagles from scoring any runs by getting two force outs at home and a strike out.

Rakuten would put together another threat in the top of the 9th on a 1-out HBP and single, but both Seguignol and Daisuke Kusano (1-for-5) went down on strike outs to end the game.

Hasashi Iwakuma didn't exactly have a great start (he allowed 12 base runners to reach on 9 hits, 2 walks, and an HBP), but he did manage to keep the Eagles in the game.  Had the offense been able to take better advantage of the scoring opportunities it had (T. Yamasaki made big outs in three such situations), Iwakuma could have been on the winning side of the game.

Missed Opportunities
Eagles
1st: runners on first and second, 1 out > T. Yamasaki flied out and Seguignol flied out
3rd: runner on second, 2 out > T. Yamasaki grounded out
6th: runners on first and third, 1 out > M. Nakamura GIDP
7th: runner on second, 1 out > N. Watanabe grounded out, Teppei IBB, runners on first and second, T. Yamasaki flied out
8th: bases loaded, no out > pinch hitter Kenshin grounded out, bases loaded, Fujii grounded out, bases loaded, Takasu struck out
9th: runners on first and second, 1 out > Seguignol struck out and Kusano struck out

Fighters
1st: runner on third, 2 out > Takahashi grounded out
4th: runner on second, 2 out > Itoi fouled out to the catcher
5th: runner on second, 1 out > Tanaka struck out and Morimoto grounded out
6th: runner on second, 1 out > Sledge struck out, Koyano walked, runners on first and second, Itoi fouled out to left
7th: bases loaded, 2 out > Koyano flied out

Eagles: 14 LOB, 1 DP
Fighters: 9 LOB, 0 DP

News
The Eagles outhit the Fighters, 10-9.

Rakuten Eagles

Nippon Ham Fighters

===

...A Katsuya Nomura quote from after that game:

"We couldn't do the little things. The little differences between us and the Fighters came out. I think it's hopeless now. To lose a game like we did last night, there's really no way we can win."

...22,000 fans apparently gathered at Kleenex Stadium for game 1 of the Second Round of the Climax Series.

...Game 3 starters: Tanaka Masahiro (RAK) vs Tomoya Yagi (HAM)

===

Tokyo Dome | Attendance: 40,452 | Time: 3h 53m | Giants lead series, 2-1.

The Giants took a 2-1 lead in the series by beating the Dragons 6-4.

The Chunichi Dragons took a 2-0 lead in the top of the 1st after Hirokazu Ibata (1-for-5, R) hit a double into left, advance to third on a ground out, and scored on Masahiko Morino's (1-for-5, HR, R, 2 RBI) homer into the right field stands.

The Giants returned a run in the bottom of the inning when Hayato Sakamoto (2-for-4, 2B, R, RBI) start things off with a double and 1 out later came around to score on Michihiro Ogaswara's (3-for-4, BB, 2B, RBI) single into left.  The Giants ended up tying the game in the bottom of the second on an RBI single by Alex Ramirez (1-for-5, RBI) with runners on first and second and 1 out.

In the bottom of the 4th, the Giants pulled ahead:

Shinnosuke Abe (1-for-4, HR, R, RBI) led off with a home run.  Shigeyuki Furuki (2-for-4, 2B, 2 R) and Wirfin Obispo (2-for-3, R) reached on bunt singles that put runners on first and second.  Hayato Sakamoto (2-for-4, 2B, R, RBI) laid down a sac bunt that advanced the runners to second and third.  And pinch hitter Noriyoshi Ohmichi (1-for-1, 2B, 2 RBI) hit a bases clearing double to put the Giants up by 3.

Sakamoto's RBI single with runners on first and third and 1 out made it 6-2 in the bottom of the 5th.

The Dragons applied some pressure on the Giants in the top of the 8th when Atsushi Fujii (1-for-4, HR, R, 2 RBI) nailed a home run with Kazuhiro Wada (2-for-4, R) on 2nd and 2-out.  Motonobu Tanishige's (1-for-1, HBP, 2 BB, 2B) 2-out double that followed knocked Daisuke Ochi out of the game and forced Marc Kroon to the mound.  Despite throwing a wild pitch that allow Tanishige to get to third, Kroon bore down and retired pinch hitter Kazuyoshi Tatusnami (0-for-1) with a grounder to first.

Kroon's second wild pitch of the night in the top of the 9th following a 1-out single by Masahiro Araki (1-for-4, HBP), put another runner in scoring position.  But Kroon kept his composure and struck out both Morino and Tony Blanco (0-for-4, HBP) for the final two outs of the game.

Missed Opportunities
Dragons
1st: runners on first and second, 2 out > Fujii flied out
2nd: runners on first and second, 2 out > Morino flied out
6th: runners on first and second, 2 out > Hirata infield single, runner on second throw out at home
8th: runner on third, 2 out > pinch hitter Tatsunami grounded out
9th: runner on second, 1 out > Morino struck out and Blanco struck out

Giants
1st: runners on second and third, 2 out > Tani flied out
3rd: runners on first and second, 1 out > Kamei flied out and Tani grounded out
4th: runners on second and third, 1 out > Ramirez fouled out to second, Kamei walked to load the bases, Tani flied out
5th: runners on first and second, 1 out > Lee grounded out, runners on first and third, Ogasawara flied out

Dragons: 9 LOB, 1 DP
Giants: 11 LOB, 0 DP

News
The Giants outhit the Dragons, 15-8. ... Chen was pitching on 4 days of rest. ... Abe was 7-for-17 against Chen during the regular season. ... Blanco struck out 4 times.

Chunichi Dragons

Yomiuri Giants

===

...About 100 people were in line 8 hours before the game in order to secure same-day tickets to the game.  Since all the tickets on the first base side were already sold out, only tickets from the third base side (Dragons' side) were available.

...Game 3 starters: Kazuki Yoshimi (CHU) vs Hisanori Takahashi (YOM)

...Starters for Game 2 of the CL Climax Series: Kenta Asakura or Wei-Ying Chen (CHU) vs Wirfin Obispo (YOM)

...Starters for Game 2 of the PL Climax Series: Hisashi Iwakuma (RAK) vs Keisaku Itokazu (HAM)

...Yomiuri Giant Micheal Nakamura is in the record books for being the first pitcher to be thrown out of a Climax Series Game for hitting someone in the head.  Nakamura hit Tony Blanco, the first and only batter he faced in the 6th inning, in the head and was ejected from the game.

===

Tokyo Dome | Attendance: 41,259| Time: 3h 11m | Series tied, 1-1

The Dragons put up 5 runs in the first and ultimately beat the Giants, 7-2, to even the series at 1.

Dicky Gonzalez had a rough first inning, giving up 5 of the 6 earned runs he allowed in his 5 innings of work.

Hirokazu Ibata (2-for-4) led off with a single and advanced to second on a sac bunt.  Masahiko Morino (1-for-5, R, RBI) drove Ibata home with a single into right.  Tony Blanco (2-for-2, HBP, BB, HR, 2 R, RBI) hit a single into center that put runners on second and third.  Kazuhiro Wada (1-for-4, R, RBI) drove in another run with a single into left, runners on first and third.  And Kei Nomoto (1-for-3, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI) blasted a 3-run home run to give the Dragons an early 5-0 lead.

The Giants managed to return a run in the bottom of the 2nd with the help of two walks: Alex Ramirez (1-for-3, BB, R) led off the inning with a walk; two outs later, Shinnosuke Abe (0-for-2, 2 BB) walked to put runners on first and second; Shigeyuki Furuki (2-for-4, 2B, RBI) then followed with a single that pushed Ramirez across the plate for the Giants' first run of the game.

But the Dragon's quickly retook their 5-run lead in the top of the 3rd on Blanco's first home run of the postseason. Chunichi tacked on another run in the top of the 6th when Blanco was hit in the head by Micheal Nakamura to start the inning.  A batter later, Nomoto hit into a force and Atsushi Fujii (1-for-4) followed with a single that put runners on first and second.  The Dragons' 7th run of the game scored on Motonobu Tanishige's (1-for-4, RBI) 2-out single into left.

In the bottom of the 7th, Yoshitomo Tani (0-for-3, BB, R) started things off with a walk.  1-out later, Furuki hit a double that put runners on second and third.  Seung-Yeop Lee (0-for-0, RBI) entered the game as a pinch hitter and hit a sac fly that pushed the Giants' second run of the game across home plate.

Missed Opportunities
Dragons
6th: runners on first and second, 2 out > pinch hitter Inoue flied out
7th: runners on first and second, 2 out > Wada grounded out
9th: runner on third, 2 out > Morino struck out

Giants
2nd: runners on first and second, 2 out > Gonzalez fouled out to first
3rd: runners on first and second, 2 out > Kamei grounded out
7th: runner on second, 2 out > Sakamoto struck out

Dragons: 5 LOB, 0 DP
Giants: 6 LOB, 1 DP

News
The Dragons outhit the Giants, 10-5. ... Gonzalez gave up 5 runs on just 18 pitches. ... Nakamura was ejected after only 3 pitches because his third pitch hit Blanco in the head. Blanco was fine. ... Nomoto became the first rookie to hit a homer during a Climax Series' game.

Chunichi Dragons

Yomiuri Giants

===

...Shigeo Nagashima was in the stands for the game and said, "The line-up had a few h9les. Chunichi has really grinded it out in a few games. I think that difference is showing through right now."

He also added, "I don't think there's any reason to be too concerned about this one loss. And I don't think there's any reason to panic either."

...Starters for Game 2: Wei-Ying Chen (CHU) vs Wirfin Obispo (YOM)

Wow...  This is a BIG blow to the Eagles.  And this is exactly why the Eagles might not make it past the Fighters: they don't have any quality arms in the pen.

Still, what a great game.  And the Fighters just kept on applying the pressure.  A very impressive victory by the Fighters.

===

Sapporo Dome | Attendance: 38,235 | Time: 3h 28m | Fighters lead series, 2-0

Terrmel Sledge left the Eagles stunned as he drilled a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 8th to give the Fighters a 9-8 victory in front of 38,235.

The Fighters took a 1-0 lead in the bottom 1st on a sac fly by Shinji Takahashi (1-for-2, 2 BB, 2 R, 2 RBI) after Kensuke Tanaka (3-for-5, 2B, 2 R) led off the inning with a double, advanced to third on a sac bunt, and was joined on the base paths by Atsunori Inaba (3-for-4, 2 2B, BB, 2 R, RBI) via walk.

The Eagles wasted no time in tying the game in the top of the 2nd on an RBI single by Daisuke Kusano (1-for-3, 2 RBI) with Toshiya Nakashima (2-for-3, 2B, R) on first and Takeshi Yamasaki (2-for-5, 2B, R, 3 RBI) on second and only 1 out.  Aggressive base running by Nakashima led to an out at third and kept the Eagles from perhaps having an even bigger offensive inning.

In the top of the 4th, the Eagles pulled ahead on a sac fly by Kusano with runners on second and third and 1 out.  Todd Linden (1-for-4, RBI) followed with a RBI single into right that gave the Eagles a 3-1 lead.

With the bases loaded in the top of the 7th, T. Yamasaki nailed a 2-out double that cleared the bases and put the Eagles up by 5.

But the Fighters weren't ready to thrown in the towel yet -- beginning in the bottom of the 8th, they chipped away at the Eagles' lead.

With Satoshi Nagai still on the mound for the Eagles, Tanaka struck out to start the inning.  Hichiro Morimoto (2-for-3, 2 R) hit a single into center and Inaba followed with a double that put runners on second and third.  Takahashi's single into center drove in the first run of the inning and knocked Nagai out of the game, runners on first and third.  Hiromichi Fujiwara relieved Nagai and gave up an RBI single to Terrmel Sledge (3-for-5, HR, R, 5 RBI), runners on first and second.  Shinichiro Koyama relieved Fujiwara and threw a wild pitch that advanced the runners to second and third.  After Koyama managed to strike Eiichi Koyano (0-for-4) out for the second out of the inning, the Eagles' brought in Kanehisa Arime.  But Arime couldn't get the job done, first throwing a wild pitch to allow the third run of the inning to score and then walking pinch hitter Tomohiro Nioka (0-for-0, BB) on 5 pitches.  Tsuyoshi Kawagishi relieved Arime and ended the nightmare of an inning by getting pinch hitter Naoto Inada (0-for-1) to fly out to left.

A 2-run homer by Teppei (2-for-4, IBB, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI) in the top of the 9th provided the Eagles with a 4-run lead that appeared to be the last nail in the coffin for the Fighters.  But that was obviously not be the case.

Kazuo Fukumori took the mound for the Eagles in the bottom of the 9th and retired the first batter he faced.  And then the meltdown began: three consecutive singles by Tanaka, Morimoto, and Inaba pushed across a run; a walk to Takahashi loaded the bases; and Sledge's homer over the left field wall to complete an unbelievable come-from-behind victory.

Missed Opportunities
Eagles
7th: runner on second, 2 out > Seguignol grounded out

Fighters
1st: runners on first and third, 2 out > Koyano struck out
3rd: runner on second, 1 out > Inaba grounded out, runner to third, Takahashi struck out
6th: runners on first and second, 1 out > Sledge struck out and Koyano grounded out
8th: runners on first and third, 2 out > pinch hitter Inada flied out

Eagles: 5 LOB, 0 DP
Fighters: 7 LOB, 1 DP

News
The Fighters outhit the Eagles, 13-12. ... Sledge's walk-off grand slam was the first of its kind in postseason play.

Rakuten Eagles

Nippon Ham Fighters

===

...Takeshi Yamasaki rounded up the pitchers to give them a pep rally after the game and said,"Don't get down!  Fukumori, don't worry about it, keep your chin up!  The loss hurt. But let's just say Darvish pitched tonight and gave the Fighters a 2-0 series lead.  Let's get passed this and play with positive energy tomorrow!"

...At some point during the 8th, Atsunori Inaba apparently began to feel that the Fighters could stage a comback.

...Masataka Nashida on the victory:

"I can't believe Sledge hit a walk-off grand slam.  I was a miracle shot.  We were down for most of the game, but we somehow managed a win with the help of everyone on the team.  This is a big win."

...Atsunori Inaba's comment:

"I don't think there's been a game better than this. I think more than half of the people gave up on us.  I almost cried."

...Katsuya Nomura interview after the game:

On the collapse of the bullpen...

You're absolutely right.  The pitchers are going through a good experience right now. This is the team's current skill level so it can't be helped. I tried everything I could and we still lost so you have to tip your hat to the other team.

The team managed to overcome a pitcher, Masaru Takeda, they've had trouble with in the past...

Is there a need to say overcome?  I think we scored a fair number of runs.

A painful loss...

This loss definitely hurts us. We win today and we're finally tied. We really had to win today's game no matter what. This just puts us at a huge disadvantage.

On the relievers having too much space in between appearances...

I don't have any experience as a reliever, so your probably better off asking one of them. But, most of these guys have never experienced the postseason like this so...

On  evening up the series with Iwakuma and Tanaka...

That still doesn't get us to 4 wins.  And it's not like the old days where I'd be able to count on a pitcher for four straight starts and four straight wins. (sigh) And we were winning today... We had it won more or less. And this allows the Fighters to relax a little. They have less pressure to play now, this was a big victory for them. Losing a game we were supposed to win really hurts.

...Starters for Game 2: Hisashi Iwakuma (RAK) vs Keisaku Itokazu (HAM)

I've listed out stats for players I thought might be starting for their teams. I based my selections on the number of times a player appeared in the starting line-up and the number of games they fielded at various positions.

Catching

Chunichi Dragons

Yomiuri Giants

First Base

Chunichi Dragons

Yomiuri Giants

Second Base

Chunichi Dragons

Yomiuri Giants

Third Base

Chunichi Dragons

Yomiuri Giants

Shortstop

Chunichi Dragons

Yomiuri Giants

Outfield

Chunichi Dragons

Yomiuri Giants

Pitching

Chunichi Dragons

Starters

Yomiuri Giants

Starters

Seasonal Team Stats

vs. Stats

Season Stats

Quick Analysis

The Giants easily have one of the toughest (and deepest) line-ups in the NPB: the line-up boasts 4 players with 25+ homer runs, three of which hit 30+ home runs and features two players with 100+ RBIs.

But make no mistake, the line-up can still be controlled -- they were shut out 7 times during the regular season this year and even went through a streak of three straight shut-out losses back in April. And for those keeping score, three of those shut-out losses came at the Tokyo Dome.

The Giants pitching staff won't be at 100% as they'll be short Seth Greisinger and Yuya Kubo. While losing Greisinger may not end up hurting the Giants in terms of direct match-ups (he was 1-2 with a 5.56 ERA vs the Dragons this season), it does mean that the rotation gets shorter. And with Yuya Kubo going down with the flu, the fifth man in the rotation now becomes the Giants' third choice.

While the Giants are favorites to win the Climax Series, make sure to keep your eye out on the Dragons. Especially if Kazuhiro Wada continues to hit well, Masahiko Morino comes out of his mini-funk, and Tony Blanco starts hitting them out.

Incidentally, here are some perhaps interesting numbers about home runs, the Giants, and the Tokyo Dome:

- Of the 182 home runs the Giants hit, 96 were hit at the Dome, or about 53%.

- Of the 123 home runs Giants' pitchers surrendered, 64 were at the Dome, or about 52%.

- Of the 25 home runs the Dragons hit against the Giants, 14 came at the Dome, or about 56%.

- Of the 32 home runs the Giants hit against the Dragons, 22 came at the Dome, or about 69%.