SEASON CHAMPION: SEIBU LIONS
Final league standing
1.Seibu Lions
2.Kintetsu Buffaloes
3.Fukuoka Daiei Hawks
4.Chiba Lotte Marines
5.Nippon Ham Fighters
6.Orix Blue Wave Osaka
| 2002 PACIFIC LEAGUE TITLE | ||
|---|---|---|
| ERA | Masahiko Kaneda (BlueWave) | 2.495 |
| Most games won | Jeremy Powell (Buffaloes) | 17 |
| Most saves | Kiyoshi Toyoda (Lions) | 38 SP |
| Most strike outs | Jeremy Powell (Buffaloes) | 182 |
| Highest batting average | Michihiro Ogasawara (Fighters) | .340 |
| Most base hits | Kazuo Matsui (Lions) | 193 |
| Homerun | Alex Cabrera (Lions) | 55 |
| RBI | Tuffy Rhodes (Buffaloes) | 117 |
| Most on base | Alex Cabrera (Lions) | .467 |
| Stolen base | Yoshitomo Tani (BlueWave) | 41 |
October
The Lions Alex Cabrera tied with the Japan seasonal home run record of 55 on Oct 2, held also by the Buffaloes Tuffy Rhodes
and the Hawks skipper Sadaharu Oh. It was in the 8th inning against the Buffaloes that he blasted after
being walked earlier. Rhodes who was on the field gave Cabrera an applause.
The game however was won by the Buffaloes 4 to 1.
Alex Cabrera tried to fiercely hit the ball on Oct 6. He, however was walked 2 times and was hit by a pitch. He did have one hit, which actually helped him regain first place for the highest batting average. So Cabrera at this points holds the triple crown. But the Hawks clinched the game from the Lions 4 to 3. After the game, the Hawks Koji Akiyama who's retiring this season was tossed up in the air by his former teammates, the Seibu Lions. He played his final game at home the following day.
The Buffaloes Tuffy Rhobes had an RBI tying for the top with the Lions Alex Cabrera on Oct 9. Meanwhile Cabrera that day only had a double. His team beat the BlueWave 4 to 1.
September
The Lions stole base successfully 5 times during the game on Sept 1, and all lead to RBIs.
The team won 7 to 2 over the Buffaloes.
The next day, the Lions did not play, but the Buffaloes lost 2 to 3 to the Marines pushing the Lions closer
to a pennant victory.
Alex Cabrera blasted his 45th homer to stretch his lead in the league further on Sept 4, but the Lions lost 1 to 6 to the Fighters. On Sept 5, Cabrera smashed 2 more homers, and the Lions won 7 to 6.
The Lions lost to the BlueWave 2 to 3 on Sept 7. Most impressive that day was the Marines beating the Fighters 7 to 0 and moving up a notch to 4th place. But the next day it was the other way around. A 4 to 3 win for the Fighters and reversing their standings again. That day, the Lions Alex Cabrera slammed his 48th homer. His team won 6 to 4. On Sept 9 again, it was thanks to Cabrera's 3 run homer, the Lions caught up with the Hawks. It clinched the game 7 to 6 in the 11th inning. But the next day, despite Cabrera's 50th homer, the Lions lost 2 to 4 to the Hawks. However, the Buffaloes loss, 1 to 5 to the Fighters has pushed the Lions closer to winning the pennant.
The Lions on Sept 11 lost again, this time to the Hawks 3 to 11.
On Sept 13,the Lions' Kazuo Matsui and Alex Cabrera's 51st homer gave the team a 7 to 3 win over the Buffaloes. But on Sept 14, the Lions lost 0 to 4. Then the following day Matsui homered again. It's his 30th and celebrated his 1000th game. His team won 5 to 1.
The Lions on Sept 16 beat the Fighters 5 to 2. It was again Kazuo Matsui with a homer, and Kazuhiro Wada too. The Lions at the earliest may clinch the pennant on Wednesday. On Sept 17, the Lions secured the game 10 to 8, with Alex Cabrera's 52nd home run. Then the next day, the Lions defeated the Fighters 5 to 2.
The Lions either had to win or the Hawks finish with a draw or a loss for the Lions league victory to be decided. But it went the other way on Sept 20. The Lions lost 1 to 6 to the Marines, while the Hawks beat the Fighters 8 to 1. The Lions lost again on Sept 21 during the day. The team waited for the Hawks to complete its game in the evening. The Hawks finished a 1 to 1 draw against the Fighters. The Lions' secured its Pacific League victory. It's the first in 4 years, and the 14th time. The day after the pennant win, that's on Sept 22, the Lions beat the Marines 3 to 0.
It was a sluggers' day on Sept 27 in the game between the Lions and the Hawks. The Hawks Hiroki Kokubo, Nobuhiko Matsunaka, the Lions Kazuo Matsui, and the most striking of was that Alex Cabrera homered his 54th, or just one short of the Japan record held by Sadaharu Oh. The Hawks won this game 6 to 5. On Sept 28, Cabrera did not have a home run but with 3 hits, his batting average rose to the top. Currently he has the triple crown. The Lions won this time 6 to 5. The next day, Cabrera with one hit kept the batting average lead. However his team lost in the 10th inning 4 to 5. By the way, the BlueWave's last place finish became definite for the first time in 39 years, that's counting the years as Hankyu. It lost 0 to 2 to the Marines.
League standing as of September 30
1.Seibu Lions
2.Kintetsu Buffaloes
3.Fukuoka Daiei Hawks
4.Chiba Lotte Marines
5.Nippon Ham Fighters
6.Orix Blue Wave Osaka
August
Alex Cabrera homered his 30th on Aug 2. But his team, the Lions faced a 5 to 7 loss against the Hawks.
The home run leader Tuffy Rhodes blasted his 33rd, and took his team to a 6 to 3 win over the Fighters.
The Marines shut out the BlueWave 8 to 0.
On Aug 3 the Lions losing streak was halted winning 2 to 1.
The Buffaloes won 3 to 1 over the Fighters. The Marines wacked the BlueWave 10 to 2.
The Lions managed to win again 4 to 3 on Aug 4. The Buffaloes too beat the Fighters 2 to 1.
The BlueWave this time defeated the Marines 5 to 0.
The Buffaloes' Noriyuki Nakamura slammed a 2 run homer, and his team took the lead. The Lions later caught up, but in the end, the Buffaloes won 6 to 5 on Aug 5. The Marines Derrick May blasted a 3 run, and his team beat the Hawks 6 to 3. The Fighters won 6 to 2 over the BlueWave. On Aug 6, the Lions beat the Buffaloes with 2 homers by Kazuhiro Wada. The Hawks managed to defeat the Marines this time 4 to 0. The BlueWave won with a 2 run homer by Fernando Seguignol 2 to 0. On Aug 7, the Lions was again contributed by 2 homers by Kazuhiro Wada, and also Alex Cabrera's to win 12 to 2. The Hawks this time lost to the Marines 3 to 7. The Fighters again lost to the BlueWave 3 to 6.
The Lions Daisuke Matsuzaka was back as a starter after months of absense on Aug 9. He gave up 3 runs in 6 innings. In the end, the Lions clinched the game with Kazuo Matsui's homer, 4 to 3 over the BlueWave. The Buffaloes beat the Hawks 10 to 5, For the Hawks its the team's 6th loss in a row. The Marines defeated the Fighters 3 to 2. On Aug 10, the Lions winning streak was halted in a 5 to 7 game against the BlueWave. The Buffaloes Tuffy Rhodes homered twice, but his team lost 5 to 7. The Marines in good shape winning its 5th game in a row in a 6 to 2 game. The Lions was superb on Aug 11. Alex Cabrera has his 33rd home run. Fumiya Nishiguchi shut out the BlueWave in a 5 to 0 game. The Hawks overwhelmed the Buffaloes 11 to 3. The Marines winning streak ended at 5 in a 3 to 5 game.
The Lions' Alex Cabrera homered again on Aug 12 and his team won 5 to 4 against the Marines. Pitcher Chang Chin-chia broke the Japan record for consecutive strike out innings of 23. He stretched it to 28 on the day. The Buffaloes in the 11th inning clinched the game from the BlueWave 8 to 3. The Hawks won its 3rd game in a row over the Fighters 5 to 4. On Aug 13, Cabrera banged in 2 homers. The Lions won 9 to 1. The BlueWave's Fernando Seguignol's homer in the 11th inning gave his team a 3 to 2 victory over the Buffaloes. The next day the Lions won 4 to 2. The Buffaloes did too 2 to 0.
The Lions starter on Aug 16 was Daisuke Matsuzaka. But he was clobbered in just 2 innings. But the Lions caught up with the Buffaloes and in the end won with Kazuo Matsui's home run 12 to 10. The next day, the Buffaloes Tuffy Rhodes smashed a 3 run homer. But the Lions clinched the game in the 12th inning 4 to 3. The Buffaloes finally won on Aug 18 with a 2 run homer by Noriyuki Nakamura, 3 to 1.
The Lions batters were fabulous on Aug 19. Kazuo Matsui homered twice and so did Alex Cabrera. The Lions defeated the Hawks 10 to 5. Alex Cabrera the next day again had a home run. It was a 2 run. And his team beat the Hawks 6 to 0. The Lions could not be stopped on Aug 21 either. It beat the Hawks 4 to 0. By the way, the Buffaloes Noriyuki Nakamura slammed a homer for the 3rd game in a row, but his team lost to the Marines 5 to 7.
The Lions on Aug 23, with a homer by Masahide Kaizuka clinched the game from the BlueWave 3 to 2. The next day, the Lions scored first with Alex Cabrera's home run, and in the end winning 7 to 1. The BlueWave succumbed to its 7th loss in a row. The Buffaloes' Tuffy Rhodes had 2 homers that day and his team beat the Fighter 5 to 4. On Aug 25, the Lions caught up with Tsutomu Ito's 2 run homer. It went ahead with Alex Cabrera's home run and won 8 to 7. The Buffaloes Noriyuki Nakamura homered his 30th to help his team defeat the Fighers 8 to 2.
On Aug 26, Fumiya Nishiguchi shut out the Marines for his 13th win and his team's 6 to 0 victory. Alex Cabrera homered his 43rd. The Hawks won its 3rd game in a row beating the Fighters 5 to 0. But it was a sad day, as its star player Koji Akiyama announced that he will retire this season. The Lions winning streak reached 8 by beating the Marines 4 to 0 on Aug 27. And on Aug 28, the Lions won again 5 to 2 with Alex Cabrera and Kazuhiro Wada's consecutive home run.
The Buffaloes could not stop Lions from continuing its winning streak on Aug 30. The Lions won 9 to 1. The Hawks in good shape clinching its 6th win a row, beating the Marines 10 to 3. The Hawks won again the following day 5 to 3. That day ended the Lions winning streak. The Buffaloes was behind but took the lead 7th inning to win 7 to 5.
League standing as of August 31
1.Seibu Lions
2.Kintetsu Buffaloes
3.Fukuoka Daiei Hawks
4.Nippon Ham Fighters
5.Chiba Lotte Marines
6.Orix Blue Wave Osaka
July
The Lions Alex Cabrera was back on July 1 after coming down from a rear pain.
And he proved he was already in shape with his powerful home run.
The Lions defeated the Marines 0 to 7. With that loss, the Marines fell back to 6th place.
The Buffaloes won 7 to 2 to the Fighters.
The Buffaloes lost the next day 2 to 7. The Fighters Carlos Mirabal earned his 9th win to tie for first in wins.
The Lions had a devasting loss to the Marines. It was 2 to 10.
In the only game in the league on July 3, the Hawks Kenichi Wakatabe shut out the BlueWave in a 7 to 0 game.
Alex Cabrera's amazing. He smashed 2 home runs to tke the Lions to a 6 to 5 win over the Buffaloes on July 5. The Hawks with homers by Hiroki Kokubo and Tadahito Iguchi won 8 to 3 over the Marines. But the next day the Hawks lost 4 to 6. The Lions despite a home run by Alex Cabrera for the 4th game in a row, lost 6 to 7. The Buffaloes Noriyuki Nakamura reversed the game with his 2 run homer. The BlueWave's Fernando Seguignol helped his team win with a 3 run homer, 10 to 5 over the Fighters. On July 7, the Lions managed to clinch the game 3 to 1. The Hawks little by little accummulated runs to defeat the Marines 6 to 1.
It was Alex Cabrera again on July 8. His homer in the 11th inning helped the Lions defeat the Hawks 6 to 4. The Buffaloes lost to the Fighters 3 to 7. The next day Alex Cabrera homered for the Lions however his team lost to the Hawks 1 to 8. The Fighter's Michihiro Ogasawara who is also the league's leading hitter blasted his 23rd home run and helped his team win 7 to 1 over the Buffaloes. It was on the day confirmed that the Fighters will move its franchise to the Sapporo Dome in Hokkaido. The Fighters on July 10 defeated the Buffaloes with Sherman Obando's home run in the final inning 2 to 1. The Lions 39-year old catcher Tsutomu Ito blasted a grand slam to take his team to a 7 to 2 win over the Hawks. The BlueWave lost to the Marines 2 to 5 and both teams ended the first half of the season tied for last place.
In the first game after the all star break, the Lions accummulated runs to defeat the Fighters 6 to 1. Fumiya Nishiguchi clinched his 9th win to tie with the league's leaders. The Buffaloes and the BlueWave finished a 2 to 2 draw. The Hawks, thanks to veteran Koji Akiyama clinched the game from the Marines 4 to 3. But on July 17, the Hawks lost 3 to 5. The Buffaloes Noriyuki Nakamura homered a 2 run and his team won 8 to 7. The Lions continued its winning streak by defeating the Fighters 3 to 0. On July 18, Pedro Valdez 2 consecutive home runs helped his team defeat the Marines 5 to 3. The Buffaloes defeated the BlueWave 4 to 2, and Jeremy Powell is the league pitching leader with his 10th win.
It was a devastating day for the Hawks on July 19. It lost to the BlueWave 0 to 17. The next day, the top 2 teams faced eachother. The Buffaloes defeated the Lions 5 to 3. The Hawks, thanks to Hiroshi Shibahara's 2 homers defeated the BlueWave 6 to 1. Derrick May's 3-run homer helped the Fighters defeated the Marines 11 to 8. On July 21 the Buffaloes winning streak was ended by the Lions in a 2 to 3 game. The BlueWave defeated the Haws 3 to 2, thanks to Scott Sheldon.
The Fighters' began with Sherman Obando's homer. Then it was Yukio Tanaka hitting with bases loaded. The Fighters beat the Lions 5 to 2 on July 22. The Buffaloes tried to catch up with the Hawks with Tuffy Rhodes 3 run, but did not do enough. It lost 5 to 8 to the Hawks. The next day, The Lions won 8 to 2. The Buffaloes managed to defeat the Hawks this time 4 to 2. The Marines clinched its 5th win in a row defeating the BlueWave 5 to 2. But on July 24, the Marine lost 0 to 1, thus ending its winning streak. The Buffaloes blasted. Tuffy Rhodes slammed a 2 run homer and his team won 10 to 4 over the Hawks. The Lions Alex Cabrera had 2 homers, including a grand slam to take his team to a 9 to 3 win.
The Lions Kazuo Matsui's 2 run homer game the team a lead and to defeat the Marines 3 to 2 on July 26. The Buffaloes lost 2 to 7 to the BlueWave. But it was a historical game. That's because the BlueWave's Fernando Seguignol became the first player in Japanese baseball to homer from both sides of the plate three times in a season, The Fighters clinched the game in the final inning from the Hawks 2 to 1. On July 27, the Lions won again with Evans and Alex Cabrera's homers 12 to 1. The Buffaloes faced is 2nd loss in a row in a 3 to 4 game. The Hawks at last won with Nobuhiko Matsunaka and Kenji Jojima's homers 6 to 3. But the Hawks lost on July 28 despite a grand slam by Tadahito Iguchi and a 3 run by Pedro Valdez 8 to 9. The Buffaloes were beaten again in a disappointing 0 to 9 game. But the Lions faced a shut out lost to the Fighters 0 to 4.
The BlueWave's Kazuo Yamaguchi achieved a fast ball tie record. He hurled 158 kilo pitch on July 29, tying with Hideki Irabu's Japan record. His team also won 2 to 1 to the Hawks. The Lions lost 3 to 9 to the Fighters. The Buffaloes, 5 to 7 to the Marines. On July 30, the Lions marked its 3rd straight loss in a 5 to 8 game. The Buffaloes Jeremy Powell clinched a league leading 12th win in a 3 to 0 game. The Hawk this time won 6 to 3. The Lions lost again on July 31, 6 to 7, despite Alex Cabrera's 3 run homer. The Buffaloes slugger Tuffy Rhodes slammed his 32nd, but his team lost 2 to 3. The Hawks won 6 to 3.
League standing as of July 31
1.Seibu Lions
2.Kintetsu Buffaloes
3.Fukuoka Daiei Hawks
4.Nippon Ham Fighters
5.Chiba Lotte Marines
6.Orix Blue Wave Osaka
June
On June 1 the Lions won 4 to 3 over the Fighters and again the next day 5 to 0.
Although the Hawks won on June 1, it lost the following day 1 to 2 to the Marines.
And since the Buffaloes won both days, it replaced the Hawks for 2nd place.
Baseball was up and running again on June 6. The Lions defeated the Marines 12 to 2 too keep the lead. The Hawks' super rookie Hayato Terahara faces his 2nd loss in a 2 to 6 game against the BlueWave. On June 7, the Lions clinched the game in the 10th inning 5 to 4. The Buffaloes Tuffy Rhodes had 4 hits and contributed to his teams 6th straight victory in a 5 to 0 game. The Hawks at lost won with Nobuhiko Matsunaka's 2 homers. It was 4 to 1. The Lions clinched its 6th win in a row on June 8 with Alex Cabrera's homer. The Buffaloes Noriyuki Nakamura with his two base hit, contributed to his team's win in the 11th inning 5 to 1.
The Hawks is in trouble. Catcher Kenji Jojima broke his shoulder during the game on June 10. The team lost 2 to 4 to the Fighters. The Lions continue to win, 3 to 2 to the BlueWave in the 12th inning. The Buffaloes had its 8th win in a row to defeating the Marines 8 to 0.
The Buffaloes continues to win. On June 11, with Tuffy Rhodes 22nd 2 run homer, it defeated the Marines 5 to 3. The Hawks seemed to be out for a disaster. Not only for losing Jojima, but Hayato Terahara who was expected to start could not. But the Hawks in the end defeated the Fighters 2 to 1. The rainy season is on, and in the only game played on June 12 the Lions Alex Cabrera had his 18th homer. It was 6 to 3 over the BlueWave.
It appeared the top 2 teams could not be stopped. On June 14, the Lions Evans blasted a grand slam and clinched its 9th straight win in a 11 to 1 game over the Marines. The Buffaloes Tuffy Rhodes was super. He marked 3 homers in a row. The Buffaloes defeated the the Hawks 9 to 7 for its 10th win in a row. On June 16, however, both the Lions and Buffaloes lost. The Lions, 3 to 5, and the Buffaloes 5 to 6 thus putting an end to their winning streaks.
The Hawks gave the Lions a definite blow on June 19 with Hiroki Kokubo's 15th homer to win 9 to 5. The Buffaloes was again back on track defeating the BlueWave 5 to 3. And on June 20 the Buffaloes blasted. Tuffy Rhode pulled off 2 homer, and Noriyuki Nakamura one to win 6 to 5. The Lions that day scored first with Kazuo Matsui's 16th homer. The Hawks reversed the lead. However in the 9th inning, Toshiaki Inubushi slammed a 3 run to clinch the game 5 to 4.
The Lions' clinched the game against the Blue Wave on June 22 in the 10th inning to win 2 to 1. The Hawks was shut out in a 0 to 6 game by the Fighters' Itsuki Shoda. The next day, the Lions lost 1 to 4, and the Buffaloes won again 4 to 2 to the Marines inching closer to the ranks of the leader. On June 24, it was the other way around. The Lions won 6 to 4 while the Buffaloes lost despite Tuffy Rhodes' 3 run homer. It was 3 to 5. The next day, the Buffaloes lost again to the Marines 1 to 2 in the only Pacific League game.
On June 27, the Lions lost to the Fighters 5 to 7, and again the next day 1 to 2. The Hawks Hiroki Kokubo grand slammed taking his team to a 5 to 2 win over the Buffaloes. But the Buffaloes clinched the game on June 29, 4 to 3. The Lions Kazuhiro Wada homered to help his team win 4 to 3 over the Fighters. The Marines for the first time this season left the bottom rank beating the Blue Wave 7 to 3.
League standing as of June 30
1.Seibu Lions
2.Kintetsu Buffaloes
3.Fukuoka Daiei Hawks
4.Nippon Ham Fighters
5.Chiba Lotte Marines
6.Orix Blue Wave Osaka
May
The Marines clinched the game in the final inning on May 1 over the Hawks 3 to 2.
The BlueWave with Yoshitomo Tani's homer beat the Fighters 5 to 4.
The Marines conquered the game against the Lions on May 3 in the 10th inning with an RBI by Takeshi Kita. It's 4 to 3. The Fighters managed to win 2 to 1 over the Hawks. The Buffaloes for the first time this season had a shut out win. It was 3 to 0 over the BlueWave. The Buffaloes the next day, with Noriyuki Nakamura's 2 homers and Tuffy Rhodes'13th homer won again 7 to 4. The Lions' Fumiya Nishiguchi achieved his 1000th strike out and won his 3rd win of the season in a 5 to 1 game over the Marines. The Hawks lost to the Fighters 2 to 8. On May 5, the Hawks lost again, 0 to 4, and super rookie Hayato Terahara succumbed to his first loss. The Lions, meanwhile defeated the Marines 6 to 1 and replaced the Hawks to lead the league. The BlueWave won 8 to 4 over the Buffaloes.
The Lions on May 6, remained on top winning 2 to 1 over the Fighters. Daisuke Matsuzaka already earned his 6th win. The Hawks won too 4 to 3 over the Buffaloes with Hiroki Kokubo's and Kenji Jojima's homers. The BlueWave defeated the Marines in the final inning 7 to 6. The next day only one game was played in the league due to rain. The Lions defeated the Fighters 7 to 0. On May 8, the Lions lost 0 to 6, and the Hawks won 4 to 1 against the Buffaloes, thus the 2 top teams in close competition for first place.
On May 10, the Lions clinched the game with Kazuo Matsui's homer in the 9th inning. It was 2 to 1 over the BlueWave. The Buffaloes defeated the Fighters 10 to 2. The following day, it was Kazuo Matsui's homer again to give the Lions a winning RBI in the 10th inning. It won 4 to 2. Pedro Valdez batted in a winning RBI for the Hawks to win 2 to 1 over the Marines. The Fighters clinched a competitive 9 to 7 game from the Buffaloes. On May 12, the Lions shut out the BlueWave 9 to 0. Alex Cabrera had a 3 run homer. The Hawks' Nobuhiko Matsunaka, Pedro Valdez homered to win 12 to 5. The Buffaloes Noriyuki Nakamura 2 run homer finished the game against the Fighters 5 to 4.
Daisuke Matsuzaka faced his first loss on May 13 giving up 2 homers to Buffaloes Noriyuki Nakamura, and losing 1 to 3. The Marines losing streak ended at 5 and won its 10th game of the season defeating the Fighters 3 to 0. The Lions managed to defeat the Buffaloes 5 to 2 on May 14, while the Hawks also won. It was in Taiwan that the Hawks played--the first time a Japanese official game was played outside the country since World War 2. Fernando Seguignol blasted 2 homers to give the BlueWave a lead. But then the Hawks exploded with homers by Hiroki Kokubo, Koji Akiyama, and closed the game with Nobuhiko Matsunaka's game winning home run, 5 to 4. Taiwan is the homeland of Hawks' skipper and former home run king Sadaharu Oh's father. Then the following day, it was the BlueWave to take the lead, but the Hawk showed a wonderful attempt to catch up, but did not quite make it, as it lost 7 to 8. The Lions too lost 1 to 2 to the Buffaloes, thus keeping the 2 top teams tied for first place.
The top 2 teams face eachother on May 18. The Lions took the lead with Alex Cabrera's two run homer in the first inning. And it's extended its lead thereafter to win 7 to 2. The Buffaloes caught up with the Marines 4 run lead, and in the end won 6 to 5. The next day the Lions won again 9 to 2. The Marines overpowered the Buffaloes 15 to 4. The BlueWave clinched the game in the 9th inning 1 to 0 over the Fighters.
On May 20 The Hawks lost again. This time to the explosive Buffaloes including a homer by Noriyuki Nakamura, and 2 homers by Tuffy Rhodes--1 to 8 marking its 4th loss in a row. The Fighters' Michihiro Ogasawara blasted his 14th homer but the Marines overwhelmed 8 to 3. The next day, the Hawks losing streak reached 5, succumbing to homers again by Nakamura and Rhodes. The Lions meanwhiled stretched its lead by defeating the BlueWave 5 to 0. The game included a enormous homer by Alex Cabrera. On May 22, the Lions won again, 9 to 2.
The Hawks' starter on May 24 was Hayato Terahara. He and relief pitcher Rodney Pedraza helped the Hawks win at last, 3 to 2 to the Fighters. The Marines' Nathan Minchey achieved a shut out victory over the BlueWave in a 5 to 0 game. On May 25, the Buffaloes Tuffy Rhodes's grand slam and Noriyuki Nakamura's homers halted the Lions winning streak at 4. It was a 8 to 4. However, the runner up Hawks failed to take the opportunity losing 3 to 6 to the Fighters. On May 26, the Buffaloes again clinched the game from the Lions with Noriyuki Nakamura's homer in the 10th inning. But the Hawks lost again 2 to 3.
The top two team faced eachother on May 27. The Lions' Kazuo Matsui homered and so did Alex Cabrera to defeat the Hawks 5 to 3. The Fighters Sherman Obando homered. Catcher Toshihiro Noguchi grand slammed. The Fighters won its 3rd game in a row 7 to 2 over the BlueWave. The Buffaloes was a disappointment losing 1 to 4 to the Marines. But the next day the Buffaloes blasted. Tuffy Rhodes homered his 20th, Noriyuki Nakamura had 2 home runs to defeat the Marines 4 to 3. The Hawks with highly motivated performance as catcher and as batter by Kenji Jojima won at last, 8 to 1. The Fighters stretched its winning streak to 4 winning 3 to 2. On May 29, 2 young stars started. However, the Lions' Daisuke Matsuzaka was homered by Nobuhiko Matsunaka and Pedro Valdez. He left the mound after hitting the opponent. Hayato Terahara of the Hawks earned a win in the 3 to 2 game. The Buffaloes Norihiro Nakamura blasted again. It's his 19th homer-- a triple to win 5 to 1. The Fighters won again 3 to 2 with 3 homers.
The Buffaloes by clinching the game against the Blue Wave in the 9th inning 5 to 4 on May 31, its tied for 2nd place. Meanwhile the Lions continue it lead, defeating the Fighters 5 to 1.
League standing as of May 31
1.Seibu Lions
2.Fukuoka Daiei Hawks
3.Kintetsu Buffaloes
4.Nippon Ham Fighters
5.Orix Blue Wave Osaka
6.Chiba Lotte Marines
April
The Lions' Alex Cabrera exploded on Apr 1. He smashed 3 homers in the game against Buffaloes. The Lions won 10 to 1.
The Hawks' rookie Toshiya Sugiuchi picked up his first win in a 6 to 2 game against the Marines.
He hurled 6 innings.
The Hawks stretched its winning streak to 4 the next day winning 10 to 4.
The Lions too, by defeating the Buffaloes 6 to 2.
The Fighters won it's first game at the Tokyo Dome 4 to 2 over the BlueWave.
On Apr 3, the Lions at last lost 7 to 11 to the Buffaloes. The Buffaloes seemed to come out of hybernation
with homers by Noriyuki Nakamura and Tuffy Rhodes. Their first.
The Hawks stretched its winning streak with Hiroki Kokubo's 2 homers.
It won 7 to 3 over the Marines.
The Fighters with Michihiro Ogasawara's 2 homers defeated the BlueWave 12 to 3.
On Apr 4, the Fighters defeated the BlueWave again for its 3rd straight win. It won 5 to 4.
The Hawks winning streak continued by defeating the BlueWave 10 to 3 on Apr 6. Pedro Valdez smashed 2 homers. The BlueWave has not won a game yet. And so hasn't the Marines. It lost 1 to 7 to the Buffaloes. Noriyuki Nakamura had a 2 run homer. The Lions Daisuke Matsuzaka in the 8th inning left the mound after injurying his finger. He was until then was accummulating strike outs. Still the Lions defeated the Fighters 4 to 3. The BlueWave won its first game of the season finally on Apr 7. It was 5 to 2 against the Hawks. For Hawks it was its first loss. Meanwhile the Marines losing streak was extended to 7. The Buffaloes Tuffy Rhodes blasted 2 homers. It was 3 to 7 for the Marines. The Fighters' Sherman Obando homered his 3rd this season and his team defeated the Lions 4 to 2.
The Marines lost again on Apr 8. It caught up with the Fighters at one point, but could not exceed. The game ended 3 to 7. The Hawks and the Buffaloes played a 12 inning game which ended int a 4 to 4 tie. The BlueWave won its 2nd straight game defeating the Lions in a shut out game of 2 to 0. The next day, the BlueWave lost while the Lions were victorious with Alex Cabrera and Scott McClain's homers. It was 0 to 6. The Buffaloes were exploding with homeruns. Noriyuki Nakamura blasted one, and Tuffy Rhodes two. It won 5 to 4 over the Hawks. On Apr 10 the Buffaloes played a competitive game again. But in the 11th inning, it was this time the Hawks which clinched the game 4 to 3. The Fighters new pitcher Carlo Mirabal was close to a perfect game until he lost a base hit in the final inning. In any case he won his 2nd game shutting out the Marines. The Lions defeated the BlueWave 2 to 0.
The Lions's Daisuke Matsuzaka on Apr 12 did not quite finish the game but clinched his 3rd win in a 2 to 1 win over the Hawks. The Fighters' Sherman Obando helped his team defeat the Buffaloes 6 to 2. The Marines failed to end its losing streak losing to the Blue Wave 1 to 4. Nor was it able to win the next day. It was shut out by the Blue Wave 0 to 4. Meanwhile, the Buffaloes blasted with homers, including one by Noriyuki Nakamura and Tuffy Rhodes to win 12 to 3 over the Fighters. The Lions and the Hawks played until the 11th inning. The Hawks scored over careless infield plays by the Lions to win the game 6 to 3. On Apr 14, the Marines at last won. It prevented itself from tying with the Pacific League record of 12 losing streaks since the beginning of the season, by defeating the Blue Wave 4 to 1. The Lions overwhelmed the Hawks 17 to 7. The Fighters defeated the Buffaloes 7 to 3.
The Marines blasted on Apr 15. winning its 2nd game in a row agains the Lions 13 to 5. The Hawks Hiroki Kokubo smacked 2 homers, Koji Akiyama a three run and defeated the Fighters 12 to 9. The Buffaloes was shut out by the Blue Wave 0 to 11. On Apr 16, the Marines and the Lions played a 12 inning game which ended a 1 to 1 tie. The BlueWave won again against the Buffaloes, this time 6 to 5. The Hawks' super rookie Hayato Terahara who's fresh out of high school started for the first time. He had a smooth start, but in 6 innings he lost 3 runs to give the Fighters the lead. But in the end, the Hawks won 5 to 4. On Apr 17, in the only game in the league the Hawks defeated the Fighters again 6 to 2.
The Buffaloes sluggers Tuffy Rhodes and Noriyuki Nakamura homered to win 4 to 2 over the Hawks on Apr 19. The Lions defeated the Blue Wave 4 to 2. The Marines won! Derrick May homered and Nathan Minchey pitched well to win 3 to 0 over the Fighters. The Marines won again the next day 6 to 3 with Frank Bolick's first homer of the season. It was 6 to 3. The Hawks won with homers by Pedro Valdez and Kenji Jojima, 9 to 4 over the Buffaloes. On Apr 21, the Hawks with Jojima's homer again defeated the Buffaloes 3 to 2. By the way, a unique record was achieved. The Buffaloes Akihito Igarashi homered. As a result, he's homered at every order in the line up. The Marines stretched its winning streak to 5, and the Fighters its losing streak to 6 in a 3 to 2 game. The BlueWave won 4 to 2 against the Lions.
The Marines put an end to its winning streak on Apr 22, losing to the BlueWave 2 to 6. It was a competitive game between the Buffaloes and the Fighters. At one point the Buffaloes caught up, but in the end, the Fighters won 15 to 11. On Apr 23, the Marines lost again, 2 to 7 to the BlueWave making one wonder if it's taken off to a losing streak again. The Buffaloes marked its 4th straight loss in a 2 to 3 game against the Fighters, despite a home run by Tuffy Rhodes. The Lions Daisuke Matsuzaka earned his 4th win in a 4 to 2 game over the Hawks. But the next day, it was the Hawks to blast with homers by Nobuhiko Matsunaka and Pedro Valdez. Nathan Minchey's son opened the game, and Minchey himself started. He shut out the Blue Wave during his 8 innings. The BlueWave caught up in the 9th inning, but clinched the game in the end on Kazuya Fukuura's RBI.
The Lions Alex Cabrera blasted his 7th homer--a two run on Apr 26, and in the end, the Lions clinched the game 8 to 7 over the Fighters. The BlueWave caught up with the Hawks in the 9th inning, taking more runs from Rodney Pedraza to win 5 to 2. The Buffaloes losing streak extended to 5 in a 1 to 2 game against the Marines. On Apr 27, the Hawks for the first time this season faced a shut out loss. It was to the BlueWaves Edward Yarnall in a 0 to 10 game. The Lions replaced the Hawks for first place be winning 4 to 2 against the Fighters. The Buffaloes ended its losing streak defeating the Marines 3 to 1. The highlight on Apr 28 is rookie Hayato Terahara clinching his first career win. It's a game which the Hawks defeated the BlueWave 3 to 1. And as the Lions lost to the Fighter 3 to 5, fell from first place. Tuffy Rhodes and Nigel Wilson helped the Buffaloes win 5 to 1 over the Marines.
On Apr 29 Tuffy Rhodes homered again, but the Buffaloes failed to defeat the Lions' Daisuke Matsuzaka to lose 1 to 4. Matsuzaka earned his 5th straight win. The Hawks Rodney Pedraza marked his 100th career save in Japan. His team beat the Marines 5 to 4. The Fighter Michita Ogasawara had base hits and a homer run too. His batting average is a whopping .421. And his team won 5 to 3 to the BlueWave. On Apr 30, the Hawks managed to beat the Marines 11 to 6. ] The Lions lost to the Buffaloes Noriyuki Nakamura's triple homer. It was 3 to 4. The Fighters won its 3rd straight game, 2 to 1 over the BlueWave.
League standing as of April 30
1.Fukuoka Daiei Hawks
2.Seibu Lions
3.Nippon Ham Fighters
4.Kintetsu Buffaloes
5.Orix Blue Wave Osaka
6.Chiba Lotte Marines
March
The season opened on Mar 30, the same as the Central League for the first time in 8 years.
Last year's champion the Buffaloes defeated the Blue Wave 6 to 3.
Noriyuki Nakamura contributed with important 2 hits.
The Lions' starter was of course Daisuke Matsuzaka.
Opposing him, the Marines Nathan Minchey.
Scott McClain batted in the first run for the Lions. The Lions earned 2 more.
Matsuzaka was on the verge of achieving a shut out game, but lost 2 runs in the final inning.
The Lions won 3 to 2 at the Sapporo Dome.
The Hawks defeated the Fighters 4 to 3 before a fan of 48,000 at the Fukuoka Dome.
The highlights of the 2nd game, the Fighters' skipper Yasunori Oshima was expelled from the game
after quarreling over the referee's call. The Hawks' Nobuhiko Matsunaka tripled to take his team to a 7 to 3 win over
the Fighters.
Lions' pitcher Koji Mitsui not only hurled over the distance to win for the first time, but also shut out the Marines.
The Buffaloes won again 4 to 2 over the BlueWave.
LAST SEASON CHAMPION: KINTETSU BUFFALOES
Final league standing
1.Kintetsu Buffaloes
2.Fukuoka Daiei Hawks
3.Seibu Lions
4.Orix Blue Wave Osaka
5.Chiba Lotte Marines
6.Nippon Ham Fighters
| 2001 PACIFIC LEAGUE TITLE | ||
|---|---|---|
| ERA | Nathan Minchey (Marines) | 3.26 |
| Most games won | Daisuke Matsuzaka (Lions) | 15 |
| Most saves | Rodney Pedraza (Hawks) | 38 SP |
| Most strike outs | Daisuke Matsuzaka (Lions) | 214 |
| Highest batting average | Kazuya Fukuura (Marines) | .346 |
| Most base hits | Michihiro Ogasawara (Fighters) | 195 |
| Homerun | Tuffy Rhodes (Buffaloes) | 55 |
| RBI | Noriyuki Nakamura (Buffaloes) | 132 |
| Most on base | Noriyuki Nakamura (Buffaloes) | .434 |
| Stolen base | TadahitoIguchi (Hawks) | 44 |
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