World Series 2003

[A.B.]

Tigers get teeth stuck in
Get back in Series on Fujimoto's sacrifice fly

OSAKA (AP) Don't count the Hanshin Tigers out just yet.

Infielder Atsushi Fujimoto drove in the winning run with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th inning Wednesday to lift the Tigers to a dramatic 2-1 "sayonara" victory over the Daiei Hawks in Game 3 of the Japan Series.

With the bases loaded and one out, Fujimoto's deep drive to center field allowed George Arias to come home from third with the winning run and send Koshien Stadium into a frenzy.

"After I hit it, I just hoped it had enough distance and it did," said Fujimoto. "It's a great feeling to get a big win like this and get the team back in the Series."

Daiei leads the best-of-seven series two games to one. Game 4 will be played on Thursday at Koshien Stadium.

Wednesday's game was a pitchers' duel between Daiei rookie Tsuyoshi Wada and former Atlanta Braves pitcher Trey Moore of the Tigers.

"Moore was a little shaky at first," said Hanshin manager Senichi Hoshino. "But he settled down and pitched a great game. I wanted our players to be a little more aggressive today and they were."

Had they lost, the Tigers would have faced the daunting task of coming back from a three-game deficit. No team has achieved that since the Yomiuri Giants did it in 1989 against the Kintetsu Buffaloes.

After Hanshin pitchers were shelled 13-0 in Game 2, Moore gave the Tigers what they needed to get back into the series: a quality start.

With two out and runners at second and third, Moore got pinch hitter Noriyoshi Omichi to ground out to second to end the top of the seventh. As he walked to the dugout, Moore pumped his fist.

Moore, 10-6 in the regular season, gave up one run on four hits over seven innings. Reliever Makoto Yoshino came on in the eighth and picked up the win after going the rest of the way.

Tomoaki Kanemoto tied the game 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth when he drilled a Wada offering over the wall in center field.

The ball landed halfway up the outfield bleachers just to the right of the center field scoreboard and Koshien erupted for the first time in the series.

"It was a fastball inside," said Kanemoto. "They've always jumped out to the lead and I was just trying to get on base. I wanted to do something for our fans and was glad I could come through for them."

Moore got Hanshin's first hit off Wada with a solid, two-out liner to left in the bottom of the third.

Wada, who went 14-5 in the regular season, gave up one run on two hits over six innings.

"I was nervous at first," said Wada. "I just tried to concentrate on every pitch. On the home run in the fourth inning I was completely outdone and was upset about that."

Daiei won the first two games at Fukuoka Dome by scores of 5-4 and 13-0. Game 3 was scheduled for Tuesday night but was moved back a day due to rain.

Daiei got on the scoreboard in the first inning on Nobuhiko Matsunaka's sharp single to right with runners on first and second that scored Munenori Kawasaki.

Former New York Yankees pitcher Brandon Knight, 6-4 with a 4.86 ERA in the regular season, is expected to start Game 4 for the Hawks while Game 1 starter and 20-game winner Kei Igawa is the likely starter for the Tigers.

The Japan Times: Oct. 23, 2003

[cäpt'n chaos]

Die Marlins machen's!!!!

[Backstop48]

Es freut mich vor allem, dass es auch dieses Jahr spannend bleibt. Wir haben mindestens 6 Spiele!

[cäpt'n chaos]

Und wenn die Serie hält gewinnt der Underdog im 7. Spiel - welches bedauerlicherweise in New York stattfindet.

[gelöscht]

6-4 für die Marlins - JUHUUUUUUUUU -

[Alexander Seipt]

Ganz klar dann halt über 7 Spiele zum 4:3 Erfolg für die Yankees.

[A.B.]

Tigers tie Series as Kanemoto hits pair

By JIM ARMSTRONG

NISHINOMIYA, Hyogo Pref. (AP) Tomoaki Kanemoto belted a solo homer in the bottom of the 10th inning Thursday to lift the Hanshin Tigers to a 6-5 walkoff victory over the Daiei Hawks in Game 4 of the Japan Series.

With the dramatic victory, the Central League champion Tigers evened the best-of-seven Series at two games each.

With one out at Koshien Stadium, Kanemoto connected off Daiei reliever Nagisa Arakaki with a liner that just cleared the wall in right field. It was Kanemoto's second homer of the night and third in two games.

"I don't know what to say," said Kanemoto. "It was a low drive and I didn't know if it would go out. When it did, I was so relieved."

It was the second "sayonara" victory in as many nights for the Tigers. Hanshin won Game 3 on Wednesday in the bottom of the tenth on Atsushi Fujimoto's sacrifice fly.

The Tigers had a scare in the top of the ninth with the score tied 5-5.

Yukio Deguchi hit a leadoff single to left and advanced to second when Hanshin reliever Jerrod Riggan was called for a balk.

Deguchi then went to third on Tadahito Iguchi's sacrifice bunt. Riggan came out and closer Jeff Williams came in. After walking Nobuhiko Matsunaka, Williams got Kenji Jojima to hit a grounder to third.

Hanshin third baseman Yoshinori Okihara threw home and Deguchi was tagged out on a close play at the plate before Williams struck out Pedro Valdes end the threat.

Williams, who had 25 saves in the regular season, retired the side in order in the top of the 10th and picked up the win.

George Arias punched a single to left-center off Daiei reliever Arakaki in the bottom of the eighth that scored Kanemoto from second and tied the game 5-5.

With two out and the bases loaded in the top of the eighth, Mitsuru Honma hit a comebacker to Hanshin reliever Yuya Ando. Ando knocked the ball down, picked it up and then dropped it again as Valdes crossed the plate to give the Hawks a 5-4 lead.

Makoto Yoshino came on to retire the side but the damage had been done.

Kanemoto, who homered in Wednesday's 2-1 win, led off the bottom of the sixth with a solo homer to dead center off reliever Masakazu Watanabe that gave the Tigers what looked like a comfortable 4-1 lead.

But the Hawks rallied to tie game 4-4 in the top of the seventh.

Nobuhiko Matsunaka and Jojima hit back-to-back doubles to make it 4-2. Hiroshi Shibahara hit a grounder to short that Atsushi Fujimoto knocked down but third baseman Atsushi Kataoka couldn't handle the throw as Jojima advanced to third.

Yusuke Torigoe's bloop single to right then scored Jojima to make it 4-3.

Hanshin starter Kei Igawa, who went 20-5 in the regular season, gave up four runs on seven hits over 6 2/3 innings while striking out eight.

After Igawa hit Akihito Muramatsu to load the bases, Ando came on with two out in the seventh and walked pinch hitter Deguchi as the tying run crossed the plate.

Daiei starter Brandon Knight, who went 6-4 with a 4.86 ERA in the regular season, gave up three runs on three hits over five innings.

It was a solid outing for Knight. The Tigers jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning but the former New York Yankees prospect settled down and held the Tigers to only one hit after the first.

"I struggled with my control in the first inning," said Knight. "All my pitches were up in the strike zone but I was finally able to settle down and pitch the way I wanted to after the first."

Shinjiro Hiyama, who was only batting .182 over the first three games, got the Tigers rolling with a double to the gap in left-center that scored Norihiro Akahoshi and Kanemoto in the first.

Kataoka made it 3-0 with a two-out single to right that scored Hiyama from second.

The Hawks got a run back in the top of the second when Matsunaka drilled a homer off Igawa.

The Japan Times: Oct. 24, 2003

[cäpt'n chaos]

Ganz klar dann halt über 7 Spiele zum 4:3 Erfolg für die Yankees.

Träume süss Du Ungläubiger!!!!

[Alexander Seipt]

Ganz klar dann halt über 7 Spiele zum 4:3 Erfolg für die Yankees.

Träume süss Du Ungläubiger!!!!

Na, wirst schon sehn Sonntag Nacht, wenn die Marlins weinend in die Kabinen verschwinden.

[Günter]

Marlins bringen Yankees ins Straucheln

Mit einem Sieg im fünften Spiel der Best-of-Seven-Serie um die amerikanische Baseball-Meisterschaft haben sich die Florida Marlins gegenüber den New York Yankees einen großen Vorteil verschafft. Das Team aus der Bronx muss nun seine beiden Heimspiele gewinnen, um sich die begehrten World-Series-Ringe zu sichern.

Miami - Der hoch gehandelte Titelfavorit New York Yankees steht in den World Series mit dem Rücken zur Wand. Die legendären "Bronx Bomber" verloren am Mittwoch im fünften Spiel bei den Florida Marlins mit 4:6 und liegen in der Best-of-Seven-Serie mit 2:3 zurück.
Marlins-Pitcher Brad Penny brachte seine Mannschaft mit einer tadellosen Wurfleistung auf die Siegerstraße. In sieben Innings ließ er lediglich acht Hits und zwei Runs zu. Nach fünf Durchgängen führten die Marlins bereits mit 6:1. Nur im letzten Inning wurde es noch einmal spannend, als die Yankees auf 4:6 verkürzen konnten. Die Partie stand von Beginn an nicht im Zeichen der Yankees, denn Starting Pitcher David Wells verletzte sich bereits nach 13 Würfen und Ersatzmann Jose Contreras musste überstürzt einspringen.

"Uns fehlt nur noch ein Sieg, wir sind total aus dem Häuschen", jubelte Penny nach dem Triumph. Auch Marlins-Coach Jack McKeon war stolz auf sein Team: "Ich denke, das ganze Land hat gesehen, aus welchem Holz diese Jungs geschnitzt sind."

Entscheidung in New York

Die Yankees mussten nach der Niederlage erst einmal schlucken, denn nach zwei klaren 6:1-Siegen in den Partien zwei und drei sah es wieder mal danach aus, als würde die Yankees locker zu nächsten World-Series-Erfolg eilen. Doch nach Partie fünf hat sich das Blatt völlig gewendet. "In einer Serie zurückzuliegen, kennen wir eigentlich nicht", musste Yankee-Coach Joe Torre zerknirscht eingestehen, "ich hoffe, dass wir noch zwei Saisonspiele schaffen." Auch der berüchtigte Club-Besitzer George Steinbrenner registrierte die Niederlage mit versteinerter Miene.

Die beiden letzten World-Series-Partien im Yankee-Stadium sind für Samstag und Sonntag anberaumt. Für Samstag werden die Yankees Pitcher Andy Pettitte, der schon in Spiel zwei überzeugen konnte, auf den Hügel schicken. Die Marlins haben sich noch nicht entschieden, wer der Starting Pitcher sein wird.

[cäpt'n chaos]

Ganz klar dann halt über 7 Spiele zum 4:3 Erfolg für die Yankees.

Träume süss Du Ungläubiger!!!!

Na, wirst schon sehn Sonntag Nacht, wenn die Marlins weinend in die Kabinen verschwinden.

Weinend vor Freude!!!!!

[Alexander Seipt]

Träume süss Du Ungläubiger!!!!

Na, wirst schon sehn Sonntag Nacht, wenn die Marlins weinend in die Kabinen verschwinden.

Weinend vor Freude!!!!!

Vor Freude über den zweiten Platz? Na, ich weis nicht. Aber wahrscheinlich sind sie ja schon zufrieden, in der WS gegen die Yankees spielen zu dürfen.

[Alexander Seipt]

Wenn das mal nicht zuversichtliche Gesichter sind.

[A.B.]

Tigers one win away from title
Hanshin takes Japan Series lead

By JIM ARMSTRONG

NISHINOMIYA, Hyogo Pref. (AP) Shinjiro Hiyama provided the key hit Friday as the Hanshin Tigers defeated the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks 3-2 to win another tension-filled game and take a three games to two lead in the Japan Series.

Hiyama drove in a pair of runs with a clutch, two-out single to left in the bottom of the sixth inning off Daiei starter Kazumi Saito that scored Makoto Imaoka and Norihiro Akahoshi to give the Tigers the lead for good.

"There were two out and I couldn't just hit a pop fly," said Hiyama. "I was just looking for a good pitch to hit so I could get the runners home."

Daiei won the first two games at Fukuoka Dome. The Tigers came home to Koshien Stadium and won three straight, including two walkoff victories in the bottom of the tenth inning in Games 3 and 4.

Hanshin starter Tsuyoshi Shimoyanagi gave up two runs on four hits over six innings for the win. Closer Jeff Williams, who picked up the win in Wednesday's 6-5 victory, recorded the final four outs for the save.

Williams said the boisterous Hanshin fans also played a key role in Friday's win.

"If you can't get up in front of a crowd like this, you'll never be able to get pumped," said Williams. "They get the adrenaline flowing even more than usual. When I came on in the eighth, I was just focused on getting the third out."

The Tigers, who haven't won a Japan Series since 1985, could win their first title in 18 years on Sunday with a win in Game 6 at Fukuoka Dome.

"A game like this might be fun for fans but it's hell for us," said Hanshin manager Senichi Hoshino. "We should have come back from Fukuoka with something but we were able to win three straight here."

The last time a team rallied from being down two games in the Japan Series was in 2000 when the Yomiuri Giants lost the first two games and came back to beat Daiei.

There was a scary moment in the bottom of the eighth when Imaoka singled to left and Akahoshi attempted a sacrifice bunt. Daiei pitcher Takayuki Shinohara wheeled and threw to shortstop Munenori Kawasaki at second.

Pinch runner Shuta Tanaka, running at full speed, went barreling into Kawasaki, who had to be carried off on a stretcher.

Tanaka advanced to third on the play and Akahoshi went to second with no out but the Tigers couldn't widen their one-run lead.

Saito, a 20-game winner in the regular season, gave up three runs on six hits over six innings.

Tomoaki Kanemoto connected for a solo homer off Saito in the bottom of the first. It was Kanemoto's third homer in as many at-bats and fourth in the Series.

But the lead didn't last long. Former Texas Ranger Pedro Valdes hit a towering two-run homer off Shimoyanagi in the top of the second that bounced off the foul pole in left field. It was a homer that Hoshino would later call lucky.

"I didn't get all of it," said Valdes. "But it was nice to be able to get back in the game after they got one. Hopefully, it will slow them down."

Since looking dominant in the first two games at home, the Hawks have struggled for runs at Koshien where the designated hitter rule is not in effect. Julio Zuleta, who went 4-for-7 in the first two games as a DH, came on as a pinch hitter in the sixth inning but popped out to the first baseman.

The Hawks hope that a return to their home stadium will kick start their offense.

Toshiya Sugiuchi is expected to start Game 6 for Daiei. Hideki Irabu and Shinobu Fukuhara have been mentioned as possible starters for Hanshin.

But Irabu's shaky performance in Game 2 may have cost him a chance for another start. The former New York Yankees pitcher was rocked for five runs on nine hits over three innings.


Aiming for Giants
Southpaw Tetsuya Utsumi of Tokyo Gas, a corporate-league team, will join the Yomiuri Giants on a pre-draft deal to be officially announced early next month, baseball officials said Friday.
The 21-year-old Utsumi, whose grandfather is a former Giants infielder, turned down an offer from the Orix BlueWave in the fall of 2000 after being their top draft pick, saying he preferred to join the Tokyo-based Central League club.

"It's been my childhood dream (to play for the Giants)" Utsumi said.

The Japan Times: Oct. 25, 2003

[Ingo Köhler]

Wenn das mal nicht zuversichtliche Gesichter sind.

Wenns die Yankees vergeigen liegts doch eher am Herrn links. So einen peinlichen Auftritt in einer WS wie der des Mr. Soriano habe ich noch nie gesehen.