INTERLEAGUE MVP:HIROYUKI KOBAYASHI (Chiba Lotte Marines)

June 18
The final remaining games in the interleague were played. The Golden Eagles scored first, but the BayStars not only caught up, it grabbed the lead to win 6 to 4.

June 17
The Marines played well with a 2 run home run by Kazuya Fukuura and by Lee Seung Yeop, and defeated the Swallows 5 to 1. The BayStars defeated the Golden Eagles with Takahiro Saeki's 3 run homer. It's 4 to 3.

June 16
42 year-old Kimiyasu Kudo pitched a shut out 7 inning and helped the Giants win 4 to 0 over the Golden Eagles. The Lions Takeya Nakamura slammed a 2 run homer and pitcher Fumiya Nishiguch earned his 9th win, in a 8 to 2 game against the Tigers. The Fighters Michihiro Ogasawara smacked a 3 run homer. His team defeated the Carp 3 to 0.

June 15
Super rookie Darvish Yu of the Fighters started for the very first time in professional baseball. He was a high school super star, but was punished after he was caught smoking and gambling. He hurled til the 9th inning a shut out game. But in the final inning he lost 2 homers and was taken off the mound. Nevertheless his team beat the Carp 8 to 2, and Darvish earned his first win. The Tigers batted well. Tomaki Kanomori had 2 homers and Makoto Imaoko had one to defeat the Lions 10 to 3. The Marines lost to the Swallows 1 to 4.

June 14
The Marines starter Hiroyuki Kobayashi helped himself by hitting an RBI. The Marines beat the Swallows 8 to 2 and also secured first place in the interleague. The Tigers overwhelmed the Lions starter Daisuke Matsuzaka in the 6th inning, and won 4 to 0. The Hawks Toshiya Sugiuchi won his 9th game already hurling over the distance in a 6 to 2 game against the BayStars. The Giants ace pitcher Koji Uehara at last won after 36days winless. Tuffy Rhodes and Hiroki Kokubo helped with home runs.

June 12
The Giants exploded with 2 home runs by Kazuhiro Kiyohara, both 3 runs. Takayuki Shimizu grand slammed. The Giants beat the Lions 19 to 3. The Golden Eagles beat the Carp again 4 to 3. The Fighters at last halted its losing streak in a 10 to 3 game.

June 11
The Lions Takeya Nakamura was incredible, batting in 4 runs in a game against the Giants to win 12 to 5. The Fighters Tsuyoshi Shinjo homered, but it was a small contribution compared to the Tigers Akihiro Yano's grand slam. In a 6 to 11 game the Fighter lost its 11th game in a row. The Golden Eagles Luis Lopez batted in runs to help his team defeat the Carp 6 to 3. The Hawks Jolberto Cabrera grand slammed, and his team defeated the Swallows 7 to 3.

June 10
The Tigers secured its first place in the Central league with Tomoaki Kanemoto's game winning homerun. It finished 5 to 4 against the Fighters. The Giants Kazuhiro Kiyohara at last homered. Following him was Shinosuke Abe. The Giants beat the Lions 5 to 3. The Blue Wave's starter was Masato Ishii. He hurled 6 inning giving up only a run. And he won the game as it ended 5 to 1 against the BayStars.

June 9
Alex Cabrara's home run helped the Lions defeat the Swallows 4 to 1. The Hawks Kenji Jojima blasted a 3 run home run. His team won 7 to 4 against the Carp.

June 8
The Giants and the Marines played a bitter game. Takayuki Shimizu homered to take his team ahead of the Marines. While he made his way around the diamond. the Marines pitcher complained of Shimizu cursing him. Later Toshihisa Nishi was criticized for blocking the catcher from hurling the ball. The umpire called a warning in a game which the Giants won 7 to 4. The Tigers Makoto Imaoka grand slammed to help his team win 8 to 4 over the Buffaloes. The Golden Eagles, for the first time clinched the game in the last inning. It was a 4 to 3 win over the Dragons.

June 7
The Marines played a close game against the Giants, but pitcher Hiroyuki Kobayashi prevented the Giants from catching up. The BayStars Ken Kadokura known for his long chin, shut out the Fighters in a 2 to 0 game. The Lions Daisuke Matsuzaki succumbed to his 7th loss in a 3 to 7 game against the Swallows.

June 5
The Golden Eagles Takeshi Yamasaki homered for the 4th game in a row, but this time his team lost to the Swallows 2 to 3. The Tigers and the Marines tied 1 to 1 in a 12 inning game. The Fighters Tsuyoshi Shinjo slammed a 3 run homer, but the Dragons won with Alex Ochoa's 3 run, 7 to 6. The Hawks defeated the Giants again in a 4 to 1 game.

June 4
The Golden Eagles Takeshi Yamasaki contributed with 2 home runs, for the team's 3 to 1 win over the Swallows. The Hawks Nobuhiko Matsunaka continues to home run. He has his 23rd against the Giants. His team won 5 to 2.

June 3
Some exciting games were played. The Marines caught up with the Tigers with Matt Franco's 2 run homer. But Makoto Imaoka had a 3 run, and Shinjiro Hiyama singled to overwhelm the Marines 10 to 7. The Golden Eagles Takeshi Yamasaki blasted his team's first 2 runs. And then it was a see saw game that went beyond the 9th inning. Koichi Isobe, with his 2nd homer of the gaem secured the game for the Golden Eagles over the Swallows 10 to 8.

June 2
The Giants at last secured a win against the Fighters with Hiroki Kokubo and Takayuki Shimizu's home runs. It's 6 to 5. The Hawks sluggers Nobuhiko Matsunaka homered to take the team to a 9 to 7 win over the Tigers.

June 1
The Mariner overwhelmed the Carp with homers by Lee Seung Yeop and Benny Agbayani. The Hawks Julio Zuleta homered twice and with Nobuhiko Matsunaka and Kenji Jojima's homer each, took his team to a 12 to 5 win over the Tigers. The Swallows with its 4th win in a row in a 9 to 1 game against the Buffaloes surged to first place in the Central League. The Fighters and the Giants tied again,in a 12 inning game. It's 5 to 5.

May 31
The Hawks Toshiya Sugiuchi pitched a shut out game, while his teammate Julio Zuleta homered a 2 run, to defeat the Tigers. The Carp for the first time beat the Marines in a 4 to 1 game. The Golden Eagles was back to a losing streak. It lost the day before in the only game played that day, and this time against the BayStars 2 to 6. The Giants tied with the Fighters in a 12 inning game.

May 29
The Marines this time defeated the BayStars 6 to 3. The Golden Eagles winning streak ended, in a 6 to 9 game against the Tigers. The Swallows Alex Ramirez slammed a 3 run homer and helped his team win 7 to 5 over the Fighters. The Giants only tied with the Buffaloes despited Hiroki Kokubo's 3 run homer.

May 28
Masato Yoshii who's playing for the Buffaloes this season for a very small income pitched well as a starter. At age 40, he won his 2nd win. It was in a 5 to 0 game against the Giants. The Golden Eagles, with a 2 to 1 against the Tigers won its 4th game in a row.The BayStars, in the 9th inning, with Shuichi Murata's 2 run, and Takuro Ishii's solo homer, beat the Marines 6 to 3.

May 27
The later half of the interleague starts. Although the Hawks Nobuhiko Matsunaka slammed his 19th home run, the Dragons Tyron Woods' 3 run homer overwhelmed, to help his team stop its losing streak in a 5 to 8 game. The Giants tried to catch up with the Buffaloes, but could not quite make it and faced its 4th consecutive loss in a 6 to 8 game. The Marines could not be stopped by even by the BayStars. It won 8 to 2 game.

May 26
For the first time since the launch of the team, the Golden Eagles won its 3rd game in a row. It's in a 15 to 3 game against the Dragons. The Marines clinched its 5th win in a row in a 10 to 9 game against the Giants.

May 25
The Golden Eagles won again, 6 to 2 over the Dragons. The Giants lost again, 3 to 5 to the Marines. Tsuyoshi Shinjo helpe the Fighters out of its losing streak with a 3 run homer. It beat the Carp 8 to 5. The Tigers tied with the Buffaloes in a 12 inning game.

May 24
The Golden Eagles won its 10th game of the season at last. It beat the Dragons 3 to 2. The Hawks beat the BayStars on Naoyuki Ohmura's 2 homers. It's 6 to 1. The Giants was clobbered by the Marines in Nagano in a 0 to 11 game.

May 22
The Marines was a wonder. Matt Franco slammed a 3 run homer. Lee Seung Yeop singled. The Dragons lost 4 to 11. And since the Tigers beat the Hawks 8 to 4, the Tigers took over first place in the Central League. The Giants starter Hisanori Takahashi won his first game in a shut out hurl over the distance. Hiroki Kokubo homered again, and the Giants won 4 to 0 over the Fighters.

May 21
The Fighters and the Giants together slammed 8 home runs. The Giants Hiroki Kokubo had 2, including one that hit a Nissan ad, meaning he will get that Nissan car. The Giants in the end won 10 to 9. The Dragons lost to the Marines 3 to 4, while the Tigers won 9 to 2 to the Hawks. The Tigers caught up with the Dragons to tie for first place in the Central League.

May 20
The Hawks celebrated manager Sadaharu Oh's 65th birthday with 2 home runs by Nobuhiko Matsunaka, and a homer by Kenji Jojima. It was a 16 to 7 game over the Tigers. The Dragons pitcher Kenshin Kawakami was hurling a perfect game until the 8th inning. But his dream to achieve one collapsed when the Marines Lee Seung Yeop homered off him. It was a 7 to 1 game. The Giants played a competitive game against the Carp which was ended in the 10th inning by Tuffy Rhodes who homered.

May 19
The Giants equalized the conquered the game from the Hawks 5 to 4. 42-years old Kimiyasu Kudo hurled over the distance against his former team. The Swallows young pitcher Ryo Kawashima shut out the Golden Eagles in a 9 to 0 game. The Dragons Kazuhiro Tatsunami broke the record for the number of doubles with his 450th. But his team lost to the Fighters 4 to 9.

May 18
The Lions Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched at Koshien Stadium, his favorite high school baseball ground as he's never lost a game there. But it was not the same playing as a professional.The Tigers Shinjiro Hiyama slammed a 2 run homer to give the Tigers a 3 to 2 win.The Golden Eagles tried to catch up with the Swallows, but was a run short. The game was 2 to 3. The Marines Lee Seung Yeop and Matt Franco homered to help the team win 9 to 5 over the Carp. The Giants lost again to the Hawks, 1 to 7.

May 17
The Golden Eagles at last won. It's 5 to 4 against the Swallows which have been playing so well. BayStars closer Marc Kroon has again marked a pitch of 159 km. His team defeated the Buffaloes 4 to 1. The Hawks won 3 to 2 the Giants. Toshiya Sugiuchi struck out 12, which is the record tie for this season.

May 15
The Lions and the Giants played a see-saw game which in the end the Giants clinched with runs batted in by Takayuki Shimizu. It's 10 to 5. The Carp was way ahead of the Buffaloes, but the Buffaloes tried to catch up with a grandslam by Cliff Brumbaugh. But with Greg LaRocca's home run the Carp secured a win, 16 to 14 game. The Golden Eagles ace pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma was knocked out by the Tigers in a 4 to 7 game. The Fighters Michihiro Ogasawara emerged from a slump with an RBI hit and a homer run to defeat the BayStars 5 to 3.

May 14
In a competitive and highly emotional game between the Lions and the Giants, in the 9th inning, with bases loaded, Hiroki Kokubo homered. The Giants won 9 to 5. The Marines introduced their new uniform. But that was no asset to its team's performance. It lost 3 to 11 to the Swallows. The Fighters starter Shintaro Ejiri pitched a shut out game for the first time. It was in a 1 to 0 game against the BayStars.

May 13
The Lions Fumiya Nishiguchi was just one out short to achieve a no-hitter game when he gave up a home run to the Giants Takayuki Shimizu. It was a 6 to 1 game. The Buffaloes clinched a 3 to 2 win from the Carp on Goto's game ending home run in the 10th inning. The Swallows marked its 5th win in a row by shutting out the Marines for the 2nd game in a row.

May 12
The Tigers Kei Igawa shut out the Marines, in a 3 to 0 game. The Swallow Alex Ramirez with a 2 run homer helped his team defeat the Fighters 3 to 0.

May 11
Star players stood out more than ever. Lions Daisuke Matsuzaka shut out the Dragons in a 4 to 0 game. He also struck out 10. The Swallows catcher finished the game 8 to 7 over the Fighter with a game ending home run. The Giants Kazuhiro Kiyohara homered, but he also was hit in the head by a pitch. His game was a 4 to 4 draw against the Buffaloes. A record was broken by the BayStars closer Marc Kroon. His pitch marked 159 km--in a 5 to 3 game against the Golden Eagles.

May 10
It was like reliving the 2004 Japan Series. The Lions played against the Dragons. Alex Cabrera's home run in the 9th inning ended the game 2 to 1. The Carps Greg LaRocca blasted 2 homers to help his team win against the Hawks 2 to 1. The Giants Koji Uehara hurled over the distance for the first time this season, in a 2 to 1 game against the Bufflaloes.

May 8
The Marines played incredibly well, batting in 18 runs against the BayStars nil. The Dragons won on an error by the Buffaloes, 8 to 6. The Golden Eagles Hisashi Iwakuma hurled over the distance, and did not give up more than a run to the Giants in a in a 4 to 1 game. The Tigers rookie Atsushi Nohomi became the first pitcher of his team to hurl over the distance. He also earned a win in a 4 to 1 game over the Fighters. The Carp won on Yoshinori Ogata and Shigenobu Shima's home runs, 10 to 5 over the Lions. The Hawks overwhelmed the Swallows 12 to 1.

May 7
The Buffaloes again beat the Dragons 6 to 3. Yoshitomo Tani tied the game with a 2 run home run which lead to the team going ahead. The Marines, this time defeated the BayStars on Lee Seung Yeop's RBI hit, 3 to 2. Masahide Kobayashi closed the game, this time, successfully. The Hawks and the Swallows played their first interleague game. The Hawks Kenji Jojima led the team with a home run, which his team in the end won 4 to 2. The Giants and the Golden Eagles were both started by rookies. Luis Lopez hit a 2 run home run. Hiroki Kokubo singled a homer. Kazuhiro Kiyohara slammed a league leading 10th home run of the year. The Giants won 12 to 6. The Fighters clinched a 12 inning game from the Tigers 2 to 1.

First interleague games launched in Japan
May 6 was a historic day in Japan's pro baseball scene. For the first time ever, teams of the Pacific and Central leagues played eachother. In all, it's 216 games. All games could not be held on kick off day. The game between the Hawks and the Swallows was rained out. The Central League leader, the Dragons lost to the Buffaloes 0 to 6. The Giants played the Golden Eagles in Sendai. Tuffy Rhodes homered. Toshihisa Nishi blasted a 2 run. The Golden Eagles Luis Lopez grand slammed but could not quite catch up. The game was 8 to 6 for the Giants. Pacific League's frontrunner, the Marines closure Masahide Kobayashi lost the game in the 9th inning to the BayStars 1 to 2. The Lions Jose Fernandez with 2 homers helped his team beat the Carp 13 to 4. The Tigers clinched the game from the Fighters 10 to 2.

Go to BASEBALL ARCHIVE INDEX