The Tigers finally got big contributions from their bats, tallying a season-high 13 hits and eight runs as they made up for three straight games of offensive lethargy earlier in the week.
Starting Pitchers: Yuta Iwasada (0-0) vs. Yoshinori (0-1, 6.75 ERA)
1
Three of our guys who are a combined 114 years old (Takashi Toritani double, Yoshio Itoi walk, Kosuke Fukudome RBI single) gave us an early lead. With the bases juiced, Yusuke Ohyama popped out to right to end what could have been a huge first inning. Instead…
Hanshin 1, Yakult 0
4
After Toritani picked up his second hit of the night, Itoi unloaded on a pitch he liked…
🐯ヨッシャ〜❗
糸井がバックスクリーン横に
放り込みましたぁ〜👏🏻😆#阪神タイガース #糸井嘉男 pic.twitter.com/JuCq1KKxcY— ⚾埼とら⚾今年も怪我無く！ (@yakyuragu) April 15, 2018
Hanshin 3, Yakult 0
5
A couple of one-out singles put the birds in a position to get back into this one, but all they managed was a run on a sacrifice fly.
Hanshin 3, Yakult 1
5
Our sophomores got that run right back for us, as Kento Itohara led off with a (wind-assisted?) double to a shaky center fielder, and Ohyama brought him home with a sharp single to right. It was Ohyama’s first hit with runners in scoring position this year, despite countless previous chances.
Hanshin 4, Yakult 1
7
We couldn’t figure out Hirofumi Yamanaka for all of 2015. And 2016. But today was our day. With two outs and a runner on second, we got four straight hits: Shun Takayama infield single, Toritani RBI single, this Itoi double…
🐯今日、糸井が4打点目❗#阪神タイガース #糸井嘉男 pic.twitter.com/ABY6o86t1i
— ⚾埼とら⚾今年も怪我無く！ (@yakyuragu) April 15, 2018
… and Wilin Rosario also made today his first multi-hit game of the season with a final RBI.
Hanshin 8, Yakult 1
9
There was little doubt as to the outcome of this one, but Tsuyoshi Ishizaki struggled in the final frame, giving up a hit, a walk, a couple of fly balls to push one run home, and then an RBI single to give the Swallows another score so they could go home with less humiliation in their hearts. Iwasada went 6 IP 93 TP 4 H 3 BB 1 R 5 K in his first start of the year. Not bad.