Yusuke Oyama came through with a clutch hit in the ninth inning on Wednesday, November 1 to lift the Hanshin Tigers to a 4-3 "sayonara" win over the Orix Buffaloes and even the best-of-seven Japan Series at two games apiece.
In a seesaw battle at a packed Koshien Stadium, it all came down to the ninth, which featured several unusual plays.
Orix reliever Jacob Waguespack walked Koji Chikamoto, who then advanced to second and third on not one, but two, wild pitches.
If that wasn't strange enough, Orix manager Satoshi Nakajima then elected to intentionally walk two straight Hanshin batters ― Takumu Nakano and Shota Morishita ― to load the bases for Oyama.
Oyama took three straight balls and Waguespack got two strikes before Oyama drilled a pitch to left to score Chikamoto from third and send Koshien, which had an announced crowd of 41,050 on the night, into pandemonium.
Oyama was mobbed by his teammates after he rounded first.
"I was trying to keep my cool, but the cheers from the fans gave me strength," Oyama said, describing the at-bat during the hero interview, Sports Nippon reported.
Oyama added, "All I had to do was bring the runner from third home."
Reacting to the pressure of playing in the Japan Series with the title up for grabs, Oyama said, according to the sports newspaper: "The atmosphere is unique, and since it was our first time, it was a little difficult. But I think we were able to show our strength thanks to the great cheers we received."
Disappointment for Waguespack
Waguespack, who had trouble with his control, took the loss.
The decision to walk two straight batters in the ninth to load the bases was unorthodox to say the least and simply backfired.
"I was the one who gave up the walk," the American reliever was quoted as saying by Chunichi Sports before adding, "I couldn't control my slider to the last batter, and my last two-seamer didn't feel bad, but he hit it well."
Waguespack continued: "I want to make adjustments [and pitch] with confidence again, and I believe I can do it again next time when the bases are loaded or in any other situation."
Japan Series is Still Up for Grabs
The first all-Kansai series in 59 years will shift back to Kyocera Dome for a Game 6 on Saturday.
But first things first. Game 5 is on Thursday at Koshien.
"There's a big difference between winning today and losing today," Tigers manager Akinobu Okada was quoted as saying by Sports Nippon. "Well, now we're even again, and we have one more game to play [at home]."
Left-hander Kotara Otake (12-2 in the regular season) is set to start for Hanshin against Orix southpaw Daiki Tajima (6-4).
Noting that the series is tied at two games apiece, Okada said that will lift some of the pressure off Otake.
"He'll be able to relax a little bit versus throwing off the edge," the veteran manager said, according to Sports Nippon.
Both Teams Score Early in the Game
Coming off a tough loss in Game 3, Hanshin didn't waste any time to get on the scoreboard.
Chikamoto, who went 3-for-4 and scored three runs, led off with a single in the first inning and advanced to second on a bunt by Nakano. Morishita then drove in the first run on a double to the gap in left-center.
The Buffaloes came right back in the top of the second.
Yuma Tongu hit a deep fly ball that looked like it might be his second homer in as many nights. But it bounced off the fence, allowing Tongu to reach third. He then scored on a single to right by Kotaro Kurebayashi.
Hanshin regained the lead in the bottom of the second.
Seiya Kinami beat out an infield grounder for a hit, advanced to second on a walk from starting pitcher Hiroto Saiki and scored on Chikamoto's single to left.
Buffaloes Rally in the Seventh
After Hanshin took a 3-1 lead in the fifth on an RBI groundout by Oyama, Orix came back to tie it at 3-3 in the seventh.
Taishi Hirooka led off the seventh by reaching on a costly error by Hanshin third baseman Teruaki Sato.
Leandro Cedeno followed with a single to left and was replaced by a pinch runner.
Keita Nakagawa then laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to advance the runners to second and third. That set the table for Yuma Mune, who followed up his heroics in Game 3 with a game-tying single up the middle.
Hanshin's sixth pitcher on the night, Suguru Iwazaki, earned the win after giving up one hit but holding Orix batters scoreless in the final frame.
RELATED:
- Yuma Mune Breaks Out of Japan Series Slump to Lead Orix Past Hanshin in Game 3
- Buffaloes Whip Tigers in Game 2 of the Japan Series
- Tigers Rough Up Buffaloes Ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto to Take Game 1 of the Japan Series
Author: Jim Armstrong
The author is a longtime journalist who has covered sports in Japan for over 25 years. You can find his articles on SportsLook.
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