Games from July 3:

Baltimore Orioles 5 - Seattle Mariners 4 [Daily Sports, Nikkan Sports]
Ichiro Suzuki (SEA) started the game in right and batted first.  He went 0-for-4: fly out to left, ground out to third, strikeout swinging, ground out to second (force). [Daily Sports]

Munenori Kawasaki (SEA) entered the game as a pinch-runner for John Jaso in the bottom of the 8th.  He took over at short in the top of the 9th.

Wei-Ying Chen (BAL) started the game and allowed two runs over 7.1 innings of work.  He did not get the decision.  Final line: 7.1 IP, 97-73 NP-S, 24 BF, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 9 SO, 1 HR. [Sponichi]

Cleveland Indians 7 - LA Angels 5
Hisanori Takahashi (LAA) entered the game in the bottom of the 5th, with runners on second and third, one out, and the game tied at five.  Both inherited runners scored on a ground out to first followed by a throwing E3.  After issuing a walk to the next batter, Takahashi retired the next four batters he faced.  Final line: 1.2 IP, 27-17 NP-S, 6 BF, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR. [Daily Sports, Nikkan Sports, Nikkan Sports]

Chicago White Sox 19 - Texas Rangers 2
Yoshinori Tateyama (TEX) entered the game in the bottom of the 5th, with runners on first and second, two out, and the Rangers down 9-0.  Tateyama allowed both inherited runners to score, in addition to five other runs, before getting the final out of the inning.  Final line: 0.1 IP, 17-9 NP-S, 7 BF, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO, 1 HR. [Daily Sports, Sponichi, Nikkan Sports, Nikkan Sports]

Milwaukee Brewers 13 - Miami Marlins 12
Norichika Aoki (MIL) started in right and batted second.  He went 1-for-5: strikeout swinging, RBI single to left (run scored), pop out to third, sac fly to right, strikeout swinging, fly out to center.  Aoki extended his hitting streak to ten games. [Daily Sports, Daily Sports, Sponichi, Sponichi, Nikkan Sports]

Rochester 5 - Pawtucket 3 (AAA)
Tsuyoshi Nishioka (ROC) started at second and batted first.  He went 1-for-3: strikeout looking, single to right, ground out to short, walk (run scored). [Nikkan Sports]

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An update on Hideki Matsui (TBR), from The Tampa Bay Times' Joe Smith:

DH/OF Hideki Matsui, pulled from Monday's game with left hamstring tightness, was encouraged by how he felt Tuesday, saying he took some swings in the cage and was available to pinch-hit. Maddon said Matsui felt better than he and the Rays anticipated, and he should avoid the disabled list. Matsui said the next test is running, which could happen today, and he hopes to be able to play the field in a day or two.

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Daisuke Matsuzaka (BOS) was placed on the fifteen-day disabled list on Tuesday.  From MLB.com's Ian Browne:

Right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday, one day after he was shelled during an abbreviated outing against the Athletics in which he gave up gave up four hits on five runs and threw a career-low of 28 pitches in the Red Sox's 6-1 loss.

Clearly, Matsuzaka was hampered by a neck injury which prevented him from making a side session between starts. It is the same injury -- to the trap muscle on the right side -- that caused him discomfort during Spring Training and in late May, when he was on his Minor League rehab assignment.

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The Seattle Mariners became the first team to start three Japanese players -- Ichiro Suzuki, Hisashi Iwakuma, and Munenori Kawasaki -- in one game on Tuesday.  Source: Nikkan Sports 7/4/2012

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Nippon Ham and a Nippon Ham Fighters fan group in Hokkaido will be doing what they can to get people in Japan to vote for Yu Darvish (TEX).  Source: Nikkan Sports 7/3/2012

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Eri Yoshida's next start will likely come against the San Rafael Pacfics on July 6.  Source: Daily Sports 7/4/2012

Eri Yoshida started a game against the Hawaii Stars on June 30 and took the loss after allowing six runs (four earned) over five innings of work.  Yoshida took the loss, her first of the season, and is now 3-1.

Final line: 5 IP, 58-46 NP-S, 21 BF, 8 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO.

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Season Stats

Eri Yoshida started a game against the Sonoma County Grapes on Saturday and got the win.  She threw seventy pitches and allowed two runs on six hits over six innings of work.  Yoshida also walked one and struck out none.

Source: Nikkan Sports 6/24/2012

From The Maui News' Robert Collias:

Yoshida was throwing her knuckleball in the mid-50-mph range according to the meter on the new scoreboard. She went six innings, allowed two earned runs and six hits, walked one batter and struck out none in her fourth straight win dating to last season.

Her 3-0 record this year leads the team and her 2.74 ERA is the best among the starters. She threw 70 pitches Saturday, 45 for strikes.

"I lost the two runs, but everybody was backing me up with the batting, so I'm very happy about it," Yoshida said through interpreter Masayo Sutton before being surrounded by autograph seekers. "Tonight there were no errors, so I was just throwing strikes because I knew our guys were going to get outs."

Eri Yoshida made her second start of the season against the San Rafael Pacifics on Saturday (first game of a doubleheader) and gave up three runs over six innings of work.  She got the win and is 2-0 so far this year.

Source: Nikkan Sports 6/17/2012

From The Maui News' Robert Collias:

The "Knuckle Princess" earned her third career win - believed to be a record by a female pitcher in any North American professional league - by going six solid innings in a 9-4 victory over the San Rafael Pacifics (7-5) in the first game of a doubleheader sweep Saturday at Maehara Stadium.

... Yoshida threw 90 pitches, 50 for strikes, allowed three hits, struck out a batter, walked four and hit two. All three runs she allowed were earned.

She did not face the Pacifics' Tomochika Tsuboi, a former batting champion and 14-year veteran of the Japanese major leagues. Tsuboi had played in all of San Rafael's games this year, and was in the lineup for Saturday's second game.

... "Eri has done great," Sanchez said. "Every time she comes in against a good-hitting team, she just holds them up and stuff. She holds runners really well, so there is not really any running game for them. We were able to back her up, too. That is two games in a row. We seem to score 10 runs when she pitches, so it is good for her. She is important to us."

In the second game, the Yoshida served as Na Koa's bat person. Her big day drew about 200 fans to Maehara Stadium.

Eri Yoshida made her first start of the year for the Maui Na Koa Ikaika on Saturday against the Hawaii Stars and gave up two runs on four hits over 7.2 innings of work.  She got the victory.

Final line: 7.2 IP, 108-69 NP-S, 33 BF, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO.

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The Kyoto Asto Dreams beat the Osaka Brabee Honeys 7-4 today and clinched first for the first half of the 2012 season.

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Eri Yoshida arrived in Maui on Friday, after stopovers at Korea and Honolulu.  Yoshida updated her blog today with some notes on her first full day -- she scrambled to get up at around 9am with the help of her roommate; met with her teammates in the morning; attended a fan event at a shopping mall; and participated in light workouts with the team in the afternoon.

Eri Yoshida left Japan today to continue her baseball career overseas as a member of the Na Koa Ikaika Maui.

Maui begins their season with a home game against Yuma on June 5.

Eri Yoshida just made an appearance on Wake Up Plus (Nippon TV in Kanto) and announced that she will be playing for Na Koa Ikaika Maui next month.

I just noticed now that The Maui News posted an article back on March 14 that Yoshida signed a deal with the Na Koa Ikaika Maui.  A snip:

Eri Yoshida, who last year became the the first female pitcher to earn a win in a North American professional baseball league in 13 years, has re-signed with Na Koa Ikaika Maui, the team said Tuesday.

"I am glad that Eri will be back for the 2012 season," said Maui manager Jamie Vermilyea. "We are looking to build on her solid start last season. She is a specialty pitcher, mainly working off of a knuckleball. We are thinking about developing another pitch. Most likely we will be looking to use her as a starter."

Eri Yoshida pitched in an exhibition game against the Hanshin Tigers' farm team on Wednesday.  She entered the game in the 6th inning and tossed a shutout inning in relief.

Final line: 1 IP, 21 NP, 5 BF, 0 H, 1 SO, 2 BB, 0 R, 0 ER.

6th inning - ground out to second, walk, walk, strikeout, line out to short

Yoshida is slated to make her second start of the year on Thursday (May 17) against the Kishu Rangers at Kippy Stadium.

Eri Yoshida made her first start of the season against the Kishu Rangers today.  Yoshida gave up one run on six hits over five innings of work and became the first female pitcher in Kansai Independent League history to record a victory.

Final line: 5 IP, 70 NP, 6 H, 2 SO, 1 BB, 1 R.

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