Bobby Valentine/Marines Breakout Ex-Met Thread

[metirish]

Bobby Valentine is Hot...from the Sports Illustrated "Who's Hot, Who's Not" section..

Skipper's Chiba Lotte Marines are leading the Japan League,behind ex-Mets Benny Agbayani and Matt Franco.And the Chief is being hailed-the marching band from Valentines alma mater, USC, was to play at Chiba Marine Stadium this week.Meantime the Mets who played .534 ball in Valentines seven seasons have been at .434 since he was let go in 2002.

Go Bobby..

[seawolf17]

Sapporo presents Bobeer, featuring our very own Bobby V. This was the only news link I could find quickly; I can't find anything on the Sapporo Japan site.

Someone go to Chiba to buy Bobeer for the pool NOW!!!

[metirish]

Bobby V will apparently star in his own reality show ESPN the Mag reports, the same piece had the bit about BoBeer aswel.

Nomo to sign with the MFY.

Bobby's team are 4.5 games out in the Pacific league,57 - 32 with two tied games,how do tied games work in Japan?

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports.htm

thnaks for the link seawolf.

[metirish]

A great thing is happening in Japan for a trio of former Mets,Chiba Lotte Marines are a win away form becoming Pacific League pennent winners and going to the Japan Series, first time in 31 years.

]Marines edge closer to Japan Series trip FUKUOKA (AP) Bobby Valentine has his Chiba Lotte Marines one win away from a trip to the Japan Series. Softbank outfielder Jolbert Cabrera smacks a solo homer into the left-field bleachers off Chiba Lotte starter Naoyuki Shimizu to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning in Game 2 of the Pacific League playoff second stage at Fukuoka Yahoo Dome on Thursday night. The Marines won 3-2. Matt Franco delivered the key hit Thursday and starter Naoyuki Shimizu went seven strong innings as the Marines defeated the Softbank Hawks 3-2 at Yahoo Dome to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the Pacific League's best-of-five second-stage playoffs. Jolbert Cabrera gave the Hawks a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning when he connected for a solo homer off a Shimizu breaking ball into the left-field stands. But the lead didn't last long. Franco connected off Softbank starter Kazumi Saito with a bases-loaded double to left in the sixth that scored a pair of runs and gave the Marines a 2-1 lead. Benny Agbayani, the hero of Wednesday's 4-2 win, made it 3-1 with a ground out that scored the runner from third. Valentine, who is in the second year of a three-year contract as manager of the Marines, has made all the right moves in the first two games. The former New York Mets manager moved Franco up in the order for Thursday's game and the move paid off. Softbank's Munenori Kawasaki pulled the Hawks to within one run on a leadoff solo homer in the bottom of the sixth, but the Hawks couldn't close the gap and now have to win three games in a row to advance to the Japan Series, which starts on Oct. 22 against the Central League champion Hanshin Tigers. Shimizu, who went 10-11 in the regular season, struck out six and gave up two runs on four hits for the win. The Marines, who defeated the Seibu Lions 2-0 in the first stage playoffs, have now won four in a row and can book a spot in the championship with a win over Softbank on Saturday at Yahoo Dome. Closer Masahide Kobayashi retired the side in the ninth for the save. "My fastball was working tonight and I just tried to be as aggressive as possible," said Shimizu. "We knew if we won this game it would really put a lot of the pressure on them." Saito, 16-1 in the regular season, took the loss after giving up three runs on five hits over six innings. The Hawks, who finished the regular season 4 1/2 games ahead of the Marines in the standings and had a two-week layoff before Wednesday's game, continued to look sluggish. Nobuhiko Matsunaka, who had a Pacific League-leading 46 homers in the regular season, has yet to produce a hit in two games and hit a deep fly to center to end Thursday's game. Cleanup hitters Julio Zuleta and Tony Batista were also hitless in Game 2. Lotte is making its first postseason appearance since 1974 when they were known as the Lotte Orions. The Hawks won the Japan Series in 1999 and 2003. The Japan Times: Oct. 14, 2005 (C) All rights reserved

[Guest Edgy DC]

Great for Bobby.

[u:885abb69cf]Royals name Bob McClure Pitching Coach[/u:885abb69cf]

That breaks a bias. Do former releivers ever get to the bigs as pitching coaches?

[Benjamin Grimm]

Dave Righetti. But he spent a good chunk of time as a starter, too.

[Valadius]

I was curious if any other Mets were on Bobby V's team and so I dug around the internet for a roster. And then I find Benny Agbayani's stats for 2004:

.315, 35 HR, 100 RBI, 1.043 OPS

Yipes.

Satoru Komiyama is also on Bobby V's team.

I also found stats for some other familiar names:

Dae Sung Koo in 2004:

6-10, 4.32 ERA.

Dicky Gonzalez in 2004:

4-2, 3.09 ERA.

Mike Kinkade in 2004:

.233, 3 HR, 7 RBI.

Alex Ochoa in 2004:

.294, 21 HR, 89 RBI.

Ed Yarnall (Remember the Mike Piazza trade?) in 2002:

6-13, 3.61 ERA.

Shingo Takatsu's career stats in Japan (13 seasons):

260 saves (all-time saves leader), 3.13 ERA, 545 K's and 233 BBs in 695.1 innings.

Kaz Ishii in Japan (10 seasons):

78-46, 3.38 ERA, 1277 K's and 612 BBs in 1184.1 innings.

And here are Kaz Matsui's stats:

2002: .332, 36 HR, 87 RBI, 33 SB, 11 CS.
2003: .305, 33 HR, 84 RBI, 13 SB, 10 CS.

Looks like Masato Yoshii returned to Japan. He's 40 years old now! It appears that he retired following the 2004 season.

Takashi Kashiwada returned to Japan and became a set-up man.

[metirish]

The Chiba Lotte Marines lost Saturday to the Softbank Hawks, Bobby V's Mariners were up 4 - 0 to Sadaharu Oh's Hawks only to have the closer Masahide Kobayashi blow it, he gave up four runs in the bottem of the ninth, Tony Batista scored the wining run in the 10th inning, the Hawks were facing elimination.

Here's a decent article in today's Tokyo Times about Chiba Lotte, Bobby V is the best....

]Revitalized Chiba Lotte franchise alive and well in Makuhari By WAYNE GRACZYK Most Japanese fans of Major League Baseball are pulling for a Chicago-St. Louis World Series, hoping to see a match-up of the "Guchi Brothers," former Japan Pacific League rivals Tadahito Iguchi of the White Sox and So Taguchi of the Cardinals. I have to say I am in line with that, especially on the American League side where I still have a problem with the name Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. You may recall I mentioned in a column last fall how much I disliked that designation after the then-Anaheim Angels decided to include names of the two cities in their designation. I even got a supportive followup e-mail from an Anaheim city official expressing his understandable displeasure with the change. Most of the time now, Anaheim is not even mentioned when someone talks about the team. It's simply the Los Angeles Angels, and that's a lot better than the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. I still don't like that. Go, Sox! Meanwhile, the focus in Japan has been on the exciting Pacific League Stage 2 Playoffs between Bobby Valentine's Chiba Lotte Marines of Makuhari and Sadaharu Oh's Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Momochi (see how silly that sounds?), and let us take a moment here for a few words about the Marines and how far the team has come since 1994, when that franchise was deader than the proverbial doornail. No one went to watch them play in Chiba or anywhere else, no one wanted to manage them (until Bobby Valentine came along), and the team had deservedly acquired the label of a perennial loser after 13 consecutive finishes in the Pa League second division. They wore those sissy-looking white uniforms with pink lettering, and I still remember Mel Hall, one of the foreign players on the 1994 Lotte club, telling me, "We just don't look fearsome out there in pink and white." Hall was right; they were anything but fearsome. Look at the Marines now. You just can't say enough about what Valentine and his staff have accomplished, mostly in the past two seasons, but the program is one Bobby really started 10 years ago when he breathed some life into the organization and set it on the right course. Today's CLM roster is packed deep with quality players, featuring a batting lineup of power, speed and clutch hitting. The defense has been superb, especially in the Oct. 8-9 PL Playoff Stage 1 series against the Seibu Lions, and having four starters win in double figures, excellent set-up men and the league-leading closer, makes the Lotte mound staff one of the best in the world. It is a pleasure now going to games at Marine Stadium, despite the long, long transfer from the JR Chuo Line to the Keiyo Line I need to make at Tokyo Station and the long, long walk from Kaihin Makuhari Station to the ballpark. That second trek can be eliminated, though, by taking one of the convenient shuttle buses decorated with the Marines logo and pinstripes and the catch phrase, "MARINES IS MY LIFE." But I can use the exercise. On the way into the stadium, you can pick up a program and scorecard, just like at a major league game in North America, for only 100, yen and let me tell you about the "White Stadium" posters promoting the Seibu series. There were three, depicting a brilliant idea of mixing the past and present, yesterday and today, throw-back and right-now. One features Valentine matching "guts poses" with Masaichi Kaneda, manager of the last Lotte Japan Series champion team in 1974. Kaneda is wearing the uniform of the old Lotte Orions. A second poster has four current Marines hitters in batting poses, along with Michiyo ("Mr. Lotte") Arito, the third baseman and star of the 1974 Orions. The third one shows four 2005 Lotte pitchers throwing in front of Choji Murata, ace hurler on that Orions club that defeated the Chunichi Dragons four games to two in the Japan Series 31 -- yep, 31 -- years ago, when Lotte was a homeless "gypsy" team playing "home" games all over Japan. Hey, are those posters for sale? Collector's items they are, for sure. Perhaps most impressive, though, is No. 26, the Marines cheering section that backs the 25 players on the bench, unfurls a huge banner at the start of each game and makes lots and lots of noise to keep the heroes motivated. Former Brooklyn Dodgers (1944-1953) pitcher Ralph Branca watched at Chiba as Lotte eliminated Seibu and said the Marines fans are even more excited than the Flatbush faithful he remembers 52 --yep, 52 -- years ago. "I thought the Brooklyn fans were the greatest," said Branca. "But I've never seen anything like this." Branca, 79, was here to support the Marines whose manager is his son-in-law, Bobby Valentine. Branca said he has to leave prior to the start of the Japan Series, and that's too bad. Can you imagine a bleacher battle between the Chiba rooters and Hanshin Tigers supporters? Remind me to look for my ear plugs. And to think a little more than a year ago, when Japanese baseball club owners were looking for two teams to form a second merger after Kintetsu-Orix, and one of the combinations being suggested was an amalgamation of the Marines and the Hawks. Aren't we all happy that did not occur? The future looks bright for Lotte, too. The Marines' Eastern League farmhands defeated the Hanshin Tigers' Western League boys in Japan's minor league championship game on Oct. 8, and Valentine praised the job done by the Marines second-team skipper, former California League manager Hide Koga. Make no mistake about it. The Lotte franchise, once dead, is alive and well. Contact Wayne Graczyk at: wsgraczyk@yahoo.com The Japan Times: Oct. 16, 2005 (C) All rights reserved

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

Thanks for the update Irish.

What is the status of the series? How many wins do the Hawks have?

[metirish]

OK from what I can find they played again Sunday and the Hawks won 3 - 2 so the sereis is tied at 2, they play again tonight which is Monday in Japan...

]Jim Allen Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter The Fukuoka Softbank Hawks are alive, kicking and just a tie game away from clinching their fourth Pacific League title in seven seasons. Julio Zuleta homered twice and drove in all his team's runs on Sunday as the Hawks beat the Chiba Lotte Marines 3-2 to tie the second stage of the PL playoffs at two games apiece. "One-run games will kill you, but they are crowd-pleasers," Softbank skipper Sadaharu Oh said. As the top seeds, the Hawks can wrap up the pennant here tonight with a win or a 12-inning tie, while a Marines victory will send Lotte to its first pennant in 31 years. "Now there is nothing to do but win, we do that, we move on, lose and we go home," Oh said. Trailing by a run in the bottom of the fourth, Zuleta hit his second homer of the game, a two-run shot off Marines right-hander Hiroyuki Kobayashi, who worked eight innings to take the loss. "He was throwing a lot of junk, but if you pay attention to the game, all his junk was out of the zone," Zuleta said. "He surprised guys with his fastball, but I knew sooner or later he's going to come with his fastball--and I hit it out of the park." Like most of the Hawks, Zuleta struggled to get his timing at the plate after a 13-day layoff between the end of the regular season on Sept. 28 and the start of the second stage on Oct. 12. But instead of hitting the ball, two straight losses had the Hawks on the verge of hitting the road--until a dramatic come-from-behind victory in Game 3. In Game 2, Zuleta just missed a pair of high fastballs that would have had a high-probability of reaching the stands. "If my timing is good, like yesterday and today, those balls should be home runs," he said. Hawks southpaw Tsuyoshi Wada made the earliest exit of any Hawks starter in the series--after just 78 pitches in four innings, making him the only Softbank starter to avoid suffering a late-inning meltdown. Oh said he made the unusually quick hook not because he had left his first three starters in the game too long but because Wada had felt some discomfort in his left elbow earlier in the week. "Because of that, his control was poor," Oh said. "If he was healthy I would have left him in." Oh brought in rookie Hideaki Takahashi in the fifth, but the side-arm right-hander surrendered a leadoff single and hit the next man. With no outs and the tying run on second, Oh showed rare speed in turning to middle reliever Shintaro Yoshitake, and the right-hander held off the Marines single-handed. The pitcher pounced on a bunt in front of the mound, wheeled like a gyro and got the force at third base. "Anyone but Yoshitake, and that runner is on third with a sacrifice," Oh said of his savior, who then got two quick outs to stall the Marines short of their objective. The right-hander, who gave up the game-winning hit in the Hawks' 4-2 defeat in Game 1, allowed one hit in 2-2/3 scoreless innings for the win. "They hit me before, but tonight was just like any other night." The Marines got on the board in the first in a series of excellent at-bats in which Wada had an 0-2 count on each of the first five hitters. Benny Agbayani broke the ice by singling in Tsuyoshi Nishioka with two outs. Nishioka, the league stolen base champ, did a workmanlike job to draw a leadoff walk and then stole the first of his two bases. With one out and runners on the corners, the Hawks got some help in the inning from first base umpire Masao Yanada. Oh gave the ump an earful for a close call at first that gave Kazuya Fukuura an infield single, and Yanada wasted no time getting back in Oh's good graces--ringing the next batter out on something almost resembling a swing. The ump chipped in again in the ninth, by punching out Toshiaki Imae after Oh personally went to the plate to ask the home plate ump to appeal to Yanada. "My catcher [Naoki] Matoba forgot to ask, so I went and did it," Oh said. After Zuleta opened the Softbank account in the second, the Marines recaptured the high ground in the fourth on Tomoya Satozaki's second solo homer of the series. The visitors' second lead, however, had an even shorter shelf-life than their first. Kobayashi walked struggling cleanup hitter Nobuhiko Matsunaka to leadoff the bottom of the fourth and Zuleta homered to right to give the Hawks a 3-2 lead. Matsunaka, hands down the best hitter in the league, has been zero at the plate for the second straight postseason, but Kobayashi gave him little in the zone and his run made the difference. It was the seventh home run allowed by the Marines in 48-1/3 postseason innings but the first to go out with a runner on base. Kobayashi finally got Zuleta out in the sixth, when left fielder Agbayani made an excellent sliding catch on a rocket headed for the corner. A strong play by third baseman Imae opened the frame to help make it a 1-2-3 inning. But with the Hawks' bullpen in complete control of the game, the Marines' classy fielding was little more than a valiant but futile rearguard action. Southpaw Koji Mise came on to get the final out of the seventh, and closer Takahiro Mahara pitched the final 1-2/3 innings for the save. "It is hard to explain how excited I am," Zuleta said. "We were down two games, and now we have our second win in a row. We have momentum now and we will try to win the Pacific League tomorrow. "It will be a great game." (Oct. 17, 2005) Sportsgo

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

So tonight's game is for all the marbles.

Go Marines!

[metirish]

Chiba Lotte won and are going to the Japan series...

]Valentine's Lotte Marines reach Japan Series Tomoya Satozaki doubled in a pair of runs in the top of the eighth inning at Yahoo Dome on Monday as the Marines defeated the Softbank Hawks 3-2 in Game 5 of the Pacific League's second stage playoffs to advance to the Japan Series, where they will face the Central League champion Hanshin Tigers. "I don't think either team should have lost," said Valentine. "The Hawks are a great team and the Marines are a great team, and I congratulate everyone in the organization." The Marines, who last played in the Japan Series in 1974 when they were known as the Lotte Orions, will open the best-of-seven championship on Saturday at Chiba Marine Stadium. Satozaki came through with the big hit in Monday's deciding game. Pinch-hitter Kiyoshi Hatsushiba reached first on an infield single to third that was misplayed by Tony Batista, Kazuya Fukuura singled to right and Satozaki doubled off the wall in left to score both runners. "We won it with a lot of guts," said Valentine. "We were behind in this game and came back. Hatsushiba led it off with a hit and Satozaki had a huge hit for us." Kazuya Fukuura drove in Lotte's first run of the game in the top of the sixth with a double to left-center that scored Tsuyoshi Nishioka from second to make it 2-1. Soichi Fujita recorded an out in the seventh for the win and Masahide Kobayashi, who blew a four-run lead in the ninth inning of Saturday's 5-4 loss, worked the ninth inning for the save despite giving up a leadoff walk to Naoyuki Omura. "The third game was a heartbreaker for us," said Valentine. "And the guy whose heart was broke the most _ Kobayashi _ was out there tonight for the save." Nobuhiko Matsunaka, who had a league-leading 46 homers in the regular season, picked up his first hit of the series with an opposite field single to left in the third inning that gave Softbank a 2-0 lead. The Hawks got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second. Julio Zuleta walked and then advanced to third on a double to left by Jolbert Cabrera before scoring on a sacrifice fly by Yusuke Torigoe. The Marines, once a perennial Pacific League doormat, have made rapid progress since Valentine returned for his second stint with the club. They just missed the playoffs last season and challenged the Hawks this year for first place in the standings, finishing just 4-1/2 games back of Softbank. Valentine, who is in the second year of a three-year contract, is a fan favorite at Chiba Marine Stadium. He was mobbed by his players after Monday's win and tossed in the air. The Marines cruised past the defending Japan Series champion Seibu Lions in the first-stage playoffs and won the first two games of this series. Valentine, meanwhile, becomes the first foreign manager of a Japanese team to reach the Japan Series since Hawaiian Wally Yonamine did so in 1974 with the Chunichi Dragons, who lost to the Orions in six games. The Marines finished first in interleague play in May and June when they also held first place in the Pacific League standings. They got solid pitching performances from submariner Shunsuke Watanabe (15-4), rookie Yasutomo Kubo (10-3) and Hiroyuki Kobayashi (12-6). South Korean slugger Lee Seung Yeop led the team with 30 homers. (AP) October 17, 2005

Bobby V gets tossed in the air...congrats to Bobby and Chiba Lotte.

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

That's different from being soaked with Gatorade!

Congratulations to Bobby! Go Marines!

[Valadius]

Bobby V! You are awesome.

[Valadius]

Here's another pic of Bobby V:

[Guest Edgy DC]

Rusty Staub, happy for the good peeps of Houston.

Bobby Valentine, in championship mode.

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

One down, three to go!



Baseball: Imae leads Marines' 15-hit attack in Japan Series

.c Kyodo News Service

CHIBA, Japan, Oct. 22 (Kyodo) - (EDS: ADDING DETAILS)

Toshiaki Imae homered and went 4-for-4 and drove in two key runs while Tomoya Satozaki, Lee Seung Yeop and Benny Agbayani all went deep as the Lotte Marines clobbered the Hanshin Tigers 10-1 in Game 1 of the Japan Series on Saturday.

For the first time in the history of the Japan Series, a game was called due to a dense fog, which descended on the ballpark making it virtually impossible to continue play with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning.

''It was a great win and too bad we didn't get to play nine innings. The guys came out swinging and Shimizu Naoyuki was fantastic,'' said Lotte manager Bobby Valentine.

Imae opened the scoring with a first-inning solo homer over the left-center fence and hit a go-ahead double to right in a three-run fifth off Kei Igawa (0-1) at Chiba Marine Stadium.

''It was good to drive in another run right after we gave up a tying run in the top of the inning,'' Imae said of the go-ahead double.

The 22-year-old third baseman became the 13th player to hit a home run in his first Japan Series plate appearance and the only player to ever have four hits in his first Japan Series game. His four hits also matched a series record for most hits by a player in a game.

Shimizu (1-0) held Hanshin to one run and five hits in seven innings, struck out six and walked one. The right-hander settled down after getting cleanup hitter Tomoaki Kanemoto to ground into a double play to escape a two-on jam in the first.

Shinjiro Hiyama led off the fifth with a single for Hanshin and Akihiro Yano hit a one-out single to put runners at the corners. Atsushi Fujimoto then tied the game 1-1 on a sacrifice fly to left.

But in the bottom half, Imae's clutch hit and a two-run double by cleanup-hitter Saburo Omura put Lotte ahead 4-1. ''The ball I doubled was a changeup. I'm relieved to have the hit, especially after I struggled in the second stage of the playoffs (against the Softbank Hawks),'' Omura said.

Lee added a solo homer in the sixth and Valentine's team stretched the lead to nine runs in the next inning on a Satozaki three-run blast and Agbayani's two-run drive.

Igawa was chased after six innings after giving up five runs and 10 hits, while striking out nine and walking one. Kentaro Hashimoto replaced the left-hander, but was unable to stop the Marines' 15-hit slugfest.

Every player in the Marines' starting lineup had at least one hit, with Imae leading the way, Agbayani going 3-for-4 and Kazuya Fukuura going 2-for-4.

''We had all of our parts of the game going tonight and it was the first game of a seven-game series,'' Valentine said.

In the last 10 years, the winners of Game 1 have posted a 9-1 record in the Japan Series. The only team that lost the first game but won the series was the Yomiuri Giants in 2000, when they won four straight after dropping the first two against the Daiei Hawks.

Lotte has a 1-3 record in Game 1 of its previous four Japan Series appearances and only won the title when it took the first game in 1950. Hanshin has a 2-2 record in its previous four appearances and lost the championship when it dropped Game 1 in 1964 and 2003.

''I was worried about our hitting and that's exactly what the problem was tonight. The guys weren't swinging the bats,'' said Hanshin manager Akinobu Okada.

''It hurt us a lot when Igawa let the ninth batter (Masato Watanabe) on to lead off the fifth. We don't feel good about how this ended but we have to make sure not to continue with this same way of playing and score first tomorrow,'' he added.

Lotte is aiming for its first title in 31 years when they were know as the Lotte Orions in 1974 while Hanshin hopes to claim the championship for the first time since 1985.

Right-hander Shunsuke Watanabe will start Game 2 for Lotte while Yuya Ando will take the mound for Hanshin at Chiba Marine Stadium.

[Willets Point]

Benny! Benny! Benny!

[metirish]

Chiba Lotte fans "Believe" just like Mets fans, Go Marines..

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

Go Marines!


Baseball: S. Watanabe blanks Tigers, Marines jump for 2-0 series

.c Kyodo News Service

CHIBA, Japan, Oct. 23 (Kyodo) - Shunsuke Watanabe pitched a four-hitter over the distance, while Saburo Omura, Matt Franco and Lee Seung Yeop each homered in a five-run six inning as the Lotte Marines trounced the Hanshin Tigers 10-0 Sunday to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Japan Series.

Watanabe struck out four and walked none in Game 2 while the Hanshin bats once again failed to swing the bats in a second-straight double-digit defeat at Chiba Marine Stadium.

With the Marines leading 2-0 in the sixth, Omura hit a two-run homer on a 2-2 pitch from right-hander Yuya Ando (0-1).

''I was able to connect perfectly. I knew the ball would be gone as soon as I hit it. I'm so happy that I was able to play in this kind of atmosphere,'' Omura, who batted cleanup, said.

Franco followed Omura with a solo shot. Two batters later, Lee added a two-run blast, his second in the series, to make it 7-0.

Meanwhile, Toshiaki Imae set a new Japan Series record with eight hits in as many at-bats and as many plate appearances. He had four singles in four at-bats after hitting a solo homer and going 4-for-4 with two RBIs the previous day.

The Marines took a quick lead as Tsuyoshi Nishioka led off the first inning with a double, moved to third on a Hisao Heiuchi sacrifice bunt and scored on a throwing error by third baseman Makoto Imaoka who tried to field a Omura grounder with two outs.

Lotte made it 2-0 in the second as Lee drew a leadoff walk and Imae singled to put runners at the corners with none out. Lee scored when Tasuku Hashimoto grounded into a double play.

Bobby Valentine's team put the game away in the sixth and added three more runs on three hits in the eighth.

After a travel day on Monday, the series moves to Koshien Stadium for Game 3 starting Tuesday.

[Willets Point]

Ooh, the hallowed Koshien.

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

Bobby's got Wa!

[Willets Point]

Highlights of Game #1 of the Nippon Series (opens with Real Player).

[Willets Point]

Game #2 of the Nippon Series highlights include:
- the slugging prowess of Matt Franco
- Benny Agbayani, like Ichiro, wears his first name on his uniform
- the pitcher for the Marines (#31) makes Chad Bradford's delivery look overhand
- a bow from Bobby V.

[Guest Rotblatt]

Times had a nice (but late) article about Bobby V. in Sunday's paper too.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/23/sports/baseball/23valentine.html

Here's a tidbit that Sal would love:

]Valentine took a long-term view for the roster, imploring the Japanese players to become the face of the franchise instead of relying on foreign free agents. Now, Valentine noted, his starting shortstop is 21 and his third baseman is 22, each in his first full season. "They were five years away when I got here, according to all of the baseball experts," Valentine said.

That 3B is Imae, who is now 8-8 in the Series.

Thanks for the video links, by the way--good stuff!

[Centerfield]

There is even a beer named for Valentine, Bobeer, which raised money for a child's heart transplant.

Coolest thing ever.

[Guest Rotblatt]

2005 Stats for Selected Marines:

Benny, OF (.315/.426/.617, 1.043) 35 HR, 8 SB, .364 RISP
Fukuura, 1B (.314/.348/.466, .814), 11 HR., 348 RISP
Franco, 3B/1B/OF (.278/.363/.476, .839), 16 HR, .281 RISP
Hori, 2B (.261/.347/.416/.763), 14 HR, .347 RISP
Imae, 3B (.257/.295/.368), 1 HR, 5 BB, 21 K, .295 RISP
Kosaka, SS (.252/.336/.326), 1 HR, .333 RISP
Saburo, OF (.256/.331/.399), 5 HR, .388 RISP

Pitching

Shimzu, 169.33 IP, 126 K, 42 BB, 10-11, 3.40 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 6.70 K/9
Watanabe, 150.33 IP, 101 K, 42 BB, 12-6, 3.59 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 6.05 K/9
H. Kobayashi, 154.33 IP, 137 K, 57 BB, 9-7, 4.26 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 7.99 K/9
M. Kobayashi, 57.67 IP, 50 K, 19 BB, 20 SV, 3.90 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 7.80 K/9
Yabuta, 77.33 IP, 71 K, 34 BB, 3-4, 2 SV, 2.79 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 8.26 K/9

Looking at the stats, I would assume that Hanshin will send up Fukuhara (181.3 IP, 148 K, 58 BB, 10-15, 3.87 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 7.35 K/9) in Game 3 while Chiba send up H. Kobayashi.

LGM!

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Imae suxxx! Bring in Ventura-san!

[Guest sharpie]

Take out Kabayashi! Bring in Kobayashi!

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

No details yet, but it looks like Chiba Lotte is up in the series 3-0 -


Baseball: Japanese pro baseball linescores+

.c Kyodo News Service

TOKYO, Oct. 25 (Kyodo) - Linescore of Tuesday's game in Japanese pro baseball: *

Japan Series, Game 3

At Koshien Stadium Lotte 010 200 700 - 10 10 0 Hanshin 010 000 000 - 1 6 1 WP - H. Kobayashi, 1-0 LP - Shimoyanagi, 0-1 HR - Lotte: Fukuura (1) Attendance: 47,753 Time: 3:20 *