Baseball Headlines Japan Series 2003 (Grand Slam

Grand Slam

Baseball Headlines
Japan Series 2003

Compiled and Copyright © 1997-2003 by Marco Stoovelaar

Index

Japan Series 2003
Hawks open Series with win. (October 18)
Hawks take 2-0 lead. (October 19)
Game Three rains out. (October 21)
Tigers win first game at home. (October 22)
Tigers even Series with 10th inning HR. (October 23)
Tigers take lead with third one-run win. (October 24)
Hawks even Series again; force seventh game. (October 26)
Fukuoka Daiei Hawks win Japan Series! (October 27)

Major League Division Series 2003
Major League Championship Series 2003
Major League World Series 2003

Japan Series 2003

Hawks open Series with win
Nederlands
Standings & Scores
FUKUOKA (Japan) - The Fukuoka Daiei Hawks opened the best-of-seven Japan Series on Saturday with a 5-4 victory vs. the Hanshin Tigers at Fukuoka Dome.

The Hawks, managed by All-Time Homerun Leader Sadaharu Oh, collected 13 basehits, while Hanshin had only six.
The Hawks opened the score in the second inning on an RBI-single by Arihito Muramatsu, but the Tigers scored twice in the fourth inning to take a 2-1 lead. With two outs, George Arias and Atsushi Kataoka walked, then scored on a 2-run triple by Akihito Yano.
The Hawks immediately re-took the lead, scoring twice in the home fourth. Kenji Jojima led off with a homerun to tie the score, followed by a single from Pedro Valdes, who later scored on basesloaded sac-fly from Yusuke Torigoe.
In the sixth, the Tigers came alongside when Shinjiro Hiyama led off by reaching first base on an error, then stole second and advanced on another error, before scoring on a single from George Arias. Again, the Hawks answered immediately with a run in the home sixth off of Jerrod Riggan, who started the inning in relief of starter Kei Igawa, the Tigers pitching ace, who had won 20 games in the regular season. With two outs, Hiroshi Shibahara hit an infield-single, stole second and scored on a single by Tadahito Iguchi, which gave his team a 4-3 lead.
But this lead also was short-lived, as the Tigers tied the score again in the seventh inning. Atsushi Fujimoto led off with a walk and scored the tying run on a 2-out, single by Shinjiro Hiyama.
The Hawks finally won the game in the home ninth. With one out, Nobuhiko Matsunaka walked and moved to second on a single by Kenji Jojima. Matsunaka was then replaced by pinch-runner Motoi Ohkosi, who scored the winning run on a 2-out single by Julio Zuleta.
(October 18)

Hawks take 2-0 lead
Nederlands
Standings & Scores
FUKUOKA (Japan) - The Fukuoka Daiei Hawks on Sunday also won Game Two of the Japan Series beating the Hanshin Tigers with a big 13-0 shutout. The Series now moves to Hyogo-ken for the next three games.

This time, the Hawks had 16 basehits and the Tigers again had only six. Hideki Irabu, who returned to the Japanese Major League this season after having played in the American Major League, gave up five runs and nine hits in three-plus innings. During the season Irabu, who had played for the New York Yankees, struckout 164 batters in 173 innings.
The Hawks scored four runs on six consecutive hits in the second inning. They opened the score on a 3-run double by Yusuke Torigoe, who scored moments later on an RBI-triple from Munenori Kawasaki.
In the third, Kenji Jojima hit his second homerun in the Series to make it 5-0.
The Hawks increased their lead to 10-0 with a 5-run rally in the seventh inning off of Hanshin's fourth pitcher of the evening. First, Julio Zuleta hit a 3-run homerun. Then, with one out, Yusuke Torigoe walked and scored on a double by Hiroshi Shibahara. Next, Munenori Kawasaki hit his second RBI-triple in the game to make it 10-0.
In the eighth, the Hawks added three more runs on a 3-run homerun by Pedro Valdes.
Winning pitcher Toshiya Sugiuchi threw eight innings and gave up only five hits, while striking out five. The five basehits were the only runners allowed by the lefthander.
(October 19)

Game Three rains out
Nederlands
Standings & Scores
HYOGO-KEN (Japan) - The third game of the Japan Series between the Hanshin Tigers and Fukuoka Daiei Hawks at Koshien Stadium had to be cancelled on Tuesday due to rain.
The game was re-scheduled for Wednesday, with all games moved ahead one day.
(October 21)

Tigers win first game at home
Nederlands
Standings & Scores

HYOGO-KEN (Japan) - Hanshin Tigers won its first game of the Japan Series, beating Fukuoka Daiei Hawks 2-1 in ten innings, playing at home in Koshien Stadium.
The game was a pitching duel between Hawks-rookie Tsuyoshi Wada and Tiger Trey Moore and had to go into extra innings to force a decision.
The Hawks had taken a 1-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI-single by Nobuhiko Matsunaka, but the Tigers tied the score in the home fourth when Tomoaki Kanemoto hit a homerun.
In the tenth inning, the Tigers got the bases loaded with one out, when Atsushi Fujimoto hit a sacrifice fly, enabling George Arias to score the winning run.
Fukuoka now leads the Series, 2-1.
(October 22)

Tigers even Series with 10th inning HR
Nederlands
Standings & Scores
HYOGO-KEN (Japan) - The Hanshin Tigers evened the Japan Series with another 10-inning victory, winning 6-5 vs. Fukuoka Daiei Hawks on Thursday.

Hanshin took an early 3-0 lead in the first inning on a 2-run double by Shinjiro Hiyama, who then scored himself on a single by Atsushi Kataoka. The Hawks came back with a run in the second inning on a homerun by Muranaka, but the Tigers got the run back in the sixth when Tomoaki Kanemoto homered.
In the seventh inning, the Hawks appeared to turn around the game with a 3-run rally to tie the score. Back-to-back doubles by Nobuhiko Matsunaka and Kenji Jojima brought in one run. Then, with runners on first and third and one out, Yusuke Torigoe singled in a run. With the bases loaded and two outs, the tying run scored on a walk, before Tadahito Iguchi struck out.
In the next inning, the Hawks took a 5-4 lead when an error was made with the bases loaded, but the Tigers were able to tie the score in the home eighth on a single by George Arias.
Then, in the tenth inning, it was Tomoaki Kanemoto who became the hero for the Tigers by hitting his second homerun in the game. This 'sayonara homerun' gave Hanshin a 6-5 victory and evened the Series at two apiece.
(October 23)

Tigers take lead with third one-run win
Nederlands
Standings & Scores
HYOGO-KEN (Japan) - The Hanshin Tigers handed the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks its third consecutive one-run loss, 3-2, on Friday, to take a 3-2 lead in the Japan Series. Fukuoka won the first two games at home, but then Hanshin won the next three games, also at home. The Series resumes next Sunday in Fukuoka.

The Hanshin Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Tomoaki Kanemoto homered, his fourth homerun in the last three games!
In the second inning, the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks scored twice on a 2-run homerun by Pedro Valdes to take a 2-1 lead.
Almost 48.000 spectators in the Koshien Stadium then saw the home team re-take the lead in the seventh inning. Makoto Imaoka singled and Norihiro Akahoshi reached on an infield-hit. The bases then got loaded when Tomoaki Kanemoto walked. Next, with two outs, Shinjiro Hiyama hit a 2-run single to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead.
Lefthanded starter Tsuyoshi Shimoyanagi threw six innings, before being relieved. Australian Jeff Williams earned a save.
(October 24)

Hawks even Series again; force seventh game
Nederlands
Standings & Scores
FUKUOKA (Japan) - The Fukuoka Daiei Hawks evened the Japan Series again on Sunday by winning 5-1 vs. the Hanshin Tigers. A seventh and deciding game now will be played on Monday. For the first time in ten years, a seventh game has to be played in the Japan Series.

The Hawks got on the scoreboard quickly in the first inning. Munenori Kawasaki, who suffered a concussion in Game Five, slid in head first to first base to beat a throw and reach on a bunt-single. Moments later, he scored when Tadahito Iguchi hit a 2-run homerun.
In the third inning, Munenori Kawasaki again reached base, now being hit by a pitch. He then stole second base and went on to score his second run on an error, giving the Hawks a 3-0 lead.
The Tigers did something back in the fourth inning when Shinjiro Hiyama hit a homerun, but that proved to be their lone run in the game.
The Hawks added a run in the sixth inning on an RBI-double by Hiroshi Shibahara and in the eighth inning when Pedro Valdes homered.
Lefthander Toshiya Sugiuchi, who pitched eight shutout innings in Game Two, again was the winner, while Hideki Irabu, who was hit hard in Game Two, again was the losing pitcher.
(October 26)

Fukuoka Daiei Hawks win Japan Series!
Nederlands
Standings & Scores
FUKUOKA (Japan) - The Fukuoka Daiei Hawks on Monday defeated the Hanshin Tigers, 6-2, to win the Japan Series 4-3. It is the first time ever that all games were won by the home team.

The Tigers threatened to open the score in the first inning. With runners on first and second powerhitter Tomoaki Kanemoto, who hit four homeruns earlier in the Series, came to bat but flied out. Next, Shinjiro Hiyama, who had six RBI's, grounded into a double play. Then, the Hawks got a quick lead again, scoring twice in the first inning on a 2-run double by Nobuhiko Matsunaka. Arihito Muramatsu had led off with an infield-hit and Munenori Kawasaki walked. Then, when the two runners were on second and third, Matsunaka hit his 2-run double.


...Winning Manager Sadaharu Oh... ...gets traditional victory toss...
*(Photo: Fukuoka Daiei Hawks)*

The team increased the lead to 5-0 in the third inning. First, Tadahito Iguchi hit a 2-run homerun, followed by a solo-homerun from Kenji Jojima.
In the fifth inning, the Tigers scored their first run on a homerun by Kentaro Sekimoto, but the Hawks got the run back in the home seventh when Kenji Jojima hit his second homerun in the game.
The second Tiger-run was a special one, as it was scored by Katsumi Hirosawa, with his 41 years the oldest player in the league. Hirosawa hit a homerun in what was to be his last at bat in his career, as he retired as an active player after the game ended.
The winning pitcher was another lefthander, rookie Tsuyoshi Wada, who pitched a complete game, giving up eight hits and striking out four with no walks.
22-year old lefthander Toshiya Sugiuchi, who was 2-0 in the Series, was named Most Valuable Player. Tadahito Iguchi, Kenji Jojima (both Hawks) and Shinjiro Hiyama (Tigers) won the Excellent Performer Award, while Tomoaki Kanemoto won the Fighting Spirit Award.
For Hanshin Tigers-Manager Senichi Hoshino, who led the team two years, this was his last game, as he has announced his retirement due to health reasons.
(October 27)

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