Just as there’s nothing quite like home cooking, there’s nothing like coming home after a 7-game losing streak on the road to get your team back in the win column. Hot on the heels of road sweeps at the hands of Nippon Ham and Orix, Lotte returned to the welcoming arms of Chiba Marine Stadium …
Tag: Toshiaki Imae
Game Report: Lotte vs Rakuten, 8 July
I must admit, my fellow Lotte fans, that there was a time in this game when I didn’t think anything good was going to happen. Rakuten rookie starter Fujiwara was on fire. He carried a perfect game into the fifth inning and a no-hitter into the 7th. Lotte was down 2-0 and nothing was hitting …
Game Report: Lotte vs Rakuten, 7 July
When I was young, my daddy used to sit me on his lap and tell me, “Son, let me tell you something about baseball. Don’t listen to any naysayers. A grand slam in the top of the first – before your opponent even gets a chance to bat – is a really good thing. You’ll …
Game Report: Orix vs Lotte, 4 July
This one didn’t go as planned. Karakawa returned to the mound the day before his 20th birthday looking for his last win as a teen. He pitched solidly but took the loss instead as Lotte dropped their second game in a row to Orix, 4-1. That also brings Lotte’s season record with Orix to a …
Game Report: Lotte vs Seibu, 2 July
This game just ended and man am I stoked! What a nailbiter! In what has got to be in the running for the longest 12-inning Pa-League game in history at 5:43 (by my count), Lotte and Seibu combined for 17 runs and 27 hits, many bases-loaded situations, and piles of drama much like Rocky and …
Mini Game Report: Lotte vs Seibu, 1 July
I had started this report after last night’s game with Seibu but didn’t have a chance to finish it. Well, after today’s great game I don’t really wish to dwell on Wednesday’s 11-6 loss to Seibu; hence, it’s only a mini-report. The positives: Iguchi’s first inning RBI single, Imae’s big blasts in back to back …
Game Report: Lotte vs Seibu, 30 June
No photos today – no photos needed to illustrate the lovely, see-saw, extra-innings, dramatic 8-6 victory over Seibu in Tokorozawa tonight! Thanks to gutsy play, great clutch hitting, and one dramatic swing by Saburo the Marines took the first game of three with the Lions and put themselves closer to the top half of the …
Interleague Game 24: Ending on a Good Note
After yesterday’s loss to the evil Kyojin I predicted a big Lotte win for today. Whaddya know, I got one right! Today, Lotte pounded out 9 runs on 11 hits – with 4 homers, too – as they won the last game of Interleague 2009 in the Tokyo Dome, 9-4. Around this time I would …
Interleague Game 23: Three Up, Three Down
Though the blog title typically means an inning where the batters are retired in order, today it also has a deeper, sadder meaning – after three consecutive wins last week, Lotte has now dropped three in a row including today’s 5-2 loss to the hated Giants. Lotte came out with guns blazing as leadoff batter …
Interleague Game 20: Chiba Clutch City
Wow, what a well-played game for both teams! The final game of 2009 between Lotte and Hanshin (barring a 2005 Japan Series rematch) had it all – a pitching duel, great defense, unexpected plays, and best of all – a clutch hit to drive in the winning run in a 4-1 Marines victory. Lotte starter …