TOKOROZAWA, Japan -

Shuhei Fukuda hit his first career homer and
singled in the go-ahead run as the Softbank Hawks rallied from a
three-run deficit to beat the Seibu Lions 4-3 on Friday.

With the win, coupled with a loss by the second-place Nippon Ham
Fighters, the Hawks reduced their magic number to one for clinching
the Pacific League title.

Yano, Giants clobber Carp

By JASON COSKREY
Kenji Yano of the Giants belts a grand slam during the seventh inning of Friday's game against the Carp.

A fan fell out of the stands and had to be stretchered off. Four players were hit with pitches, including one who had to be carried off, and one fan got more than she bargained for when a foul ball came hurtling toward her from above.

And that was all before things really got exciting.

Yomiuri Giants captain Shinnosuke Abe hit a tie-breaking two-run double in the eighth inning and Kenji Yano added the team's first grand slam of the year later in the frame as Yomiuri battered two Hiroshima Carp relievers in a 9-3 win on Friday at Tokyo Dome.

"Our hitters really came through in the eighth," Giants manager Tatsunori Hara said. "I hope we can have more innings like this in our remaining games."

The win pulled the Giants to within three games of the second-place Chunichi Dragons in the race for home-field advantage during the first stage of the Central League Climax Series which begins later this month.

Despite the lopsided result, Yomiuri had been held in check before exploding in a seven-run eighth.

With the score tied 2-2, Daisuke Fujimura led off the inning with a walk and went to second on a single from Hisayoshi Chono. Abe followed with his tie-breaking hit.

"I wondered if the manager would give me the bunt sign, but he told me to go ahead and hit," Abe said.

Having put his captain in the cleanup spot, Hara gave Abe a chance to show what he could do.

"I told him to hit as he usually does, and that's what he did," Hara said.

Alex Ramirez then singled and Yoshinobu Takahashi drew a walk to load the bases. Yano drove them all in with one swing of the bat.

"After the walk to Takahashi, I thought I would get a strike on the first pitch, so I was ready for it," Yano said.

It was his first homer of the season and first grand slam in four years.

"I was really excited and felt great when I hit it," Yano said.

Josh Fields, who made a rare appearance as a pinch runner in the second inning, remaining in to replace the injured Shigeyuki Furuki at third, followed Yano's shot with a triple to center. He later scored on a balk by pitcher Dioni Soriano who was charged with three runs in the inning.

Lefty Tetsuya Yamaguchi (4-1) earned the win, pitching two-thirds of an inning in relief.

Carp reliever Hideki Kishimoto struck out the side in the seventh, but was saddled with the loss after being charged with four runs in the eighth.

Kenta Kurihara got the Carp on the board in the first inning with his 82nd RBI of the season, pulling him into a tie with Tokyo Yakult Swallows slugger Kazuhiro Hatakeyama for the CL lead.

Hiroshima catcher Yoshikazu Kura drew a bases-loaded walk in the sixth which tied the score at 2-2, and Shogo Kimura drove in a run with a single in the ninth.

There was a scary moment in the top of the first, when field staff and the Giants trainer rushed out to right field when a fan appeared to fall onto the field.

Furuki had to be carried off in the second inning after being hit in the leg by a pitch from the Carp's rookie starter, Yuya Fukui.

SANTO DOMINGO -

The Cleveland Indians defined a winter plan for Ubaldo Jimenez, said the leader Manny Acta.

"We put a plan together for winter. He will pitch for Licey and correct the flaws in his mechanics so he can come to spring training prepared," Acta said

The 27-year right hander went 5-5 and 5.10 ERA after being acquired by the Indians in a trade from the Colorado Rockies.

Acta said that Jimenez had a difficult adjustment period after leaving the only team who he had played for during his career. "Ubaldo had two difficult weeks. He had never left Colorado. He had his ups and downs, but showed he's healthy. He threw 95 mph at the end of the season, "Acta said.

Manny Acta also cast a shadow of doubt that the Dominican catcher Carlos Santana would put on the uniform of the Escogido Leones this the winter because of so much work this season being the leader of the Indians in games played with 155 games and 552 at-bats. "He lead the team in at bats and he also had a knee operation. It is doubtful he will play this winter," Acta said. He also referred to the 2011 season in which Cleveland finished with a 80-82 Central Division and fought up until the last month. "We are proud that the boys have gained experience for the future," Acta said

San Juan Puerto Rico

The Ponce Leones received permission from the organization of the Cincinnati Reds to negotiate the services of promising pitcher Aroldis Chapman.

Chapman, a meteoric speed left-hander who was a member of the Cuban National Team in the last World Baseball Classic, has the approval of the Reds to work the first month of the season with Ponce.

Frankie Thon, the Leones manager, said Chapman, whose fastball has been measured at 105 miles per hour, would be used exclusively as a starter.

"Porky Lopez-coach of the Reds' called to say that the Reds were interested in having Chapman pitch in Puerto Rico and had recommended that he throw for me in Ponce. He knows me and therefore suggested Ponce, "said Thon.

"So I called the director of minor league Cincinnati and was given permission."

The official said the Leones are now waiting to contact the pitcher's agent to finalize a fast negotiation.

"All parties have spoken and just need the money, but there should be no problems. Nothing is certain, but I have good relations with that organization. "

Chapman, who defected from Cuba after the 2009 Classic, finished the year 4-1 with 3.32 ERA. He struck out 70 in 49 innings.

"We'll have half a season. I do not like that, but we could not pass up the opportunity. I would have liked to have Chapman the last month of the season, but they want to rest him, "said Thon.

The Leones had to settle for second place last season after falling in the seventh game of the championship series against the Criollos de Caguas. Caguas will also feature two other Cuban pitchers in their rotation: Yadiel Deinys and Martí Suárez.

I have mixed feeling about Ubaldo playing for Licey. I'm an Aguilas Cibaenas fan and now that Felix Fermin has returned to manage the Aguilas after a 2 year absence, I was hoping that Jimenez would be playing Santiago, not Santa Domingo. Fermin always puts together a well-organized and first rate coaching staff. Fermin and his staff did a nice job getting Jeremy Guthrie straightened out after he left Cleveland and found greener pastures in Baltimore. The Aguilas also did a nice job getting Carmona straightened out. On the other hand, Manny Acta has Santa Domingo ties and has managed the Licey Tigres in the past. I'm sure Acta knows that staff at Licey well enough to recommend Jimenez to Rafael Landestoy. I'm not familiar with Rafael Landestoy. Jerad Head will also put on a Licey uniform this winter.

I am going to post Arizona Fall League stats in Minor Matters since this folder is mostly about non Indians.

Good idea.

No feelings being hurt Civ.

Almost all of the winter ball rosters have been filled. I'm only seeing a handful of our players participating.

That's not a good sign in my opinion. Guys like Weglarz, Kipnis, Chisenhall, etc could benefit. Both Kipnis and Chisenhall could use some extra work on defense. They are not major league ready as far as their defensive capabilities are concerned. Weglarz's offense is shaky at best. His major league career, if he has one, is on the line. LaPorta shouldn't be partying this winter. His career is on the line also. Brantley could use the extra at bats. Several pitchers should also be looking for some extra work.

I'll post as much as possible on any of our players that will participate. I guess some of these guys think they can't use the extra work. I will follow Ubaldo closely as well as Valbuena. Jimenez in particularly. It's a forgone conclusion that we get Jimenez's mechanics in order if we are going to continue to make noise in 2012.

Panama City, Panama -

The 2011 Baseball World Cup is set to start October 1st with the host nation Panama taking on Greece from Rod Carew Stadium at 8PM. The game will follow the opening ceremony of the tournament. The much anticipated start to the 39th edition of the event will see 16 teams representing the IBAF member federations with the prize of World Champion on offer.

Other first round matches include Puerto Rico Vs Canada, Japan Vs USA and Netherlands Vs Chinese Taipei in Group 1, while Group 2 will see Australia Vs Cuba, Venezuela Vs Korea, Germany Vs Nicaragua and Dominican Republic Vs Italy. Panama and Greece are also in Group 1.

The top 4 teams from each group will qualify for the second phase of play, commencing October 10th. Teams that qualify for the second phase will bring to this round the record of wins and losses against teams that also qualify from their group. (EG, If Puerto Rico finishes 1st in their group, going 7-1, and Canada, Japan and USA also qualify for the second phases, and Puerto Rico were defeated by USA, while defeating Canada and Japan, their record to start the second phase would be 2 wins and 1 loss)

The medal round and classification games will see the top two teams at the completion of phase 2 compete for the World Championship, the 3rd and 4th classified teams compete for the Bronze and the remaining teams competing for their place in the final standings.

Qualification for the Baseball World Cup is based upon results from continental championships held prior to the games. Europe will be represented by Italy, the Netherlands, Germany and Greece, qualifying from the 2010 European Baseball Championship. The Americas will be represented by the Dominican Republic, Cuba, USA, Venezuela, Canada, Panama, Puerto Rico and Nicaragua, qualifying from the 2010 COPABE Championship. Asia will be represented by Japan, Korea and Chinese Taipei, as per the results of the 2009 Baseball Federation of Asia championships while Australia will represent Oceania. (Nicaragua and Puerto Rico replaced China and South Africa, as both teams withdrew from participation)

CHUN CHEN

Game 1 on 10/2/11 Netherlands 2 Chinese Taipei 1. Chun Chen 1-4, 1 rbi, catching and batting cleanup.

Game 2 on 10/4/11 Panama 14 Chinese Taipei 3. Chun Chen 1-4, 1 r, 1 hp, catching and batting 5th.

Game 3 on 10/4/11 USA 15 Chinese Taipei 1. Chun Chen did not play.

Four Teams undefeated in Baseball World Cup

USA rebounds from Loss with offensive Outburst – Cuba mercy rules Venezuela

Panama City, Panama.

Four days are played at the 2011 Baseball World Cup, as 14 of the 16 teams will rest on Wednesday. Cuba won another clash between baseball heavyweights, when they mercy ruled Venezuela in Santiago. They are joined by the Netherlands, Panama and Canada with clean records after they continued to surge on Tuesday. Defending champion Team USA rebounded from their disappointing result in the opener with a rout against Chinese Taipei. Korea kept Australia scoreless in the tournament with a four-hitter. Italy and the Dominican Republic joined the Olympic champion with their second wins.

Group 1

Japan 2 – Netherlands 5

Recap

The Netherlands improved to 3-0 in the 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup with a 5-2 win over Japan. After defeating Chinese Taipei and Greece on the first two days in Aguadulce, the team of head coach Brian Farley also had few problems in its debut at Rod Carew Stadium in Panama City. Four runs in the fourth inning got them the lead and they routinely sealed the victory afterwards. Japan suffered its second loss in two days, getting more and more under pressure to lose out on a ticket for the second round.

Greece 2 – Canada 12

Recap

Canada collects the third win of the 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup taking down Greece (12-2). The North American lineup overpowered the opposing pitchers and had fourteen hits, five for extra bases and two homeruns. Nothing to do for the European team which in the fourth just gave the illusion to be able to recover in the match.

Panama 4 – Puerto Rico 2

Recap

Host Panama celebrated its third win in as many games at the 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup on Tuesday evening at Rod Carew Stadium in Panama City. They surged past the Puerto Rican team 4-2, which had delivered the first big upset with their extra inning win over the USA on Monday. Four runs in the first three innings put them on the road to the victory. Comeback tries by the Caribbeans at the end were stopped right in time.

Chinese Taipei 1 – USA 15

Recap

Under a soft rain from the beginning, the United States picked up their first win in the XXXIX Baseball World Cup. In the first half the American team built up an early and commanding lead. After each team scores once in the third, After Japan was able to answer the 1-0 lead with the immediate tie, the second USA advantage is too much for the Asians. The fourth innings is the key of the match with seven run scored by Team USA (three-run homerun by Allen Pollock). Also Matt Clark, Thomas Mendonca and Jordy Mercer hit homeruns to close the out match (15-1).

Group 2

Italy 6 – Nicaragua 3

Recap

Italy collects their second win beating Nicaragua 6-3. The Italians scored early and never looked back. Giuseppe Mazzanti hit a triple and a double in his first two at bats and Tony Granato got three hits, including a solo homer that added a much required insurance run in the sixth. Nicaragua tried to limit the Italian line up by sending six pitchers to the mound. Italian starter Cillo left with the bases loaded in the fourth and his reliever Alessandro Maestri got the win. Giovanni D'Amico pitched the final inning for the save. A diving catch by Italy's third baseman Juan Carlos Infante early in the game and a couple of athletic plays by Nicaragua's shortstop Ivan Marin made the game really exciting for the fans.

Germany 2 – Dominican Republic 13

Recap

The Dominican Republic keeps cruising and gets rid of Team Germany in a 7-inning, 13-2 victory against the second European team of the First Group at the Baseball World Cup. A fast start of the Caribbean lineup produced a big first inning, with one run out of three singles and two walks that forced manager Greg Frady to call the dugout for and substitute starter Tim Henkenjohann with Philipp Hoffschild, but a single by Juan Richardson and a triple by Mario Silvio Castillo set the score to five runs before the first three outs.

Korea 8 – Australia 0

Recap

Korea shut out Australia 8-0 on Tuesday evening at Rico Cedeno Stadium in Chitre, Panama. It was the third straight loss in which the team from Down Under wasn’t able to score. The Olympic Champion from 2008 scored four runs in the third, one in the fifth and three in the eighth to lighten up the board. Chang Min Mo hit a homerun. Pitchers Hyoun Taek Oh and Hyun Jun Lim combined for a four-hitter, striking out 12.

Cuba 14 – Venezuela 2

Recap

A dark sky and a torrential shower could not keep a big crowd to attend Venezuela-Cuba showdown in beautiful Omar Torridos Stadium. Those who for sure did not miss the appointment were the Cuban bats, that started their symphony from the very start of the game: Rusney Castillo, the first Cuban hitter, slammed over the fences the first pitch delivered by the opponent starter Juan Colmenares, beginning a rush who ended in the seventh, when Venezuela scored twice out of a Herbert Lara double, but could not prevent an anticipated 14-2 loss.

Notes

18-year-old German pitcher Daniel Thieben is expected to sign with the Seattle Mariners next month. He held the Dominican Republic hitless in 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief….Students of the American Institute in Panama City attended the games at Rod Carew Stadium on Tuesday… Canadian Pitching Coach, Denis Boucher (Lachine, QC) will be inducted into the Québec Sports Hall of Fame. Boucher will be inducted with some select company including hockey great Patrick Roy….Australia is still scoreless after 25 innings played. In the 2009 Baseball World Cup they scored 33 runs in the first three games.

Outlook

14 of the 16 teams in the 2011 Baseball World Cup will enjoy an off day on Wednesday, two will have to work. Team USA and Japan will make up the rainout from Sunday at Rod Carew Stadium in Panama City. First pitch is scheduled for 5pm local time. Japan hopes for its first win in the tournament. The defending champion bounced back from their opening loss with a rout and will try to climb over .500 for the first time. The regular eight-game schedule will be on the program on Thursday.

Panama City, Panama.

The defending champion is back on track. Team USA defeated Japan 7-3 on Wednesday evening at Rod Carew Stadium in Panama City. While the other 14 teams had a rest day, the two baseball powerhouses made up their rainout from Sunday. It was the second win in three games for the American squad, while Japan dropped to 0-3 and is facing elimination with still four games to play in the first round.

Team USA scored five runs between the fifth and eighth inning to decide the outcome. Joe Thurston had the tie-breaking two-run single in the fifth. RBI singles by Jordy Mercer, Jordan Danks and Andrew Garcia provided insurance in the three frames after. Japan had erased an early 0-2 deficit in the bottom of the fourth, when Yoshinobu Kotegawa and Takayoshi Kawabata scored on a sac fly and a groundout. James Gosewich had put the Americans in front with a two-run double in the second.

Right-hander Jeff Marquez (W, 1-0) got the start for Team USA. He dominated early on and retired the first nine batters in order. He struggled in the fourth and fifth, but found his rhythm again and finished with six innings, allowing three runs on five hits and a hit batter. He struck out two. Justin Cassell, Peter Andrelczyk and Scott Patterson pitched one scoreless innings apiece to close it out.

Japan began with Hiroya Kawamitsu (L, 0-1) on the mound, who struck out seven in 4 1/3 innings, issuing six hits, four runs and a walk. Five relievers were asked to keep Team USA in check afterwards, including three alone in the fifth. It didn’t work out and Japan is under pressure going into the last four days of the first phase at the 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup still looking for their first win.

Notes

The second off day will be after the first round on Monday, October 9…..Today’s Team USA starting pitcher Jeff Marquez was selected by the New York Yankees in the first round of the 2004 amateur draft. He made his MLB debut in 2010 with the Chicago White Sox, is now back with the Yankees and allowed five hits and a run in four innings in the big leagues this year…..The victory on Tuesday was the first ever for the Netherlands over Japan in Baseball World Cup history.

Outlook

All 16 teams will be back in action on Thursday with eight games scheduled at the stadiums in Panama City, Aguadulce, Santiago and Chitre. Two group 2 matchups at the Omar Torrijos field will be in the main focus. In the afternoon Venezuela takes on the Dominican Republic and later Cuba squares off with Olympic champion Korea. Also in this pool on the sixth day of the Baseball World Cup: Germany vs. Italy and Nicaragua vs. Australia. In group 1 the Netherlands, Panama and Canada hope to keep their clean slate in encounters with Puerto Rico, Japan and Chinese Taipei. Team USA looks for win number three against Greece.

Winter Ball Dates:

Australian Baseball League

Opening Day 11/03/2011
Regular season ends 01/22/2012
Playoffs begin TBD
Grand Finals begin TBD

Caribbean Series

Begins 02/02/2012
Ends 02/08/2012

Dominican Winter League

Opening Day 10/14/2011
DWL All Star Game 12/13/2011
Regular season ends 12/21/2011

Mexican Pacific League

Opening Day 10/11/2011
Second half begins 11/22/2011
Regular season ends 12/30/2011

Puerto Rican League

Opening Day 11/04/2011

Venezuelan Winter League

Opening Day 10/12/2011
All-Star Game 12/13/2011
Regular Season ends 12/30/2011
Playoffs begin 01/02/2012

USA move to 3 Wins against Greece

Aguadulce (Coclè, Panama).

It took the USA two offensive innings to get a 3-0 win against Greece in the first game after the day off at the 2011 Baseball World Cup. A good performance by Greek starter pitcher Thedor Bourdaniotis, and his reliever Panagiotis Sikaras, stopped the United States bats which just scored in the first and fourth. The second BWC homerun by Matt Clark secured the American win.

United States had a good start and lead 1-0 on groundout double play by Bratt Carrol on which Allen Pollock crossed the homeplate.

After that the game went fast and Greece tried to come back in the third when Stefan Giannakopoulos hit a double. Drew Smyly, the USA pitcher, closed the inning striking out Nicholas Theodoru.

The match just provided one more change on the scoreboard in the fourth inning. With Carroll on the first base - on an error by the Greek defense - Matt Clark hit a power shot over the fence, the second in the tournament, and the United States scored two runs (3-0).

This was the end of the game because the two USA relievers and the Greek one controlled each opposing team.

Drew Smyly had a good debut in the 2011 Baseball World Cup: he went six innings allowing two hits while striking out seven.

TOKYO, Oct. 6 (23:27) Kyodo

Baseball: Nippon Ham owner may respect Darvish's decision on MLB move

SAPPORO -

Nippon Ham Fighters owner Hiroji Okoso on Thursday
indicated his readiness to respect Yu Darvish's decision if the ace
wants to pitch in the major leagues in the near future.

''I can't say anything because the season isn't over yet,''
Okoso said when asked to discuss Darvish's future. ''We'll definitely
need him next year, but if he wants to play at a higher level...''