2010 JAPAN SERIES: Chunichi Dragons vs Chiba Lotte Marines

Modified on November 8, 2010


Champion: Chiba Lotte Marines
4 games to 7
Most Valuable Player:Toshiaki Imae

November 7 at Nagoya Dome (audience 38,075)
In the first inning, the Marines Tadahito Iguchi hit off Kazuki Yoshimi for an RBI. But in the bottom of that inning, the Marines submarine Shunsuke Watanabe gave up 4 runs. In the 4th inning, the Marines Yoshifumi Okada hit in a run. Its in the next inning, the Marines slammed hit after another. Tomoya Satozaki hit in 2 runs to equalize. Then in the 7th inning, Kim Tae-Kyun hit in a run. It appeared the Marines were set to win. But in the 9th inning, the Dragons Kazuhiro Wada tripled, and came home on Tony Blanco's sacrifice fly to equalize. Again, the game went into extra innings. It was in the 12th inning, Okada hit in a run. And with that the Marines won 8 to 7, and became Japan Series champion. It's the first time for a team which finished 3rd in the league.

November 6 at Nagoya Dome (audience 30,094)
The Marines Saburo Omura hit in a run in the first inning off the Dragons starter Chen Wei-Ying. Then in the bottom of that inning, the Dragons equalized with Masahiko Morino's base hit. He hit off Yoshihisa Naruse. Then in the 6th inning, Tony Blanco's 2 base hit helped the Dragons with a run. But in the 8th inning, the Marines equalized. The game went into extra innings. Neither side was able to hit in a run, and with the 15th inning finished, the game was ended, 2 to 2. This game became the longest ever game played in a Japan Series.

November 4 at Chiba Marine Stadium (audience 27,209)
Hayden Penn started for the Marines. In the first inning, he already gave up a run. But his teammates came back much stronger in the bottom of the inning. The line-up had hits after hits. With Toshiaki Imae's hit, the team took the lead. It's 4 RBIs in the inning. Then in the 4th inning, Saburo Omura slammed a home run. The Marines won 10 to 4. It needs to win one more game to clinch the Japan Series.

November 3 at Chiba Marine Stadium (audience 27,197)
The starting pitcher for the Marines, Yuki Karakawa. The Dragons Masa Yamamoto became the oldest to start in the Japan Series at age 45. The Marines finished Yamamoto in the 3rd inning with Tsuyoshi Nishioka's RBI hit and Tadahito Iguchi's 2 run home run. The Dragons Kazuhiro Wada had an RBI in the 4th inning. And he also came home on a sacrifice fly. In the 5th inning, the Dragons equalized during a double play. But it was a frustrating game for both sides. In the 11th inning, the Dragons rookie Yohei Oshima hit in a run, and that gave the team a 4 to 3 win over the Marines.

November 2 at Chiba Marine Stadium (audience 29,623)
Starting for the Dragons, Daisuke Yamai. For the Marines, submarine, Shunsuke Watanabe. Watanabe gave up a run first. But in the 3rd inning, the Marines equalized. Then in the 4th inning Ikuhiro Kiyota slammed a 3 base hit with bases full. With this the Marines took a big lead. The Marines hit in more runs while Watanabe hurled over the distance. The Marines won 7 to 1.

October 31 at Nagoya Dome (audience 38,065)
The Marines starter Bill Murphy was clobbered from the first inning. It began with a RBI hit by the Dragons Kazuhiro Wada. And Murphy lost 4 runs that inning. Wada hit in 2 more runs in the 2nd inning. The Dragons had more runs batted in. The team defeated the Marines 12 to 1.

October 30 at Nagoya Dome (audience 38,066)
Starting for the Marines ace pitcher, Yoshihisa Naruse. For the Dragons Kazuki Yoshimi. The Marines scored first with an RBI double by Shoitsu Ohmatsu Then the Dragons clinched the lead with homers by Kazuhiro Wada and Motonobu Tanishige. But the Marines equalized with rookie Ikuhiro Kiyota's home run. Then spreed ahead with RBIs by Tadahito Iguchi and Toshiaki Imae. The Marines furthered its lead with a home run by Iguchi. The Marines won 5 to 2.



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