For two days in Japan, the Hanshin Tigers looked like the class of the MLB’s National League.
In another sign that Japanese baseball has never been better, the Tigers capped a two-game sweep over MLB clubs with a 3-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers yesterday at the Tokyo Dome.
Even more impressive, the Tigers did not give up a run in either game. Daichi Ishii recorded the final out, freezing James Outman for strike three on a 95mph fastball to cap 18 scoreless innings in a row.
Photo: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / USA Today
Hanshin tagged two-time Cy Young award winner Blake Snell for three runs in the fourth inning when the first two batters reached base before Teruaki Sato smoked a three-run homer into the right-field seats, where a jubilant Tigers’ fan club erupted in celebration.
On the mound, right-hander Hiroto Saiki threw five dominant innings, giving up just one hit and one walk while striking out seven. Saiki struck out Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani to start the game and then coaxed a harmless popup from the slugger in the fourth.
Saiki was one of the best pitchers in Japan last season, finishing with a 13-3 record and a 1.88 ERA over 167-2/3 innings. The Tigers had a 74-63 record last season, which was good for second place in Nippon Professional Baseball’s Central League.
Photo: AP
The Tigers started the two-game sweep on Saturday with a 3-0 win over the Chicago Cubs after 20-year-old lefty Keito Mombetsu threw five perfect innings. No Cubs reached base until Miguel Amaya smacked a single through the infield in the sixth that just got past the shortstop.
Hanshin also dominated on the base paths against the Cubs, going three for three on stolen base attempts.
Japanese players have made a huge mark on MLB, particularly over the past three decades. Former Seattle Mariners star Ichiro Suzuki was recently elected to the Hall of Fame and the Tokyo Series at the weekend featured five Japanese players, including three on the Dodgers with Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.
Seiya Suzuki and Shota Imanaga play for the Cubs.
Still, Ohtani thrilled Tokyo fans, despite a brief hitless performance against the Tigers.
On Saturday, the 30-year-old electrified the sold-out Tokyo Dome with a home run as the Dodgers beat the Yomiuri Giants in their first warm-up game.
He could not repeat the trick against the Tigers, striking out in his first at-bat before being taken out of the game after two hitless trips to the plate.
Yuko Nakajo, one of many among the 40,000 fans in the stadium wearing a Dodgers jersey with Ohtani’s name and No. 17 on the back, said she was still glad she came.
“I don’t think he’s showing his true form yet,” the 43-year-old said. “Ohtani is the pride of Japan. Everyone in my family supports him, all three generations.”
Additional reporting by AFP
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