2010 Japan Series
Encyclopedia
Summary
Chiba Lotte Marines
In what was a roller coaster of a year for seemingly the entire Pacific League, the Chiba Lotte Marines finished third in the league behind the second-place Saitama Seibu Lions and the first-place Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. In the first round, Lotte earned the nickname "Miracle Marines" after pulling off two extra-inning wins, the first of which came thanks to a four-run 9th inning comeback against Seibu. Lotte continued their comeback trend after rallying from a 3-games-to-1 deficit against the Hawks to win the Pacific League title, their first since 2005.The team was led by a rookie manager, former player Norifumi Nishimura
Norifumi Nishimura
is a former Nippon Professional Baseball player and current manager. Nishimura spent the entirety of his 16-year playing career with the Chiba Lotte Marines. After retiring, he coached for the team until being named the successor to former Marines-manager Bobby Valentine in late 2009.-External links:...
. Many of the team's components from the 2005 championship year were still in place, as Tsuyoshi Nishioka
Tsuyoshi Nishioka
is a professional baseball infielder who currently plays for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball. He also played in Nippon Professional Baseball for the Chiba Lotte Marines from 2003–10....
, Toshiaki Imae
Toshiaki Imae
is a Japanese professional baseball player for the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.Imae won the Most Valuable Player award in both the 2005 and 2010 Japan Series.-External links:...
, Saburo Ohmura
Saburo Ohmura
is a Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball player for the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's central League.-External links:...
, and Kazuya Fukuura were all still in the lineup and contributing. New faces littered the pitching staff and the lineup, as Yoshihisa Naruse
Yoshihisa Naruse
Yoshihisa Naruse is a Japanese baseball player. He is a pitcher for the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball. He made his debut in the 2006 season.. In 2007, Naruse had his best season as a professional in his short career...
won 13 games and was the ace of the staff, but the Marines true pitching strength came from the back end of the bullpen, with one-time Major Leaguer Yasuhiko Yabuta
Yasuhiko Yabuta
is a Japanese baseball pitcher. He currently plays for the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. He competed in the 2006 World Baseball Classic and struck out Alex Rodriguez, Johnny Damon, and Derrek Lee....
, Takuya Furuya and Tatsuya Uchi all were potent middle relievers, setting up for starter-turned-closer Hiroyuki Kobayashi.
Chunichi Dragons
The Dragons had been perennial contenders in the Central League, but had been ousted in the Climax Series by the Giants each of the last two years. Chunichi took first place in the CL and defeated their rivals to reach the Japan Series, needing just four games to do so. Chunichi owned the lowest team ERA in the league at just 3.29, but were next to last in stolen bases and in team batting average.Despite using 13 different starters during the season, the Dragons still had a potent pitching staff. Taiwanese lefty Wei-yin Chen led the team with 13 wins, while Kazuki Yoshimi
Kazuki Yoshimi
is a Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher with the Chunichi Dragons in Japan's Central League.-External links:...
had 12. Like the Marines, the Dragons' strength was the back of their bullpen. Takuya Asao
Takuya Asao
is a Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher for the Chunichi Dragons in Japan's Central League.-External links:...
and Akifumi Takahashi made for a potent two-headed relief monster, as they combined for 78 holds. Hitoki Iwase
Hitoki Iwase
Hitoki Iwase is a Japanese professional baseball player from Nishio, Aichi, Japan. He is a closing pitcher....
, the team's longtime closer, recorded 42 saves in 2010.
Game 1
Saturday, October 30, 2010 at Nagoya DomeNagoya Dome
Nagoya Dome , constructed in 1997, is a baseball field, located in the city of Nagoya, Japan. The dome has the capacity to seat up to 38,414 people . It is an example of a geodesic dome....
in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture
Aichi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region. The region of Aichi is also known as the Tōkai region. The capital is Nagoya. It is the focus of the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area.- History :...
Starting on short rest after the deciding Game 7 win, Naruse was pegged as the Game 1 starter against veteran Kazuki Yoshimi. After matching 1-2-3 innings in the first, Lotte scored the first run of the Japan Series on a two-out RBI double by Shoitsu Ohmatsu that scored Saburo. However, the Dragons would strike back in the bottom of the inning, as hometown hero Kazuhiro Wada
Kazuhiro Wada
is a Japanese professional baseball player. He currently plays outfield for the Chunichi Dragons of the Nippon Professional Baseball league....
and venerable catcher Motonobu Tanishige
Motonobu Tanishige
Motonobu Tanishige is a Japanese professional baseball player for the Chunichi Dragons in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.-External links:...
, playing in his 5th Japan Series, each hit solo home runs for a 2-1 lead.
However, that lead would he short-lived as Lotte countered with two more runs in the top of the 3rd. Rookie outfielder Ikuhiro Kiyota hit a solo blast of his own after hitting just two in the regular season to tie the score. Tadahito Iguchi legged out an infield single to continue the assault, and Saburo was hit with a pitch to set up 2005 Japan Series MVP, Toshiaki Imae. Imae got a base hit that scored Iguchi, but Saburo was thrown out at third trying to get the extra base. Kim Tae-Kyun
Kim Tae-Kyun
Kim Tae-Kyun is a South Korean first baseman who plays for the Chiba Lotte Marines in the Nippon Pro Baseball league. He bats and throws right-handed.-Amateur career:...
was hit with a pitch to put Imae in scoring position, but Yoshifumi Okada could not drive him home. Even still, the Marines led, 3-2. That would prove to be the end of the day for Yoshimi, as he gave up three runs on six hits in three innings. He also walked one, struck out two, and hit two batters.
Naruse kept the Chunichi bats off the board through the 5th inning, as he did not let another Dragons runner reach scoring position. The Pacific League Climax Series MVP gave up two runs on four hits, with six strikeouts and a walk on 88 pitches (he was pinch-hit for in the 6th). The Marines bullpen also held the line, as Yabuta, Uchi, and Yoshihiro Itoh all delivered perfect innings, with Yabuta and Itoh each striking out two batters.
Meanwhile, the Marines batters had a little better luck with the Chunichi bullpen, namely Masafumi Hirai. Nishioka hit an RBI single to score Okada, who had reached and was sacrificed to second for the Marines' run in the 6th. In the 7th, Iguchi supplied the offense himself with a solo home run, the fourth total in the game. The blast ran the score to 5-2.
Hiroyuki Kobayashi came on to slam the door like he had since his resurgence as a closer in the second half of the season. Pinch-hitter Kei Nomoto singled his way on to begin the 9th, but he was erased as part of a 6-4-3 double play. Wada also singled, but was thrown out attempting to stretch it into a double to end the game.
Game 2
Sunday, October 31, 2010 at Nagoya Dome in Nagoya, Aichi PrefectureGame 3
Tuesday, November 2, 2010 at Chiba Marine StadiumChiba Marine Stadium
is a stadium in Chiba City, Japan. It opened in 1990 and holds 30,000 people.The official opening of the stadium was held on April 13, 1990, when popstar Madonna opened her Blond Ambition Tour at the venue...
in Chiba City
Chiba, Chiba
is the capital city of Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It is located approximately 40 km east of the center of Tokyo on Tokyo Bay. Chiba City became a government designated city in 1992. Its population as of 2008 is approximately 960,000....
, Chiba Prefecture
Chiba Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region and the Greater Tokyo Area. Its capital is Chiba City.- History :Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture...