The game started with some promise on both ends, but ultimately the superior team (and all their money and scandals and annoying orange) took over in the game’s latter half. There will be no Japan Series miracle for the Hanshin Tigers in 2019.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Hanshin | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
 Yomiuri | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | x | 4 | 7 | 1 |
Starting Pitchers: Yuki Nishi vs. Yuki Takahashi
First Few Innings – Looked Promising…
Kosuke Fukudome walked in the first inning and stole second – his first stolen base of the year – but got stranded there. Fortunately, the Tigers put up a run in the top of the second, with Yusuke Ohyama leading off with a double and ultimately scoring on a Kento Itohara sacrifice fly. Nishi, meanwhile, was perfect through three, and despite giving up a hit in the fourth, he made it out of the inning facing the minimum.
Hanshin 1, Yomiuri 0
The Rest of the Game – Beaten By Long Balls, Errors
Kazuma Okamoto continued to torture this team. His leadoff homer in the bottom of the fifth was the start of bad things to come. In the bottom of the sixth, Yoshihiro Maru laid down a bunt with two outs and a runner on third… and Nishi threw it wide of first, resulting in the go-ahead run. The next inning, with Suguru Iwazaki on the mound, Alex Guerrero slugged one over the right-center wall, and that was all she wrote. The Tigers got zero offense in the last three innings, and the series – and season – ended with a Takashi Toritani grounder to second.
Final Score: Yomiuri 4, Hanshin 1
Management will now shift its focus to the upcoming NPB Draft, which takes place on Thursday in Tokyo. Here’s to hoping they get a few really good prospects who can bolster this team and give it the power it needs to contend with the Evil Empire for years to come.