2005 Japan Series
Encyclopedia
The Japan Series
, the 56th edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's championship
series, began on October 22 and ended on October 26, and matched the Central League
champion Hanshin Tigers
against the Pacific League
Champion, Chiba Lotte Marines
. It would become the most one-sided Japan Series in history, as the Marines outscored the Tigers 33-4 throughout the series.
, pulled off an incredible season, finishing 2nd in the Pacific League, qualifying for the newly-created Pacific League Climax Series. Lotte defeated the defending Japan Series champion Seibu Lions
, then squeaked by the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
, 3 games to 2, in a series where they were just one out away from sweeping the heavily-favored Hawks.
Naoyuki Shimizu
and submariner Shunsuke Watanabe
led the Marines pitching staff, one that allowed the fewest runs in Nippon Professional Baseball. Masahide Kobayashi
was the team's closer, although he did blow his fair share of saves over the season.
The Marines offense scored the most runs in the league with a hard-hitting lineup featuring Benny Agbayani
, Tsuyoshi Nishioka
, Toshiaki Imae
, and star Korean import Lee Seung-Yeop, who led the team in home runs.
Hanshin's pitching staff was headlined by the trio called JFK, short for setup men Jeff Williams, Kyuji Fujikawa
, and closer Tomoyuki Kubota
. The team's #1 starter was Yuya Andoh, who had a fine season himself in 2005.
The Tigers' offense was buoyed by league MVP Tomoaki Kanemoto
, who hit four home runs in the 2003 Series. Catcher Akihiro Yano
was also an integral part of the team's power. The Tigers also had speed to burn in shortstop Takashi Toritani
and center fielder Norihiro Akahoshi
.
in the Pacific League in 2005, giving them home-field advantage in the playoffs for the first round against the defending Japan Series Champion Seibu Lions
. The Marines swept the Lions and then got into a dramatic five-game series with the favored Hawks.
Despite being one out away from sweeping the Hawks, closer Kobayashi coughed up a 4-0 lead in Game 3 of the best-of-five series. SoftBank would win Game 3 in extra innings, and then also won Game 4. However, the Marines won Game 5 on a clutch double from Tomoya Satozaki
.
Hanshin threatened in the first with two on and one out, but Shimizu managed to get Kanemoto to ground into an inning-ending double play, started by shortstop Nishioka. This would be the first of seemingly endless rally-killing double plays for Hanshin in the Series. In the bottom of the inning, Imae would set his own pace for the series with a towering home run to left field to put Lotte up 1-0.
The teams matched zeroes until the 5th, when Makoto Imaoka
singled and Yano doubled, sending Imaoka to 3rd. Atsushi Fujimoto
then lifted a sacrifice fly to left that scored Imaoka on a close play.
Shades of the 2003 Japan Series opener were in the public's mind, however it all started to fall apart for Hanshin in the 5th. A single and a beautifully executed push bunt by Nishioka led to an RBI single by Imae. With a run already in, normally light-hitting Saburo Ohmura
doubled in both Nishioka and Imae to put Lotte ahead 4-1.
In the 6th inning, Seung-Yeop Lee crushed a belt-high Igawa pitch into the right-field stands for a home run to make it 5-1. With the fog rolling into Chiba Marine Stadium, Lotte turned an already one-sided affair into a whitewashing. Two singles set up catcher Tomoya Satozaki
for a 3-run home run. Agbayani capped the scoring in the 7th through even thicker fog with a 2-run blast of his own for Lotte's 4th home run of the day and staking the Marines to a 10-1 lead.
After Agbayani's home run, the umpires conferred and called for a fog delay. After a wait, the umpires decided to call the game after 7 innings, giving Shimizu a complete game victory.
. Again, Lotte got off to a fast start, with Nishioka doubling to right on the second pitch he saw from Andoh. With 2 down and Nishioka on 3rd, Saburo hit a ground ball to Imaoka at 3rd, but the throw was one-hopped to the first baseman Andy Sheets
and got away from him. Saburo reached and Nishioka scored to put the Marines on top, 1-0.
In the 2nd inning, Lee drew a walk, setting up Imae, who hit a double and advanced the Korean slugger to 3rd. A double play followed, but the Tigers were willing to trade a run for 2 outs, as Lee scored.
Watanabe had little resistance in the first two innings, but ran into a bit of trouble in the 3rd. Two singles leading off the inning brought up Fujimoto, who tried to sacrifice the runners to 2nd and 3rd, but a bad bunt with one strike put the pressure on Fujimoto to swing away. He ended up fouling out to Lee at first, and Hanshin would fail to score after the next two batters failed to reach as well.
Hanshin would threaten again in the top of the 6th, when Akahoshi singled and stole second to start the inning. Toritani then singled himself to put runners on the corners with nobody out. However, after an out, Sheets lined a Watanabe pitch up the middle which was fielded for a 4-6-3 double play, Hanshin's 2nd twin-killing of the game.
With Hanshin failing to at least pull closer, the Marines then went in for the kill. With a runner on first and one out, Saburo lined a home run to left field to put Lotte ahead 4-0. Matt Franco
then immediately followed with a home run of his own for a 5-0 Marines lead. Andoh was visibly in tears as he pitched to Agbayani. Egusa was brought in to face the dangerous Lee, who clubbed the 3rd home run of the inning to put the game away at 7-0.
In the 8th, Lotte added two more, one of the runs coming off the bat of Imae once again. Through two games, Imae was a perfect 8-for-8 with one home run. Lotte had taken an overwhelming 9-0 lead, but they weren't done yet. Platoon catcher Tasuku Hashimoto then followed Imae with a triple that gave the Marines a 10-0 lead.
Watanabe closed out the game with little resistance from the Hanshin batters, giving the Marines a commanding 2 games to none lead in the series. Hanshin had been in this exact situation before two years earlier, and came within one game of winning the Japan Series then. Going home to the friendly confines of Koshien Stadium
, could they turn the series around?
, where they had reeled off three straight wins in the 2003 Japan Series
against the Hawks.
Tsuyoshi Shimoyanagi
took the hill for the Tigers and had a clean first inning. Big right-hander Hiroyuki Kobayashi was called on to start for the Marines, and he found trouble with one out in the first as Toritani doubled off the wall in left. However, neither Sheets or Kanemoto could send Toritani home, and the first inning ended scoreless.
Saburo led off the second with a double off Shimoyanagi. After reaching 3rd, Agbayani hit a sacrifice fly to left to score Saburo and give Lotte a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the 2nd, the Tigers again seemed to have something going as Imaoka singled and Shinjiro Hiyama
drew a full count walk with nobody out. After a sacrifice bunt, Imaoka scored on a fielder's choice by Kentaro Sekimoto. This was the first time that Hanshin had scored in 11 innings, and it tied the score, 1-1.
Pesky as ever, the Marines answered right back against Shimoyanagi in the top of the 4th. Hori and Kazuya Fukuura both singled to start the inning. After an out and a walk, the bases were loaded with 1 down for Satozaki, who hit a slow roller to short. It was fielded by Toritani at short who tossed it to Sekimoto at 2nd for one out, but Sekimoto's relay to Sheets at first was apparently too late to get Satozaki at 1st, allowing Hori to score and give Lotte the 2-1 lead. However, replays showed that Satozaki was out by the smallest of margins. With runners on the corners and 2 out, Imae came up and again knocked in a run, this time on a swinging bunt which was fielded, but too late to get Imae at first, which allowed Fukuura to score from 3rd, giving Lotte a 3-1 lead.
Keeping with the theme of the past two games, the Tigers kept it close, but failed to score to tie the game up. In the 7th, the Marines kept their own theme going by breaking the game open in the late innings. Young reliever Kyuji Fujikawa
worked a clean 6th, but Satozaki walked and once again Imae came through with a double to right-center to put runners on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out to start the 7th. Matt Franco then drew a full-count walk to load the bases with nobody out. The walks came back to bite Fujikawa Hashimoto rifled a single up the middle to score both Satozaki and Imae and give the Marines a 5-1 lead. Nishioka then came up and singled up the middle to put Lotte ahead 6-1. After re-loading the bases, Fukuura then put the nail in the coffin by crushing a grand slam to extend Lotte's lead to 10-1.
That would be how the game would end, as Soichi Fujita
worked the 8th, striking out a visibly frustrated Sheets to end the inning. Yasuhiko Yabuta
then worked the 9th and struck out Kanemoto and Hiyama to end the game and give the Marines a commanding 3 games to none lead.
. Serafini got into some trouble in the first with Akahoshi beating out a high chopper to short and Toritani laying down a bunt, then beating Serafini's throw to first. However, Hanshin once again could not capitalize and take their first lead of the series, with the next three batters in Andy Sheets
, Tomoaki Kanemoto
, and Makoto Imaoka
all failing to drive in runs.
Sugiyama could not duplicate the success of the previous inning, as Matt Franco
led off with a double, and then Lee Seung-Yeop crushed his 3rd home run of the series to deep right field, putting Lotte on top, 2-0.
In the home half of the 3rd, Akahoshi once again reached and was sacrificed to second, and for a moment it seemed that the Tigers would finally catch a break, but Sheets' liner was caught by a great effort from Franco to end the inning and keep Hanshin off the board.
Franco and Lee teamed up again to lead off the 3rd inning with Franco drawing a walk and then Lee doubling, driving Franco in all the way from first. The 3-0 lead seemed safe, especially given Hanshin's late-inning collapses.
In the 5th, Serafini found himself in trouble yet again, as he had runners on first and 2nd with nobody out. But once again, the Tigers could not score, as Serafini got a strikeout, then induced a 4-6-3 double play on Akahoshi.
However, in the 6th the Tigers finally made the most of one of their chances. Serafini gave up a single to Sheets and then walked Kanemoto with one out. Valentine went to his bullpen, sending Shingo Ono
to the mound to try to stem the tide. Ono gave up a bloop single to Imaoka that scored Sheets to put Hanshin on the board at 3-1. Shinjiro Hiyama
then kept the rally going by singling just past second to pull Hanshin ever closer at 3-2. In just one inning, Hanshin had matched their offensive output over three games. Akihiro Yano
came up with a chance to keep it going, but he grounded into yet another inning-ending double play for Hanshin.
From there, the last three innings were a battle of the bullpens. Both teams fired scoreless 7th innings, and with one on and one out in the 8th, Yabuta struck out both Kanemoto and Imaoka to end the inning. Masahide Kobayashi
came in to end the series, his first appearance in the series. It did not start well, as Kobayashi issued a four-pitch walk to Hiyama to start the inning. Yano tried to sacrifice Hiyama to 2nd, but his sacrifice bunt attempt was popped up and caught by Fukuura, and Hiyama was doubled off at 1st for Hanshin's 3rd double play of the game. Kobayashi then got Fujimoto swinging to end the game and the series.
The final aggregate score for the series was 33-4, the most one-sided Japan Series in the event's history. With the win, the Marines won their first Japan Series Championship since 1974, when they were known as the Lotte Orions. In addition, Bobby Valentine was the first foreign manager to win a Japan Series championship.
The series MVP was Toshiaki Imae
, who recorded eight straight hits in the first two games, and finished with a .625 average for the series with one home run and nine runs batted in.
Japan Series
, or is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a seven-game series between the winning clubs of the league's two circuits, the Central League and the Pacific League....
, the 56th edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's championship
Championship
Championship is a term used in sport to refer to various forms of competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.- Title match system :...
series, began on October 22 and ended on October 26, and matched the Central League
Central League
The or is one the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consists of six teams from around the country,The Central League...
champion Hanshin Tigers
Hanshin Tigers
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly...
against the Pacific League
Pacific League
The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series...
Champion, Chiba Lotte Marines
Chiba Lotte Marines
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, in the Kantō region, and owned by the Lotte conglomerate.-History:...
. It would become the most one-sided Japan Series in history, as the Marines outscored the Tigers 33-4 throughout the series.
Chiba Lotte Marines
Lotte, led by charismatic manager Bobby ValentineBobby Valentine
Robert John "Bobby V" Valentine is an American professional baseball manager and former player who is currently the manager of the Boston Red Sox. He previously managed the Texas Rangers and New York Mets as well as the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan...
, pulled off an incredible season, finishing 2nd in the Pacific League, qualifying for the newly-created Pacific League Climax Series. Lotte defeated the defending Japan Series champion Seibu Lions
Seibu Lions
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based west of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Prince Hotels, which in turn is owned by the Seibu Group...
, then squeaked by the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
The are a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. The team was bought on January 28, 2005 by the SoftBank Corporation.The team was formerly known as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. In 1988, Daiei bought the team from Osaka's Nankai Electric Railway Co., and its headquarters were...
, 3 games to 2, in a series where they were just one out away from sweeping the heavily-favored Hawks.
Naoyuki Shimizu
Naoyuki Shimizu
is a professional baseball player from Kyoto, Japan. He is a starting pitcher for the Yokohama BayStars.He joined the Japanese Olympic baseball team for the 2004 Summer Olympics, and won a bronze medal. He also played with the Japanese national team in the 2006 World Baseball Classic...
and submariner Shunsuke Watanabe
Shunsuke Watanabe
is a professional baseball player from Tsuga, Tochigi, Japan who plays for the Chiba Lotte Marines in the Japanese Pacific League.His submarine pitching form was noted during the 2006 World Baseball Classic.-Amateur career:...
led the Marines pitching staff, one that allowed the fewest runs in Nippon Professional Baseball. Masahide Kobayashi
Masahide Kobayashi
is a professional baseball pitcher who currently plays for the Orix Buffaloes.From -, Kobayashi played in the Nippon Professional Baseball league for the Chiba Lotte Marines...
was the team's closer, although he did blow his fair share of saves over the season.
The Marines offense scored the most runs in the league with a hard-hitting lineup featuring Benny Agbayani
Benny Agbayani
Benny Peter Agbayani, Jr. is retired professional baseball player. Born in Hawaii to Filipino and Samoan parents, he attended Saint Louis School and Hawaii Pacific University. He also attended the Oregon Institute of Technology...
, Tsuyoshi Nishioka
Tsuyoshi Nishioka
is a professional baseball infielder who currently plays for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball. He also played in Nippon Professional Baseball for the Chiba Lotte Marines from 2003–10....
, Toshiaki Imae
Toshiaki Imae
is a Japanese professional baseball player for the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.Imae won the Most Valuable Player award in both the 2005 and 2010 Japan Series.-External links:...
, and star Korean import Lee Seung-Yeop, who led the team in home runs.
Hanshin Tigers
Hanshin was two years removed from their last Japan Series appearance, when they were defeated in 7 games by the then-Fukuoka Daiei Hawks in 2003. The team from that year was largely the same, but also featured some new faces.Hanshin's pitching staff was headlined by the trio called JFK, short for setup men Jeff Williams, Kyuji Fujikawa
Kyuji Fujikawa
is a closer for the Hanshin Tigers.Fujikawa pitched in the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classics as well as the 2008 Beijing Olympics. A prototypical power pitcher, Fujikawa is said to have one of the most explosive fastballs in all of Japanese professional baseball and is one of Japan's premier...
, and closer Tomoyuki Kubota
Tomoyuki Kubota
is a Japanese pitcher with the Hanshin Tigers in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. He was selected as a member in the 2006 World Baseball Classic.-External links:...
. The team's #1 starter was Yuya Andoh, who had a fine season himself in 2005.
The Tigers' offense was buoyed by league MVP Tomoaki Kanemoto
Tomoaki Kanemoto
is a Japanese professional baseball outfielder with the Hanshin Tigers in Nippon Professional Baseball.The Tigers' current cleanup hitter, Kanemoto is regarded as one of the most accomplished hitters in Japanese professional baseball history and has hit more home runs in his career than any other...
, who hit four home runs in the 2003 Series. Catcher Akihiro Yano
Akihiro Yano
is a former Japanese baseball player in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. He started his career as the Number 2 Draft pick with the Chunichi Dragons in , and played for the Hanshin Tigers from 1998 until his retirement in 2010.-References:...
was also an integral part of the team's power. The Tigers also had speed to burn in shortstop Takashi Toritani
Takashi Toritani
is a Japanese shortstop with the Hanshin Tigers.Toritani was one of the most highly coveted position players in years as a senior for Waseda University in 2003...
and center fielder Norihiro Akahoshi
Norihiro Akahoshi
is a retired Nippon Professional Baseball player from Kariya, Aichi, Japan. He played as an outfielder for the Hanshin Tigers.Akahoshi announced his retirement on December 9, 2009. During the 2009 season, he was first deactivated in early July after sustaining a neck injury...
.
Pacific League Playoff
The Marines finished second to the Fukuoka SoftBank HawksFukuoka SoftBank Hawks
The are a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. The team was bought on January 28, 2005 by the SoftBank Corporation.The team was formerly known as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. In 1988, Daiei bought the team from Osaka's Nankai Electric Railway Co., and its headquarters were...
in the Pacific League in 2005, giving them home-field advantage in the playoffs for the first round against the defending Japan Series Champion Seibu Lions
Seibu Lions
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based west of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Prince Hotels, which in turn is owned by the Seibu Group...
. The Marines swept the Lions and then got into a dramatic five-game series with the favored Hawks.
Despite being one out away from sweeping the Hawks, closer Kobayashi coughed up a 4-0 lead in Game 3 of the best-of-five series. SoftBank would win Game 3 in extra innings, and then also won Game 4. However, the Marines won Game 5 on a clutch double from Tomoya Satozaki
Tomoya Satozaki
is a Japanese professional baseball player. He is currently with the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.-External links:*...
.
Game 1
The first game would set the tone for the rest of the series for both teams. Lotte sent 10-game winner Nao Shimizu to the mound against Hanshin ace Kei Igawa, who won 13 games in 2005.Hanshin threatened in the first with two on and one out, but Shimizu managed to get Kanemoto to ground into an inning-ending double play, started by shortstop Nishioka. This would be the first of seemingly endless rally-killing double plays for Hanshin in the Series. In the bottom of the inning, Imae would set his own pace for the series with a towering home run to left field to put Lotte up 1-0.
The teams matched zeroes until the 5th, when Makoto Imaoka
Makoto Imaoka
Makoto Imaoka is a Japanese professional baseball player from Takarazuka, Hyōgo, Japan.Imaoka spent several uneventful seasons in the Japanese professional leagues before being chosen as the lead-off batter by Senichi Hoshino, who managed the Hanshin Tigers from 2002-2004...
singled and Yano doubled, sending Imaoka to 3rd. Atsushi Fujimoto
Atsushi Fujimoto
Atsushi Fujimoto is a professional baseball player from Akashi, Hyōgo, Japan.He joined the Japanese olympic baseball team for the 2004 Summer Olympics, and won a bronze medal. He played in every inning of every game in the olympic tournament for the Japanese team.-External links:...
then lifted a sacrifice fly to left that scored Imaoka on a close play.
Shades of the 2003 Japan Series opener were in the public's mind, however it all started to fall apart for Hanshin in the 5th. A single and a beautifully executed push bunt by Nishioka led to an RBI single by Imae. With a run already in, normally light-hitting Saburo Ohmura
Saburo Ohmura
is a Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball player for the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's central League.-External links:...
doubled in both Nishioka and Imae to put Lotte ahead 4-1.
In the 6th inning, Seung-Yeop Lee crushed a belt-high Igawa pitch into the right-field stands for a home run to make it 5-1. With the fog rolling into Chiba Marine Stadium, Lotte turned an already one-sided affair into a whitewashing. Two singles set up catcher Tomoya Satozaki
Tomoya Satozaki
is a Japanese professional baseball player. He is currently with the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.-External links:*...
for a 3-run home run. Agbayani capped the scoring in the 7th through even thicker fog with a 2-run blast of his own for Lotte's 4th home run of the day and staking the Marines to a 10-1 lead.
After Agbayani's home run, the umpires conferred and called for a fog delay. After a wait, the umpires decided to call the game after 7 innings, giving Shimizu a complete game victory.
Game 2
Looking to rebound from the previous night's thumping, the Tigers sent Yuya Andoh to the mound, countering Lotte's star submarine pitcher, Shunsuke WatanabeShunsuke Watanabe
is a professional baseball player from Tsuga, Tochigi, Japan who plays for the Chiba Lotte Marines in the Japanese Pacific League.His submarine pitching form was noted during the 2006 World Baseball Classic.-Amateur career:...
. Again, Lotte got off to a fast start, with Nishioka doubling to right on the second pitch he saw from Andoh. With 2 down and Nishioka on 3rd, Saburo hit a ground ball to Imaoka at 3rd, but the throw was one-hopped to the first baseman Andy Sheets
Andy Sheets
Andrew Mark Sheets is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for the Seattle Mariners , San Diego Padres , Anaheim Angels , Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Devil Rays . He played first base for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp , and Hanshin Tigers , of the Nippon Professional Baseball league....
and got away from him. Saburo reached and Nishioka scored to put the Marines on top, 1-0.
In the 2nd inning, Lee drew a walk, setting up Imae, who hit a double and advanced the Korean slugger to 3rd. A double play followed, but the Tigers were willing to trade a run for 2 outs, as Lee scored.
Watanabe had little resistance in the first two innings, but ran into a bit of trouble in the 3rd. Two singles leading off the inning brought up Fujimoto, who tried to sacrifice the runners to 2nd and 3rd, but a bad bunt with one strike put the pressure on Fujimoto to swing away. He ended up fouling out to Lee at first, and Hanshin would fail to score after the next two batters failed to reach as well.
Hanshin would threaten again in the top of the 6th, when Akahoshi singled and stole second to start the inning. Toritani then singled himself to put runners on the corners with nobody out. However, after an out, Sheets lined a Watanabe pitch up the middle which was fielded for a 4-6-3 double play, Hanshin's 2nd twin-killing of the game.
With Hanshin failing to at least pull closer, the Marines then went in for the kill. With a runner on first and one out, Saburo lined a home run to left field to put Lotte ahead 4-0. Matt Franco
Matt Franco
Matthew Neil Franco is a former professional baseball player who played first base in the major leagues from 1995–2003, and in Nippon Professional Baseball from 2004-2006. Franco started his pro career in 1987 with the Rookie League Wytheville Cubs in the Appalachian League...
then immediately followed with a home run of his own for a 5-0 Marines lead. Andoh was visibly in tears as he pitched to Agbayani. Egusa was brought in to face the dangerous Lee, who clubbed the 3rd home run of the inning to put the game away at 7-0.
In the 8th, Lotte added two more, one of the runs coming off the bat of Imae once again. Through two games, Imae was a perfect 8-for-8 with one home run. Lotte had taken an overwhelming 9-0 lead, but they weren't done yet. Platoon catcher Tasuku Hashimoto then followed Imae with a triple that gave the Marines a 10-0 lead.
Watanabe closed out the game with little resistance from the Hanshin batters, giving the Marines a commanding 2 games to none lead in the series. Hanshin had been in this exact situation before two years earlier, and came within one game of winning the Japan Series then. Going home to the friendly confines of Koshien Stadium
Koshien Stadium
is a baseball park located near Kobe in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The stadium was built to host the national high school baseball tournaments, and opened on April 1, 1924. It was the largest stadium in Asia at the time it was completed, with a capacity of 55,000.The name Kōshien comes...
, could they turn the series around?
Game 3
Having been outscored 20-1 in the first two games, the Tigers were not only in need of a win, but also of a way to somehow stop (or at least slow down) the dominant Lotte lineup. Things bode well for the Tigers, however, as they headed home to Koshien StadiumKoshien Stadium
is a baseball park located near Kobe in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The stadium was built to host the national high school baseball tournaments, and opened on April 1, 1924. It was the largest stadium in Asia at the time it was completed, with a capacity of 55,000.The name Kōshien comes...
, where they had reeled off three straight wins in the 2003 Japan Series
2003 Japan Series
The first game of the 2003 Japan Series set the stage for one of the most exciting series in recent memory. The first game was a matchup of matching 20-game winners: Igawa for Hanshin, and Saitoh for Daiei. Saitoh got out of a jam in the first, and Igawa struck out Hiroshi Shibahara and Munenori...
against the Hawks.
Tsuyoshi Shimoyanagi
Tsuyoshi Shimoyanagi
is a Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan's Central League. He previously played for the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks and the Nippon Ham Fighters.-External links:...
took the hill for the Tigers and had a clean first inning. Big right-hander Hiroyuki Kobayashi was called on to start for the Marines, and he found trouble with one out in the first as Toritani doubled off the wall in left. However, neither Sheets or Kanemoto could send Toritani home, and the first inning ended scoreless.
Saburo led off the second with a double off Shimoyanagi. After reaching 3rd, Agbayani hit a sacrifice fly to left to score Saburo and give Lotte a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the 2nd, the Tigers again seemed to have something going as Imaoka singled and Shinjiro Hiyama
Shinjiro Hiyama
is a Japanese baseball player from Ukyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan. He plays as an outfielder for the Hanshin Tigers of the Central League.He made public that he is a Zainichi Korean in 2004 .-Biography:...
drew a full count walk with nobody out. After a sacrifice bunt, Imaoka scored on a fielder's choice by Kentaro Sekimoto. This was the first time that Hanshin had scored in 11 innings, and it tied the score, 1-1.
Pesky as ever, the Marines answered right back against Shimoyanagi in the top of the 4th. Hori and Kazuya Fukuura both singled to start the inning. After an out and a walk, the bases were loaded with 1 down for Satozaki, who hit a slow roller to short. It was fielded by Toritani at short who tossed it to Sekimoto at 2nd for one out, but Sekimoto's relay to Sheets at first was apparently too late to get Satozaki at 1st, allowing Hori to score and give Lotte the 2-1 lead. However, replays showed that Satozaki was out by the smallest of margins. With runners on the corners and 2 out, Imae came up and again knocked in a run, this time on a swinging bunt which was fielded, but too late to get Imae at first, which allowed Fukuura to score from 3rd, giving Lotte a 3-1 lead.
Keeping with the theme of the past two games, the Tigers kept it close, but failed to score to tie the game up. In the 7th, the Marines kept their own theme going by breaking the game open in the late innings. Young reliever Kyuji Fujikawa
Kyuji Fujikawa
is a closer for the Hanshin Tigers.Fujikawa pitched in the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classics as well as the 2008 Beijing Olympics. A prototypical power pitcher, Fujikawa is said to have one of the most explosive fastballs in all of Japanese professional baseball and is one of Japan's premier...
worked a clean 6th, but Satozaki walked and once again Imae came through with a double to right-center to put runners on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out to start the 7th. Matt Franco then drew a full-count walk to load the bases with nobody out. The walks came back to bite Fujikawa Hashimoto rifled a single up the middle to score both Satozaki and Imae and give the Marines a 5-1 lead. Nishioka then came up and singled up the middle to put Lotte ahead 6-1. After re-loading the bases, Fukuura then put the nail in the coffin by crushing a grand slam to extend Lotte's lead to 10-1.
That would be how the game would end, as Soichi Fujita
Soichi Fujita
is a Japanese left-handed reliever for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in Nippon Professional Baseball. He has played every single game of his career pitching in relief and holds the Japanese record for most pitching appearances....
worked the 8th, striking out a visibly frustrated Sheets to end the inning. Yasuhiko Yabuta
Yasuhiko Yabuta
is a Japanese baseball pitcher. He currently plays for the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. He competed in the 2006 World Baseball Classic and struck out Alex Rodriguez, Johnny Damon, and Derrek Lee....
then worked the 9th and struck out Kanemoto and Hiyama to end the game and give the Marines a commanding 3 games to none lead.
Game 4
The only close game of the series ended Hanshin's hopes of winning their first Japan Series championship since 1985. Naohisa Sugiyama took the mound for the Tigers to try to stage a miracle comeback. Considering the Tigers had been outscored 30-2 in the first three games, a miracle was what they would need. On the other side was foreign lefty Dan SerafiniDan Serafini
Daniel Joseph Serafini is a left-handed Major League Baseball relief pitcher who is currently a free agent and coach/owner of Throw Like a Pro Baseball Academy.-Minor league career:...
. Serafini got into some trouble in the first with Akahoshi beating out a high chopper to short and Toritani laying down a bunt, then beating Serafini's throw to first. However, Hanshin once again could not capitalize and take their first lead of the series, with the next three batters in Andy Sheets
Andy Sheets
Andrew Mark Sheets is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for the Seattle Mariners , San Diego Padres , Anaheim Angels , Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Devil Rays . He played first base for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp , and Hanshin Tigers , of the Nippon Professional Baseball league....
, Tomoaki Kanemoto
Tomoaki Kanemoto
is a Japanese professional baseball outfielder with the Hanshin Tigers in Nippon Professional Baseball.The Tigers' current cleanup hitter, Kanemoto is regarded as one of the most accomplished hitters in Japanese professional baseball history and has hit more home runs in his career than any other...
, and Makoto Imaoka
Makoto Imaoka
Makoto Imaoka is a Japanese professional baseball player from Takarazuka, Hyōgo, Japan.Imaoka spent several uneventful seasons in the Japanese professional leagues before being chosen as the lead-off batter by Senichi Hoshino, who managed the Hanshin Tigers from 2002-2004...
all failing to drive in runs.
Sugiyama could not duplicate the success of the previous inning, as Matt Franco
Matt Franco
Matthew Neil Franco is a former professional baseball player who played first base in the major leagues from 1995–2003, and in Nippon Professional Baseball from 2004-2006. Franco started his pro career in 1987 with the Rookie League Wytheville Cubs in the Appalachian League...
led off with a double, and then Lee Seung-Yeop crushed his 3rd home run of the series to deep right field, putting Lotte on top, 2-0.
In the home half of the 3rd, Akahoshi once again reached and was sacrificed to second, and for a moment it seemed that the Tigers would finally catch a break, but Sheets' liner was caught by a great effort from Franco to end the inning and keep Hanshin off the board.
Franco and Lee teamed up again to lead off the 3rd inning with Franco drawing a walk and then Lee doubling, driving Franco in all the way from first. The 3-0 lead seemed safe, especially given Hanshin's late-inning collapses.
In the 5th, Serafini found himself in trouble yet again, as he had runners on first and 2nd with nobody out. But once again, the Tigers could not score, as Serafini got a strikeout, then induced a 4-6-3 double play on Akahoshi.
However, in the 6th the Tigers finally made the most of one of their chances. Serafini gave up a single to Sheets and then walked Kanemoto with one out. Valentine went to his bullpen, sending Shingo Ono
Shingo Ono
is a Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher for the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan's Pacific League.-External links:...
to the mound to try to stem the tide. Ono gave up a bloop single to Imaoka that scored Sheets to put Hanshin on the board at 3-1. Shinjiro Hiyama
Shinjiro Hiyama
is a Japanese baseball player from Ukyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan. He plays as an outfielder for the Hanshin Tigers of the Central League.He made public that he is a Zainichi Korean in 2004 .-Biography:...
then kept the rally going by singling just past second to pull Hanshin ever closer at 3-2. In just one inning, Hanshin had matched their offensive output over three games. Akihiro Yano
Akihiro Yano
is a former Japanese baseball player in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. He started his career as the Number 2 Draft pick with the Chunichi Dragons in , and played for the Hanshin Tigers from 1998 until his retirement in 2010.-References:...
came up with a chance to keep it going, but he grounded into yet another inning-ending double play for Hanshin.
From there, the last three innings were a battle of the bullpens. Both teams fired scoreless 7th innings, and with one on and one out in the 8th, Yabuta struck out both Kanemoto and Imaoka to end the inning. Masahide Kobayashi
Masahide Kobayashi
is a professional baseball pitcher who currently plays for the Orix Buffaloes.From -, Kobayashi played in the Nippon Professional Baseball league for the Chiba Lotte Marines...
came in to end the series, his first appearance in the series. It did not start well, as Kobayashi issued a four-pitch walk to Hiyama to start the inning. Yano tried to sacrifice Hiyama to 2nd, but his sacrifice bunt attempt was popped up and caught by Fukuura, and Hiyama was doubled off at 1st for Hanshin's 3rd double play of the game. Kobayashi then got Fujimoto swinging to end the game and the series.
The final aggregate score for the series was 33-4, the most one-sided Japan Series in the event's history. With the win, the Marines won their first Japan Series Championship since 1974, when they were known as the Lotte Orions. In addition, Bobby Valentine was the first foreign manager to win a Japan Series championship.
The series MVP was Toshiaki Imae
Toshiaki Imae
is a Japanese professional baseball player for the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.Imae won the Most Valuable Player award in both the 2005 and 2010 Japan Series.-External links:...
, who recorded eight straight hits in the first two games, and finished with a .625 average for the series with one home run and nine runs batted in.