I know, I know, this game hasn’t even been played yet. Heck, the last one just finished a couple of hours ago. But tomorrow – tomorrow, this is it. If Our Marines can’t get a win, the 2013 season will be over. I just gotta throw a few thoughts out there.

The starters are set – Itoh-kantoku is going with The Baby-Faced Killer. Great. We’re not sure what to expect from him, but he’s what qualifies as a veteran on this staff for sure. He’s thrown the most innings in the most starts for this team, for better or worse, so it’s fitting that the outcome of the season rests on his arm.

I hope he’s got some magic left.

We also know what’s going to happen should someone need to come in for Yuki. It’s going to be Nishino, it’s going to be Naruse, it’s going to be Uchi and Carlos and Masuda. These are our guys. They’ve gotten us to game 147. We need them more than ever tomorrow.

I don’t fret about the bats. The Old Guys have been here before. Iguchi’s a veteran of many playoff series in the US and Japan. Saburo’s been a part of both the recent championship teams, as has Satozaki and Imae. We’ve seen Okada deliver when we needed him most – one of the biggest hits if not the biggest hit in team history (though that’s a study for the offseason).

It’s all there, friends. We need to win a game and we have the pieces in place to do it. It just needs to be done. No nonsense, no excuses – do it.