Rookie Shota Morishita hit a clutch triple in the eighth inning on Wednesday, November 2 as the Hanshin Tigers came from behind to beat the Orix Buffaloes 6-2 and move within one win of capturing their first Japan Series title since 1985.
With a big six-run eighth inning rally, the Tigers have seized the momentum heading into Game 6, which will be played on Saturday, November 4 at Kyocera Dome.
"This was our last game in Koshien this season and we wanted to end on a high note," Hanshin manager Akinobu Okada said. "As you saw in the eighth, everyone contributed and that has been the hallmark of this team all season."
Things didn't get off to a good start for the Central League champions.
Marwin Gonzalez hit a solo homer in the fourth off Hanshin starter Kotaro Otake to give defending champion Orix a 1-0 lead. The Buffaloes later capitalized on sloppy defense in the seventh to make it 2-0.
Orix batter Tomoya Mori hit a grounder to Takumu Nakano. It was not an easy play to make but the second baseman bobbled the ball and let it roll past him.
Morishita then came charging in from right field and attempted to pick up the ball but dropped it as Yuma Mune raced home from second to make it 2-0.
Hanshin was charged with two errors on the play and things looked grim for the hosts.
"We had some errors there but that is just the result of pressure," Okada said. "The main thing is we didn't let it bother us and came back."
Strong Start from Buffaloes Lefty Tajima
Orix starter Daiki Tajima did a superb job of holding Hanshin's vaunted offense at bay, striking out four and giving up just one walk and four hits over seven scoreless innings.
The Buffaloes truly looked to be in cruise control and ready to go back to their home park with a 3-2 series lead.
But after Tajima's strong performance over seven, Soichiro Yamazaki came on in the eighth and immediately found himself in hot water.
Fielding Miscue a Bad Omen for Orix
Seiya Kinami led off the eighth with a high-bouncing ball that was fielded by second baseman Ryoichi Adachi, who threw it over the head of first baseman Gonzalez, allowing Kinami to go to second.
Pinch hitter Kento Itohara then hit an opposite field single to left that put runners on first and third with no out.
Koji Chikamoto, who has been a hit machine all series, then laced a liner to right to score Kinami and cut the lead in half as Koshien erupted.
But that was just the beginning.
Nakano then laid down a sacrifice bunt that put both runners in scoring position.
Orix manager Nakajima had seen enough of Yamazaki and brought in ace reliever Yuki Udagawa for his fourth straight appearance in this series.
Morishita then worked the count to two balls and two strikes before golfing a low pitch into the gap in left-center to plate both runners and give Hanshin a 3-2 lead.
"I made that error earlier so I went up to that at-bat knowing I had to get a hit," Morishita said. "I'm glad it split the outfielders and allowed the runs to score."
The Rally Continues for the Tigers
Wednesday's hero Yusuke Oyama lined a single to center to make it 4-2 and knock a disconsolate Udagawa out of the game.
Shota Abe then came in and promptly allowed Sheldon Neuse to reach base.
Two batters later, with two outs and the outfielders playing shallow, Seishiro Sakamoto put the result beyond doubt with a triple over the right fielder's head that scored two more runs to make it 6-2.
Hanshin's fifth pitcher on the night, Atsuki Yuasa, worked a scoreless eighth in which he struck out two batters to earn the win.
Closer Suguru Iwazaki retired the side in order in the top of the ninth.
The starting pitchers for Game 6 haven't been announced yet but it could be a rematch of Game 1, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto going for Orix against Shoki Murakami for the Tigers. Hanshin won that game 8-0.
RELATED:
- Yusuke Oyama's Walk-Off Single Lifts Hanshin Over Orix in Game 4 of Japan Series
- 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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