After being on the losing end of an 8-0 drubbing in Game 1 of the Japan Series, the defending champion Orix Buffaloes defeated the Hanshin Tigers by the exact same score in Game 2 on Sunday, October 29.
Hiroya Miyagi went six scoreless innings and Masahiro Nishino delivered a clutch triple to lead the Buffaloes to the one-sided victory that evened the best-of-seven series at one game apiece.
As they say, turnabout is fair play.
"After yesterday's unfortunate result, we wanted to turn things around and were able to do that," Orix manager Satoshi Nakajima said. "Miyagi was under a lot of pressure and pitched a great game and Nishino came up with a big hit to get us going."
High-Stakes Start: Miyagi Rises to the Occasion in Japan Series
After ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto was shelled in Game 1, Miyagi's strong outing was just what the Buffaloes and their fans needed.
The 22-year-old lefty struck out five and gave up four hits with just one walk to get the win before a sold-out and boisterous crowd of 33,584 at Kyocera Dome.
"My tempo was good and my teammates were very solid in the field," Miyagi said. "I pitched with the feeling that we had to win this game no matter what."
Miyagi pitched out of a tight jam in the fourth when Yusuke Oyama and Teruaki Sato had back-to-back singles following a double play.
He then got Sheldon Neuse to strike out on a sinking forkball and pumped his fist in a rare show of emotion for the native of Okinawa.
Going down 0-2 heading to Koshien Stadium for the next three games would have presented a daunting task for the Pacific League champions.
Miyagi, who was 10-4 in the regular season with 122 strikeouts and a 2.27 ERA, made sure that didn't happen.
Hirooka, Nishino Ignite Orix in 3rd Inning
The Buffaloes took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third thanks to two players who weren't in the lineup in Game 1.
Taishi Hirooka singled to left and then scored on a triple to the gap in right-center field by Nishino.
"After being given the chance to play today, I was determined to produce," said Nishino, a 33-year-old veteran. "I knew there were good hitters coming up behind me so that took some of the pressure off."
The Buffaloes added to their lead in the fourth with three more runs, all coming with two out.
Yuma Mune walked and reached second on a throwing error to first.
Kotaro Kurebayashi singled to put runners at first and third for Tomoya Noguchi, who hit a single to center, scoring Mune to make it 2-0.
Hirooka and Keita Nakagawa then hit back-to-back singles to make it 4-0 and chase Hanshin starter Yuki Nishi, who was replaced by former major leaguer Jeremy Beasley.
Nishi, who took the loss, finished with four earned runs on six hits and two walks over 3⅔ innings.
Buffaloes Relievers Allow Zero Runs
After Miyagi left the game, the Buffaloes got solid relief from Yuki Udagawa, Soichiro Yamazaki and Atsuya Kogita, who each pitched a scoreless inning to nail down the win.
Former major leaguer Marwin Gonzalez put the game beyond doubt in the seventh with a bases-loaded double off the wall in center that scored three more runs to make it 7-0.
The Buffaloes added another run in the eighth when Hanshin's fielders committed two more errors.
Joy for Buffaloes Fans
While Buffaloes fans were largely subdued in Game 1, they whooped it up on Sunday when they had plenty to cheer for.
"We know the next two games in Koshien will be difficult," Nakajima said. "But we will do our best to produce results that will make our fans happy."
The best-of-seven Japan Series is the first one in 59 years to feature two teams from Kansai. And the last time the Tigers won the championship was 1985 when current manager Akinobu Okada was a player.
Game 3 is on Tuesday, October 31 at Koshien.
RELATED:
- Tigers Rough Up Buffaloes Ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto to Take Game 1 of the Japan Series
- In an All-Kansai Japan Series, Hanshin's Offense Faces a Stiff Test vs Orix's Superb Pitching
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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