Shiba Taguchi, Ryukyu Sports News

Toyama, Japan – October 7, 2020: Game two of the BBG Wasei Junkesshou began much like the first, and ended in a managing debacle, and perhaps unnoticed (at the time) medical emergency, that is sure to rank near the top of a list of post-season tales of woe among long-suffering Shisa fans. The Naha starter, in this case Hisashi Kokan, got in trouble early, giving up a single, a home run, and a single to his first three batters faced. As the Shiro Adachi (.245/.332/.364) line drive cleared the wall, a collective wail issued from the visiting section, “Who?!”. The Naha fan base has been conditioned to regard the middle of the Lupin lineup with mortal terror, but Adachi? The troika of Sato, Tenno, and Ota have combined for 109 home runs this season. Adachi had hit seven all year, and an argument could be made that he had no business batting so high in Cliff Hangers’ lineup at all.

However, tonight the Shisa offense answered immediately. Thanks to a 431 foot solo moon shot from a resurgent Rod Young, and consecutive singles by Pérez, Komatsu, and Patullo, Naha pushed across two to tie the game in the top of the second inning. Kokan seemed to settle in and would allow just three more hits on the night over the course of the next six innings. An error, a wild pitch, and a sac fly would score Sato in the sixth. The score would remain 3-2, Cliff Hangers, through seven.

Some players reported that manager Kijuro Yoshida’s face was strangely contorted in the bottom of the sixth inning, following the score of the go ahead run, and that his speech was slurred for a few minutes thereafter, and that he barely moved in the seventh inning. Television footage showed only a stoic and apparently displeased Yoshida sitting with his arms folded on the bench.

What exactly happened in the Shisa dugout during the eighth inning is not certain. Naha first baseman Akira Goto drew a walk to lead off the inning, and that was it for Lupin starter Tsuyoshi Nishiyama. The Cliff Hangers brought out another right hander, Tadao Harada, to face the Trashmaster (.242/.313/.336 against right handed pitching). Yoshida reportedly pointed at the other end of the bench and grunted. Backup catcher Yo Horiuchi (.204/.285/.323 against right handed pitching) pointed to his chest, “me?”, he asked. Yoshida just shook his finger and grunted again. Horiuchi grabbed his bat and helmet and trotted to the plate. Television footage shows him repeatedly looking back over his shoulder as he leaves the dugout and walks passed a stunned Morales. If he was looking for instructions, none were forthcoming. It appeared to be an inspired choice at the time, as Horiuchi hit a line drive double into the center left gap, advancing a lumbering Goto to third.

With Rod Young, probably the hottest Naha batter in the series thus far, coming to the plate with two on and none out, the Shisa faithful entertained some hope. Unfortunately, this time Young was not able to deliver and struck out swinging, recording the first out of the away half of the eighth. Due up next was António Pérez (.209/.304/.390 versus right handed pitching). Another grunt and finger wag later, backup designated hitter/first baseman Anthony Hough (.241/.296/.468 versus right handed pitching) came out to bat for Pérez. At this point, Yoshida still had Manabu Kawano, who could play center field, and Sadahige Seki, who could play shortstop, on the bench. Hough drew a five pitch walk, loading the bases. And a slower group of base runners you will not find in organized baseball.

With one batter out and the bases loaded, second baseman Gigolo Komatsu (.244 /.292/.375 versus right handed pitching) was next in the lineup. With only one middle infielder left on the bench, and the shortstop already hit for, we in the press box assumed that Gigolo would be batting. Instead, out came backup center fielder Kawano (.223/.246/.431 versus right handed pitching). Statistically, the difference between these two hitters in this situation was negligible, with Komatsu more likely ro reach base safely, but Kawano hitting for more power, and a substitution would mean that somebody would be playing out of position in the infield for the rest of the game. The upside of this switch was so small, and the downside risk so great, that it appeared to fly in the face of all reason.

Again, though, the hitter came through. Kawano hit a single, but it was station to station base running for Naha and only one runner scored, tying the game. With still just one batter out, the Shisa now had the top of their lineup, Ray Pattullo and Ticky-Tacky Yano, coming to the plate with the bases loaded, but Harada bore down and struck out both batters.

One saving grace from game one of the series was the fact that Naha had used none of their relievers, and so Yoshida had the entire bullpen to choose from in the bottom of the eighth, and the Shisa have some solid relievers, with the trio Sanu (1.53 ERA), Kikuchi (2.17 ERA), and Uchiyama (2.17 ERA) all ready to lock down an opposing offense. With the heart of the Lupin order due up, Yoshida chose none of those pitchers, but instead went to Marcos González (5.35 ERA), who had been nothing but a disappointment as a starter since coming over from the PEBA, and had not made a relief appearance for the Shisa all year. Predictably, he got into trouble after striking out the leadoff hitter, giving up a single to Sato, walking Tenno, and giving up an RBI single to Ota.

About that RBI single. It was a ground ball that got past the shortstop, Anthony Hough. The same Anthony Hough who signed with Naha as a DH and occasional first baseman. Yoshida came into the bottom of the eighth with an infield of Goto, Hough, Seki, and Young. Goto stayed at first, Young moved to second base (a position he is at least familiar with), Seki moved to third and Hough came in at shortstop. At least, Hough came in at short after borrowing Komatsu’s glove (Hough doesn’t even own an infielder’s glove). Why Hough was put in the game at short instead of Seki (a superlative defensive player) is a question to which Shisa executives are trying to get an answer. Needless to say, the ball found Hough at the most inopportune time, and what should have been an inning-ending double play grounder instead squeaked out of the infield and scored the game winning run.

Yoshida left González in the game. The reliever then struck out the catcher, Munakata, and watched a line drive off the bat of outfielder Kuniyoshi Kato get caught at the wall. No shame to the players, Hough and González, who did the best they could in a difficult situation that neither should have found themselves in.

Naha’s tragicomic play was not done. In the ninth inning, Lupin brought in their closer, Pepe Rico, with Naha’s three, four, and five hitters coming up. Tadamichi Sato hit a leadoff single. Michael Burton (.349/.440/.506 versus right handed pitching) was up next. Burton, the cleanup hitter who had been doing so much damage at the plate since coming over in free agency in late June, was called upon to bunt. Naha gave away one of its last three outs to move a runner from first to second. Sato would not advance beyond second base as Rico retired the next two batters.

Naha executives decided that they had witnessed game management by someone who was not in their right mind, literally. Following the game, manager Yoshida did not appear at the press conference, and was instead rushed to a nearby hospital for tests. He is currently said to be resting comfortably at an area neurological clinic. Doctors are uncertain of his medical status at this time, and would not comment on the possibility that Yoshida had suffered a stroke or similar attack during the game, but clearly something went very wrong in the mind of Kijuro Yoshida tonight.