10/12/2015: Niihama City, Japan – Like most LRS clubs long out of contention, the Ghosts have little to play for at this point in the season except pride.  On occasion, even the small motivation that pride provides can result in exciting baseball.

Case in point was the just-concluded three-game series against the playoff-bound Hyakujuu Shinkansen.  With the season winding to a close, both teams could have easily coasted with September call-ups.  Instead, the squads went all out, including the particularly exciting  third “rubber game” that decided the series.

GAME ONE: The Ghosts home stand opened before 16,000 at Oikake Maze. They were treated to starts by two young pitching prospects: 23-year-old Sojuro Nishimura for the Shinkansen, and 24-year-old Jun’ichi “Hobo” Yoshino for the Ghosts.

The Ghosts struck first with a run in the bottom of the 2^nd, but Hyakuuju locked it back up with a run in the top of the 4^th.  Things opened up a bit in the top of the 6^th when Yoshino gave up a leadoff walk. Two batters later, Shinkansen veteran Ton “Dracula” Nakamura took a bite of the Hobo with a two-run homerun.

In the bottom of the 6^th, Hyakujuu manager Morimasa Goto surprised everyone by lifting Nishimura and going to middle reliever Sumitomo Kawai.  Nishimura had given up just four hits and that single run, so Shinkansen fans were scratching their heads as to why he was gone.

The Ghosts made Goto pay an inning later.  Like Yohino before him, Kawai got into trouble by giving up a leadoff walk.  Two batters later, the Ghosts’ young RF Kiyomitsu Kichikawa matched the veteran Dracula by smashing a two-run home run.  Game tied, and Kawai was gone. The sparse crowd was getting its money’s worth.

Yoshino was lifted after seven, yielding three runs on four hits.  A solid performance by the youngster despite the single bad pitch to Nakamura.

Then the dramatic finish. Bottom of the 9^th, game still tied. The Ghosts quickly notched two outs and the game seemed headed for extra innings.  Who comes to the plate but Kichikawa, again to save the day.  He had a wonderful at-bat against Shinkansen reliever Yoichibei Kichida:

0-0: Swinging Strike
0-1: Ball
1-1: Ball
2-1: Ball
3-1: Foul Ball, location: 2F
3-2: Foul Ball, location: 2F
3-2: Foul Ball, location: 2F
3-2: SINGLE (Flyball, 89S)

Suddenly, the winning run was at first, and Hyakuuju proceeded to fall apart. Kichida’s first pitch to the next batter, LF Ryoma Omori, was a ball. In the blink of an eye, Kichikawa stole second.  We won’t use this space to question the wisdom of stealing second with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but suffice it to say, everyone in the Ghosts dugout let out a big sigh when the umpire called Kichi safe.

This stolen base apparently shattered the nerve of the Shinkansen.  Omori smacked what should have been an easy liner to 2B Yorikane Oike, who bobbled it for an error.  Safe all around, Kichikawa easily in to third.  Next up was another cool-headed young Ghost, CF Tokugawa Hirano.  Kichida, clearly irritated with his second baseman’s error, shook off his catcher several times.  He got two quick strikes on Hirano, then tried to get him to chase two outside pitches, but Hirano held off and the count was 2-2.

With the game one strike away from extra innings, Hirano lined a weak dribbler – an easy out, except it headed right to the frazzled and shaky 2B Oike!  A chance to redeem himself! But there was to be no redemption, not on this night.  The ball rolled under Oike’s glove and through his legs for his second error of the inning and third of the game.  Kichikawa scored easily from third and the Ghosts celebrated their 4-3 win at home plate as though it was a division title.

GAME TWO: The Shinkasen sought retribution on the following night. Little about this game is worth recounting, at least from the Ghosts’ perspective.  Niihama-shi’s starting pitcher, Masafumi Kato, was shaky in the first but limited damage to a single run: a leadoff HR to Shinkansen CF Shinkichi Ohayashi, just back after missing four months with a torn back muscle. Looks like he’s healed.

It completely fell apart for Kato in the third. The Shinkansen batted around and scored six runs with a series of singles and doubles.  Kato never got out of the inning. It was pretty much over after that.

Kato was brought in by the Ghosts’ GM to eat innings, but on this day, he failed even at that.  By contrast, Hyakujuu starting pitcher Tetsuo Okazaki was solid, yielding just eight hits and one run over seven-and-a-third innings for his 15^th win.  The easy Shinkansen victory set the stage for a decisive third game of the series the following afternoon.

TO BE CONTINUED