Cleveland Sports Forum

Samsung beats Doosan to cut Korean Series deficit

Published : 2013-10-27 17:42 Updated : 2013-10-27 18:08

The Samsung Lions defeated the Doosan Bears 3-2 in Game 3 of the Korean Series on Sunday, cutting their deficit to 2-1 in the best-of-seven affair.

Visiting Jamsil Stadium in Seoul, the Lions scored all three runs without a base hit, and the two-time defending Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) champs relied on strong relief pitching to hold on for the narrow victory.

The Lions had dropped the first two games of the series at home, Daegu Stadium. The 2007 SK Wyverns remain the only club to erase a 2-0 deficit to capture the Korean Series.

The fourth game will be back at Jamsil Stadium at 6 p.m. Monday. The Lions are chasing their third straight championship, and the Bears are attempting to become the first No. 4 seed to win the Korean Series.

The Lions scored the first run in the top fourth on an error.

With the bases loaded, Park Han-yi hit a grounder at shortstop Son Si-heon. The usually sure-handed veteran bobbled the ball, and missed the force at second with a rushed throw, as Park Seok-min scored from third.

Lee Ji-young, the next batter, hit a sacrifice fly to left to make it a 2-0 game.

Doosan's starter Yu Hui-kwan was taken out of the game with two outs in the fourth under bizarre circumstances.

After Yu gave up a double to start the inning, pitching coach Chung Myung-won visited the mound for a chat. Later in the same inning, when manager Kim Jin-wook came out of the dugout to argue the safe call on the sac fly, battery coach Kang Sung-woo crossed the foul line and into the fair territory as he spoke to the catcher Choi Jae-hoon.

Doosan was deemed to have made the maximum two visits to the mound in one inning. While the umpires -- busy arguing with the Doosan manager, were at first unaware of the development -- one of the official scorers notified the crew of the situation. The umpires huddled for a few minutes before forcing the Bears to make the pitching change.

Yu left the game having given up one earned run in 3 2/3 innings on five hits, suffering his first loss of this postseason.

Jang Won-sam earned his third career Korean Series victory after giving up two earned runs on four hits in 6 1/3 effective innings. He struck out three and walked one, and improved to 3-1 with a 1.93 ERA in five Korean Series appearances.

The Lions added their third run in the seventh inning without a base hit. Park Han-yi reached on an error by second baseman Oh Jae-won, and Lee Ji-young sacrificed him over to second. Park stole third and then scored on a wild pitch by Doosan reliever Hong Sang-sam.

The Bears made it a one-run game in the seventh. Designated hitter Hong Sung-heun hit a solo home run off Jang, who had held the Bears to just two hits up to that point. Oh Jae-won followed with a double, chasing Jang from the game, and later scored on a single by Son Si-heon.

Oh had to leave the game, however, after pulling his left hamstring halfway down the third baseline.

The Bears failed to get any closer. Son was stranded after Oh Jae-il and Kim Jae-ho both popped out against reliever Ahn Ji-man.

Cha Woo-chan, Samsung's third pitcher of the game, retired the side in order in the eighth, and handed the reins over to closer Oh Seung-hwan in the ninth.

Oh struck out two batters in the three-up, three-down ninth, earning his ninth career Korean Series save. The right-hander pitched on one day's rest after throwing his season-high 53 pitches and giving up a 13th-inning home run in Friday's 5-1 loss.

The free-agent-to-be has reportedly drawn interest from the New York Yankees.

The Lions said right-hander Bae Young-soo will start Game 4 on Monday. The Bears said they will counter with right-hander Lee Jae-woo.

Bae, who tied for the KBO lead with 14 wins during the regular season, will be making his 21st Korean Series appearance, more than any pitcher on either club. Pitching in his eighth Korean Series, he has a career 4-5 record with one save and a 2.71 ERA.

Against the Bears during the regular season, Bae was 1-2 in four appearances with a 7.78 ERA in 19 2/3 innings.

In the season opener at home on March 30, Bae served up two grand slams against the Bears. Kim Hyun-soo, the No. 3 hitter for Doosan, went 7-for-11 with three home runs and nine RBIs against Bae.

Lee Jae-woo, 5-2 with a 4.72 ERA during the regular season, will be pitching in his seventh Korean Series game. He doesn't have a win-loss record, but has one save with a 4.66 ERA in the championship final.

Lee threw five scoreless innings in three regular season appearances against the Lions but didn't have a win-loss record.

Bae Young-seop was the only Lion to get a hit off Lee. (Yonhap)

Chen Kai-lun of the EDA Rhinos bats against the Uni-President Lions in Game 2 of the Taiwan Series in Greater Tainan yesterday.

Wild pitch hands Lions 2-0 series lead

CONVERSION CRISIS:For the second straight game the Rhinos outhit their opponents, but their two-for-10 batting with runners in scoring position let them down

By Paul Huang / Contributing reporter

Cashing in on mistakes made by the EDA Rhinos, the Uni-President Lions made it two wins in a row by taking Game 2 of the Taiwan Series 4-2 at the Tainan Municipal Baseball Stadium last night to claim a 2-0 lead in the annual Fall Classic.

Tsai Ming-chin’s wild pitch with runners on second and third brought home the go-ahead run that broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the eighth inning. He would walk home the insurance run for the Lions on the ensuing at-bat that put the game away.

“There’s no doubt that [the wild pitch by Tsai] really hurt us, but our inability to bring home the runs when we had the chance was the real killer,” Rhinos coach Tseng Chih-cheng said, referring to his troops’ two-for-10 hitting with runners in scoring position.

It was the second straight game that the Rhinos outhit the Lions, but still lost.

Baseball

Flawless Tanaka wins Sawamura Award

by Jason Coskrey

Staff Writer

Oct 28, 2013

Masahiro Tanaka followed up an amazing career first with something even more impressive the second time around.

Less than 24 hours after striking out 12 during a complete-game victory in his Japan Series debut, the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles ace was named the Sawamura Award winner for the second time.

“I’m so happy,” Tanaka told Kyodo News. “It’s the biggest award a pitcher can receive. For an entire year, I was able to keep my place in the starting rotation, and the numbers followed.”

Tanaka was selected by retired pitchers Masaji Hiramatsu, Choji Murata and Kimiyasu Kudo, members of the five-man selection panel during a meeting at a Tokyo hotel on Monday. Chairman Tsuneo Horiuchi and Manabu Kitabeppu were absent.

“I remember we had a heated discussion last year, but (this year) we came to the decision with fewer arguments and there were no others who came up so we chose Masahiro Tanaka,” said Hiramatsu, who won the award in 1970.

“He was simply that great, as he set the new Japan record with 24 wins and zero losses. He didn’t lose at all. We were pitchers as well, but it’s truly unbelievable that one does not lose a single game throughout a season.”

Tanaka put together a historic season in 2013, meeting all but one of the seven criteria (15 or more wins; 150 or more strikeouts; at least 10 complete games; an ERA under 2.50; at least 200 innings pitched; 25 or more games started; and a winning percentage greater than .600), by which winners are judged.

“Ma-kun” finished the season 24-0, with a save, 183 strikeouts and eight complete games. He posted a 1.27 ERA over 212 innings in 28 starts and, of course, had a perfect 1.000 winning percentage.

Tanaka gave up just six home runs during the season and finished with a 0.94 WHIP.

“To not have lost is something you really have to have the right mentality — in your daily life, during practice and while preparing for every game — to accomplish,” Kudo said. “It hasn’t been long since my retirement, so I know how it feels to get yourself ready, and that’s the most difficult part.”

Tanaka won his first Sawamura Award in 2011.

His only real competition was Orix Buffaloes right-hander Chihiro Kaneko, who met all seven criteria.

“We felt that Tanaka’s 24-0 record, which means a 1.000 winning percentage, was overwhelming when compared with other pitchers,” Hiramatsu said. “Murata suggested we think about Kaneko and (Hiroshima’s Kenta) Maeda, but Tanaka’s results were more convincing when compared with Kaneko.”

Kaneko was 15-8, struck out 200, threw 10 complete games, and had a 2.01 ERA in 223⅓ innings. He made 29 starts and finished with a winning percentage of .652. Kaneko was plagued with poor run support throughout the year, which may have been one of the deciding factors between the two.

Since 1982, only 10 pitchers have managed to meet all seven criteria in a single season, with Yu Darvish doing so twice.

Of those 10, only Suguru Egawa (who lost when Kitabeppu met the criteria in 1982), Darvish (who lost out to 21-game winner Hisashi Iwakuma in 2008) and Kaneko did not win the award.

Tanaka has continued to pitch at a high level during the postseason — currently 2-0 with two complete-game victories and a save — confounding hitters with a solid array of pitches, and putting away more than a few with the devastating forkball that was on display in Game 2 of the Japanese Fall Classic on Sunday.

Tanaka will be among the favorites to win his first Pacific League MVP Award later this year, and could still add a Japan Series title to a haul that already includes leading the Eagles to their first PL pennant.

The emotive 25-year-old pitches with his heart on his sleeve and is prone to fist-pumping outbursts in big moments, which delights Rakuten fans and helps get his teammates fired up.

Murata took slight issue with that aspect of Tanaka’s game, saying, “I suggested that he not pump his fists for such small things, because he’s not just the ace of his team, but of the all of baseball.”

But Kudo, who pitched for 11 Japan Series winners and was a two-time league MVP, applauded Tanaka’s fire.

“As much emotion as he showed on the mound, I’ve also heard from many people that he showed a lot of leadership,” Kudo said. “That’s something you don’t really expect from a young player like him.”

Around the Farm: October 27, 2013
Jesus Aguilar

By Arthur Kinney

October 28, 2013

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Around the Farm (ATF) takes a quick look at some of the daily performances by Indians prospects. This is a special fall and winter ball version of ATF that recaps all the offseason action by Indians players in the Arizona Fall League and the Caribbean Leagues. The positions listed below are where the player was playing in the game.

Note, the Arizona Fall League is off on Sunday's.

VENEZUELAN WINTER LEAGUE

Bryan Price (Bravos de Margarita, RP) - H (2), 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 K - Price continues to pitch well as he drops his ERA to just above 2.00 and picks up his second save of his LVBP camapign. This has been a very encouraging winter so far for Bryan.

Elvis Araujo (Aguilas del Zulia, RP) - BS (1), 0 IP, 1 H - A pattern is developing here and it is not a positive one. In two appearances, Araujo has pitched exactly 0.0 IP (facing two batters) and now has a blown save to show for his brief efforts. Hopefully this rough first weekend of the winter season is an aberration for him, though the one silver lining in this stretch is that two batters represents the king of all small sample sizes.

Jesus Aguilar (Leones del Caracas, 1B) - 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 K - Aguilar posts a monster day at the plate with multiple hits and RBI as well as a homer. He is now batting .391 on the winter with six home runs and 19 RBI. The 12:7 K:BB ratio is not ideal, but not unacceptable for someone with the aforementioned power numbers (not to mention batting almost .400). He's having an amazing winter ball showing right now.

Ezequiel Carrera (Navegantes del Magallanes, CF) - 1-3, 1 BB - Ezequiel gets on base twice in four plate appearances. Nothing really stands out about his performance in and of itself, but with the walk he picked up he is now officially at a 2:3 K:BB ratio in Venezuela and a welcomed break from the 2:1 K:BB ratios he usually puts up.

Jose Flores (Navegantes del Magallanes, RP) - 0 IP, 3 H, 4 R (all earned), 1 BB, 1 HR allowed - Flores' run of four strong outings in the LVBP ended with a big blowup on Sunday as he failed to get anyone out in a four-batter effort. There's not much more I can say about this outing other than that it is hopefully an outlier to an otherwise strong showing so far.

DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE

Ronny Rodriguez (Estrellas Orientales, SS) - 0-3, 1 BB. Ronny-Rod struggled at the plate tonight in an effort unfortunately consistent with his limited playing time in LIDOM. He is now batting .083 in 12 at bats in four games in the current Dominican season. If he wants to see more consistent playing time in winter ball, he is going to have to begin to produce. Unlike summer minor league teams, which are built to develop players over achieving team results, the LIDOM teams are out there on the field for one reason: to win.

Erik Gonzalez (Leones del Escogido, SS) - 1-4, 1 R, 1 SB - Erik Gonzalez only got one hit on the night, but made the most of it on the basepaths by stealing a base and eventually scoring. Even with the one-hit ouing, he is still batting .310 in seven games thus far in this LIDOM season.

Jose Ramirez (Toros del Este, 2B) - 0-4, 1 K - J-Ram had a rough go of it failing to get on base, striking out once and hitting into a double play. Jose has been uneven at best this winter, but hopefully will turn it around and start looking more like himself at the plate soon. Currently, Ramirez is batting .185 with a 4:1 K:BB ratio in seven games in LIDOM this season.

Winter Ball Notebook: Aguilar impressive early

Jesus Aguilar, Tyler Naquin off to fast starts in winter ball

Winter Ball Notebook

By Steve Orbanek

October 28, 2013

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With the exception of the Puerto Rican Winter League, the other winter and fall leagues have now been in action for a couple of weeks now, and a slew of Indians have been competing.

The actual value of the winter leagues is certainly a topic that’s up for debate. For many, they're nothing more than a continuation of the minor leagues, so there’s no need to put much thought into the numbers and performances that come out each year.

However, last year seemed to prove that notion wrong. As you may remember, it was last season that infielder Jose Ramirez was just outstanding in the Dominican Winter League as he compiled a .303/.384/.380 line in 60 games and 234 at-bats. It was a very impressive performance and really seemed to lay the groundwork for Ramirez becoming such a widely talked about player.

The Indians obviously thought a lot about Ramirez’s performance as they chose to have him skip the High-A level entirely this past season. Plain and simple, if Ramirez does not have that type of performance last year, he starts the year off at High-A Carolina.

So, with that being said, does any player this winter season have a chance to become this year’s Jose Ramirez?

That will hopefully be a question that’s answered these next few months. With that being said, here are some thoughts both deep and shallow in regard to this past week of winter ball action…

Player of the Week

Jesus Aguilar — 1B, Leones del Caracas

6 G, 8-for-22, 6 R, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 1 BB, 7 K.

If there is anyone who is the early favorite to leave a Ramirez-like impression this season, it’s Aguilar. In 16 games so far, Aguilar has gone 25-for-64 with six home runs and 19 RBI. Time and time again, it’s been pointed out that RBI are not necessarily an ideal statistic to use when measuring a player’s chance for future success, but the bottom line is that Aguilar continues to pile them up wherever he goes. The big first baseman has also done a solid job of limiting his strikeouts so far as he has 12 in 16 games to go along with seven walks. We have to hope that Aguilar continues to perform well throughout the rest of the winter season. We all know how the Indians have struggled mightily when it comes to producing power hitters, so Aguilar may really be the best chance that this organization has. We all saw Aguilar’s numbers take a turn for the better after a swing adjustment in June, and so far, it looks as if that success has carried over to Venezuela.

News & Notes

— Joe Wendle has long been one of my favorite prospects in the entire Indians organization, so you can imagine how excited I was once I heard that he would be getting a chance to play in the Arizona Fall League. So far, Wendle has looked solid as he has gone 8-for-27 in eight games with the Surprise Saguaros. He’s also shown some nice extra-base pop as two doubles and two triples are included in his eight hits. Perhaps the only negative with Wendle’s placement in the AFL is the fact that there are so many other players that join him. In other words, it’s difficult for a player to get everyday playing time and really get into any kind of a rhythm at the plate. Knowing that, it’s hard to draw any hard conclusions about what Wendle’s numbers may be once the AFL season comes to a close. The most important thing about his designation to the AFL is that it shows that he is clearly on the radar of the Indians, and that can only be considered a good thing.

— He has only made two appearances so far, but I am intrigued by the fact that Elvis Araujo is playing for Aguilas del Zulia in the Venezuelan Winter League. Araujo made his debut on Friday night where he faced just one batter and allowed a hit before leaving the contest. It’s certainly not an ideal debut, but it is nice to see Araujo on the mound again, especially since he pitched just a mere 9 2/3 innings at High-A Carolina this year. The big left-hander dealt with elbow injuries all season, which is never a good sign for a player who has already undergone Tommy John surgery like Araujo did in 2009. Yet, if he’s on the mound, it obviously means he’s healthy, and a healthy Araujo could mean a lot to this organization. He has the size, stuff, and is left-handed. Now, all we need are some results, so maybe this winter can be the start of that.

— While Aguilar has drawn most of the early winter headlines for Indians’ players, it can be argued that outfielder Tyler Naquin has been just as impressive. The 2012 first round pick has gotten off to a scorching start with Surprise and has gone 20-for-54 in 13 games. He’s also shown good patience as he’s drawn six walks and struck out only eight times. This is nice to see as we all know how plate discipline problems plagued Naquin this past season. The one negative with Naquin’s performance so far is the fact that just one of his 20 base hits has gone for extra bases. From the moment he was drafted, we knew that Naquin was not going to be a major contributor in terms of power, but it would still be nice to see at least a little production in that area.

— One of the other intriguing players to follow so far has been catcher Tony Wolters. Wolters is playing for Surprise this fall, and he’s gotten off to a bit of a rough start as he’s gone just 3-for-22 in seven games. However, the one thing that should be noted is that Wolters has been splitting his time between catcher and shortstop, which certainly cannot be an easy task. It will be interesting to see how Wolters performs down the stretch while basically handling two positions. Does the fact that he’s still playing some shortstop indicate that the Indians have not completely abandoned the idea of him playing there in the future? Could it be that Wolters is now being groomed to be some kind of super utility player? Here’s what I know. Wolters has shown that he can play both second base and shortstop at a more than adequate level. Also, in his first season as a catcher, he made great strides, and has shown that he could indeed have a future behind the plate. Knowing that, it seems fair to conclude that Wolters could probably one day make the adjustment to left field as well. While it’s still early and he does have a long ways to go, the Indians could have somewhat of a diamond in the rough on their hands in Wolters. Plain and simple, all teams like pure “baseball” players, and that’s exactly what Wolters is.

Aguilar's blast leads Caracas to victory in Venezuela

Jesus Aguilar played the hero role for Caracas on Sunday as he connected on a two-run shot in the eighth inning to help the club to a 5-3 win over Zulia.

Winter League roundup: Aguilar powers Caracas

By Andrew Simon and Quinn Roberts / MLB.com | 10/28/2013 2:33 A.M. ET

Venezuelan Winter League

Caracas 5, Zulia 3

Jesus Aguilar, the Indians' No. 17 prospect, played the hero role for Caracas when he slammed his sixth home run of the season in the bottom of the eighth inning, a two-run shot to center that snapped a 3-3 tie. Aguilar finished 2-for-4. Ramon Cabrera had tied the game for Caracas an inning earlier with a pinch-hit RBI double, and Miller Diaz nailed down the save in the ninth despite putting two runners on base. Yankees prospect Jose Pirela notched three hits to lead Zulia.

Margarita 5, Lara 4

Breyvic Valera hit a go-ahead RBI single in the seventh inning for Margarita, which then got a much-needed insurance run on David Peralta's RBI double in the eighth. Lara's Nick Buss tripled in a run in the ninth, but Silfredo Garcia came on to get the final two outs. Phillies prospect Cesar Hernandez hit a two-run homer in the first for Margarita, while Paulo Orlando and Dodgers top prospect Joc Pederson both smacked solo shots for Lara.

La Guaira 3, Aragua 2

La Guaira pulled out the win in a game of missed opportunities that featured the teams going a combined 5-for-28 with runners in scoring position. La Guaira's Renyel Pinto allowed 13 baserunners but only two runs over five innings to get the victory, and five relievers held Aragua scoreless, with Enrique Gonzalez notching the save. C.J. Retherford knocked in a pair of runs for La Guaira, while Rangers No. 2 prospect Luis Sardinas chipped in an RBI double.

Caribes 10, Magallanes 3

It was all about the big inning for Caribes, whose seven-run seventh erased a 3-2 deficit. Leslie Anderson's double tied the score and ignited a scoring burst that included two errors, back-to-back triples by Carlos Duran and Jose Gil and a two-run homer by the Twins' Eduardo Escobar. Major League veteran Carlos Zambrano, the starter for Magallanes, gave up a two-run shot to Oscar Salazar in the sixth, his final inning. Rangers No. 3 prospect Rougned Odor hit a solo homer for Magallanes, while Mets prospect Wilfredo Tovar added a two-run blast.

Mexican Pacific League

Guasave 6, Los Mochis 2

After taking a rough 18-4 loss on Saturday, Guasave fought back and got a win on Sunday. Jose Rodriguez and Zelous Wheeler each had two hits. Juan Delgadillo got his third win of the season, allowing two runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. Abraham Rivera took his first loss of the season, allowing three runs on four hits in three innings.

Mexicali 5, Culiacan 0

The Culiacan hitters were shut down at the plate a day after belting 10 hits. Culiacan managed just two hits during the game and Javier Martinez allowed just one hit in 5 1/3 innings of work for his first win of the season. He also struck out four and walked two. Rodrigo Lopez allowed four runs on five hits in five innings of work for his second loss of the season.

Mazatlan 7, Obregon 3

A four-run seventh inning sealed the win for Mazatlan. Singles by Henry Mateo and Bryan Petersen, along with a walk by Ryan Mulhern loaded the bases for Issmael Salas in the inning. He grounded into an RBI fielders choice, before three straight singles scored the next three runs. Alejandro Martinez took the win, allowing just four hits in six innings, while Marco Carrillo took the loss, allowing three runs on eight hits in six innings.

Hermosillo 8, Navojoa 3

Hermosillo's bats did the talking on Sunday, belting 14 hits. Six players had two hits, including Jerry Owens, who had a double and two RBIs. Jesse Gutierrez also belted a two-run shot in the third inning, his fourth home run of the season. Juan Oramas allowed two runs on seven hits in five innings for the win, while Alejandro Soto took the loss, allowing six runs on eight hits in four innings.

Dominican Winter League

Aguilas 6, Estrellas 1

Aguilas had a dominant game against Estrellas, with all but two starters getting a hit. Chris Cody got his first win of the season, allowing just one run on three hits in 5 2/3 innings of work. Aguilas was led by Juan Lagares, who went 3-for-3 with an RBI. Rafael Ynoa also had two hits, including his first triple of the season. Frankie De La Cruz took his second loss of the season, allowing four runs on three hits.

Escogido 6, Gigantes 3

Some early offense was enough for Escogido, which scored all of its runs in the first three innings, then hung on for the win. Escogido got a two-run double from former big leaguer Fernando Tatis, two hits and an RBI from Tigers prospect Jorge Polanco and an RBI from Red Sox prospect Bryce Brentz. Phillies No. 2 prospect Maikel Franco notched two hits, including a double, for Gigantes.

Licey 7, Toros 0

Veteran big league right-hander Chris Volstad gave up three hits and struck out three over five scoreless innings for the victory. Licey's offense backed him up behind No. 2 hitter Jurickson Profar, with the Rangers' youngster going 2-for-4 with a double and two walks to raise his average to .469. Two other players with big league experience, Yamaico Navarro and Jordany Valdespin, added two hits apiece. Domingo Santana also homered for Licey, while fellow Astros prospect Teoscar Hernandez led the Toros with two hits.

Doosan squeezes past Samsung to take 3-1 Korean Series lead

Published : 2013-10-28 22:45 Updated : 2013-10-28 22:47

The Doosan Bears got past the Samsung Lions 2-1 in Game 4 of the Korean Series on Monday, moving within one win of claiming the South Korean baseball championship.

At their home of Jamsil Stadium in the nation's capital, the Bears scored in the first inning and rode their pitching the rest of the way to take the commanding 3-1 lead in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) final series.

The Bears can clinch the championship Tuesday at home, where Game 5 is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. No team has blown a 3-1 Korean Series lead in the KBO's 31-year history.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... z4j_kkiFkE

Jesús Aguilar dio triunfo a Leones con jonrón

CARACAS. -

The Caracas Lions team avenged the setback to Aguilas del Zulia, on Saturday, and won 5-3 on Sunday at the eagles in the University Stadium, the capital city. Vital for the lion victory was Jesus Aguilar, who took the ball deep in episode eight breaking a tie of three runs.

BASEBALL | 9:30 pm

Lines from 6 am make up Caracas-Magallanes fans

The line of people begins from the Metro station to the University Stadium to buy tickets for tomorrow's game

IRE | Doris Barrios. -

From 6 am lines of fans around Universitario Stadium wait to purchase tickets for the Caracas-Magallanes games. Bleachers at prices between 21.50 B and 76.50 B for the game tomorrow .

Lester White waited 10 months to see the dueling rivals. He was prepared with a kit containing bologna bread, water and toilet paper.

In line tonight visualized people playing cards to pass the time. Chairs and women with small children in their arms.

Others took the opportunity to do business selling baseball cards.

In the game last Wednesday between Caracas-Magallanes many were left outside the stadium because the game was sold out. Several fans offered much money to buy a ticket to see their favorite team.

The area is guarded by officials of the Bolivarian National Police , which monitor illegal parking of bikes on the sidewalk and conflicts presented in the overnight.
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Pivotal hit: The Eagles' Kazuya Fujita lashes a two-run single in the second inning against the Giants on Tuesday in Game 3 of the Japan Series at Tokyo Dome. Tohoku Rakuten had 13 hits in a 5-1 win over Yomiuri. | KYODO

Baseball / Japanese Baseball

Offense ignites Eagles in Game 3 victory over Giants

by Jason Coskrey

Staff Writer

The Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles finally got some bang for their bucks at the plate, and found a surprise hero on the mound in the process.

The Eagles finally turned some of their hits into runs, and a valiant effort out of the bullpen by Kenny Ray helped preserve the lead for starter Manabu Mima as Rakuten defeated the Yomiuri Giants 5-1 in Game 3 of the Japan Series on Tuesday night at Tokyo Dome.

“It feels so good to beat the Giants twice in a row and win on the road,” Eagles manager Senichi Hoshino said.

The Eagles produced nine hits in each of the Series’ first two games, but had just two runs to show for their efforts.

Rakuten had 13 hits in Game 3, with every position player in the starting lineup finishing with at least one.

“For us getting 13 hits is a big explosion,” Hoshino said. “But tomorrow, I’m expecting an even bigger explosion.”

They turned that production into five runs, something they struggled to do in the first two games.

“Keep giving yourself chances and eventually you’re going to get a (big) hit here and there,” third baseman Casey McGehee said. “The more chances you get, the more chances something good happens.”

The win gives the Eagles a 2-1 lead in the series.

“We are trying to at least take the Series back to Sendai and win it before the home crowd,” Hoshino said during the winning manager’s interview following the game. “I hope you will interview me again tomorrow.”

Mima threw a four-hit shutout in his playoff debut during the Pacific League Climax Series and had held the Giants to just four singles on Tuesday before leaving the game after being hit with a come-backer off the bat of Yomiuri’s Shinnosuke Abe.

“It hit the top side of my left foot,” Mima said. “I don’t feel any pain right now. It’s probably just a bruise, but I have to go to the hospital tomorrow.”

Mima left the game with two outs in the sixth and Abe on second. Hoshino summoned Ray out of the bullpen and the Atlanta native recorded the final out of the frame and retired the side in order in the seventh. He gave up a home run to Kenji Yano to lead off the eighth, but got through the inning without further incident.

“I was up throwing, but not actually to get into the game until that happened,” Ray said of relieving Mima. “Then I turned it up a little bit.

“I was ready. I was already throwing. I just wasn’t preparing to actually go into the game until I got the word. I stayed in the bullpen and got as many (warmup tosses) as I needed to get ready.”

Overall Ray threw 2 1/3 innings of one-run ball on short notice.

“As far as location-wise and command-wise, it was pretty good,” Ray said of his outing. “I made one mistake trying to go in, but other than that, command was good.”

Mima still earned the win, having thrown 5 2/3 shutout innings. He struck out five and finished without issuing a walk.

“My teammates gave me four runs early, and it gave me a lot of space to breathe, and I was able to pitch more relaxed,” Mima said.

Rakuten continued to get production from its Nos. 2 and 3 hitters, Kazuya Fujita and Ginji Akaminai, who accounted for most of the offense.

“We played the way we usually play,” Akaminai said. “We just focused on playing our game.”

Fujita, hitting .417 in the series, went 2-for-4 and got the scoring started with a two-run single in the second inning. Akaminai collected three hits and drove in pair of runs with an RBI double in the second.

“Tonight we proved we can score and get a lot of hits,” Fujita said. “I’m happy my hit drove in the two runs that gave us the lead.”

The Giants managed just six hits on the night, with Yano’s home run the only one of the extra-base variety.

Starter Toshiya Sugiuchi lasted just 1 2/3 innings, giving up four runs in one of the shortest outings of his 12-year pro career in the loss.

“All we had to show from tonight’s effort is Yano’s home run,” Giants manager Tatsunori Hara said. “We have to do a lot better tomorrow or we’ll be in big trouble.”

The Eagles will try to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series when they send Jim Heuser to the mound to start Game 4 at the Big Egg. The Giants will counter with right-hander D.J. Houlton.

Rakuten can win the title by sweeping the two remaining games at Tokyo Dome, but have at least earned a return trip home to Sendai for a potential Game 6.

“Anytime you can come in and win a game on the road, that’s big,” McGehee said. “At least we’re sure of getting back to Sendai. That’s one thing. Hopefully we don’t have to use it, but we know that we at least have that in the back pocket.”

Around the Farm: October 28, 2013
Joe Wendle

By Michael Hattery

October 29, 2013

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Around the Farm (ATF) takes a quick look at some of the daily performances by Indians prospects. This is a special fall and winter ball version of ATF that recaps all the offseason action by Indians players in the Arizona Fall League and the Caribbean Leagues. The positions listed below are where the player was playing in the game.

Note, the Dominican, Venezuelan and Mexican Winter League all had no games scheduled for Monday night.

Arizona Fall League

Joe Wendle (Surprise Saguaros, 2B): 2-5, RBI. In nine games so far in the AFL, Wendle is hitting .313 with an .878 OPS (small sample size overreaction noted). This guy just rakes at every level. Wendle had a .885 OPS in the pitcher friendly Carolina League. Yes, he is 23, but once you get past his prospect pedigree, which causes pundits to question, you have to be impressed with his transformation into a prospect of note:

Joe Wendle at 23 years old in High-A: 474 PA, .295 AVG, 9.3 BB%, .885 OPS, wRC+ 143

Jason Kipnis a month older at High-A: 237 PA, .300 AVG, 10.1 BB%, .865 OPS, wRC+ 141

Look I am in no manner asserting that they are equivalent prospects because they aren’t. Wendle’s splits against left handed pitching may forever make him a platoon or impact bench bat, ceiling guy. However, I think his overall offensive capability deserves to be taken very seriously. Wendle will probably never sneak inside an Indians top 10 prospects but then again Danny Salazar never crashed a top 100 in Baseball America or Baseball Prospectus. Wendle is a guy that threatens the establishment; he was not hyped coming out of the draft, played small college ball, and was a bit old for his level but he is worth monitoring closely in 2014.

Tyler Naquin (Surprise Saguaros, CF): 0-3, HBP, RBI, K. Just an empty box score for Naquin. A mediocre OPS and painfully poor K/BB rate translating at almost every level; however, he is esteemed in the system because of the bat (or the first round pick thing). Hopefully his AFL season to date is a positive sign surrounding his development and serves as a spring board of success. That said, his .417 BABIP in 13 games will probably regress and the flaw that 19 of his 20 base hits have been singles will suddenly be more poignant. Naquin has done little to date to dispel the criticism surrounding Indians first round struggles. Thankfully, the Tribe has Lindor to quiet some of that criticism.

Tony Wolters (Surprise Saguaros, DH): 1-2, 2B, R, 2 RBI, 2 BB: Just a tremendous line for Wolters as he has struggled so far in the AFL. You simply have to love Wolter’s plate discipline. Tony is one of the ultimate class guys in the Indians system, his versatility has added value, and the AFL is a great opportunity for him to get more quality at bats.

Taiwan Series Game 3 result

Uni-President Lions 3, EDA Rhinos 2

The Lions lead the best-of-seven series 3-0

Vizquel returned to Estadio Universitario

CARACAS :-

The Venezuelan ex-shortstop Omar Vizquel, reported to Lions on Tuesday afternoon, before the Venezuelan BaseBall Classic between Caracas-Magallanes, to be played at University Stadium at 7:30 pm.

Vizquel was on the field, although was not in uniform to begin his role with the team as coach for the capital team.

Despite all the hype generated by the visit to University Stadium Luis Avila said Omar Vizquel will not be in uniform tonight with Lions".

Espino pitches Caribes to victory in Venezuela

Indians farmhand Paolo Espino, who finished the year with Triple-A Columbus, pitched 5 1/3 strong innings as Caribes topped Aragua,7-1, on Tuesday.

Tuesday's results in the Winter Leagues:

Venezuelan Winter League

Caribes 7, Aragua 1

Caribes scored three in the second and got a two-run homer off the bat of Cory Aldridge in the third before cruising to victory. Indians farmhand Paolo Espino, who finished the season with Triple-A Columbus, went 5 1/3 innings, allowing one run on three hits while striking out six. Veteran infielder Luis Maza went 2-for-4 in defeat, boosting his average to .381.

Lara 4, Margarita 2

Paulo Orlando's RBI single in the top of the ninth inning gave Lara a one-run lead and Robert Perez added insurance two batters later with an RBI single of his own. In a battle of bullpens, Lara's Luis Chirinos and Margarita's Anthony Vasquez each held his opponent to one run over five innings. Margarita's Adam Duvall, a third-base prospect for the Giants, went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored.

Magallanes 5, Caracas 2

Navegantes del Magallanes had a four-run fourth inning to propel themselves past Caracas and remain in first place. Former Twins utility man Lew Ford led the way with three hits, including a double and a homer. Mitch Lively, who spent all of 2013 with Triple-A Fresno (Giants), tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings. Jesus Aguilar, the Indians' No. 17-ranked prospect, continued his torrid start to the campaign, going 1-for-2 with a double and two walks in defeat.

Zulia 7, La Guaira 3

Freddy Parejo's pinch-hit grand slam capped a five-run sixth inning as Zulia cruised past La Guaira despite being out-hit 10 to five. Rangers No. 2 prospect Luis Sardinas had two hits for La Guaira, as did C.J. Retherford, Cesar Suarez and Miguel Gonzalez. Philadelphia's Freddy Galvis had an RBI single in the third inning for Zulia.

Dominican Winter League

Licey 7, Aguilas 3

In a battle of the Dominican Republic's top two teams, Tigres del Licey made a statement with their victory over Aguilas. Cincinnati's Juan Francisco hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning that put Licey on top for good, and Baltimore's Yamaico Navarro hit a three-run shot an inning later. Brewers left-hander Chris Narveson picked up the win, allowing one unearned run in five innings.

Gigantes 5, Estrellas 2

Consecutive RBI singles by Houston's Jimmy Paredes, Toronto's Moises Sierra and Seattle's Carlos Peguero led to three eighth-inning runs. Estrellas mustered only four hits against a solid Gigantes pitching staff led by left-handed starter Rudy Owens of the Astros' organization. Sierra was the only player from either team with a two-hit game.

Escogido 10, Toros 5

Texas' Robbie Ross made his first start for Toros del Este and it wasn't pretty. The left-hander retired just one of the seven hitters he faced before being removed in the top of the first inning and had a final line of four runs on four hits in one-third of an inning. Veteran infielder Julio Lugo and Indians shortstop prospect Erik Gonzalez each had three hits for Escogido, which pulled itself back to the .500 mark. Leones del Escogido went 9-for-17 with men in scoring position.
Box score »

Mexican Pacific League

Mazatlan 2, Los Mochis 1

Veteran outfielder Henry Mateo went 2-for-4 with a triple for Venados de Mazatlan. Mauricio Lara tossed six scoreless innings, allowing just two hits as he recorded his first win of the season. Catcher Saul Soto, who spent time in the Dodgers organization a decade ago, had two hits for Los Mochis.

Obregon 3, Culiacan 2

Cubs Minor Leaguer Christian Villanueva -- the club's No. 14-ranked prospect -- reached base three times for Yaquis de Obregon. Villanueva led off the bottom of the sixth inning with a double and scored two batters later on a two-bagger by Carlos Valencia, putting Obregon ahead. Cal State-Long Beach grad Steve Hammond allowed two runs, one of them one earned, over five innings, and right-hander Oswaldo Martinez, formerly of the Cubs organization, tossed two hitless frames for the win.

Guasave 5, Hermosillo 4

Algodoneros de Guasave dealt first-place Hermosillo its second defeat of the season as Ivan Araujo's seventh-inning single proved to be the difference. Orioles Minor Leaguer Zelous Wheeler hit his fourth homer of the season for Guasave. Both Jesse Gutierrez and Luis Garcia went yard for Hermosillo, which went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
Box score »

Navojoa 3, Mexicali 2

Luis Suarez's two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth tied the game at 2-2, and it chased Navojoa starter Hector Velazquez, who was solid over five innings, allowing just three hits. Neither team scored again until the 15th inning, when Genaro Andrade hit an RBI single.

Around the Farm: October 29, 2013
Bryan Price

By Arthur Kinney

October 30, 2013

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Around the Farm (ATF) takes a quick look at some of the daily performances by Indians prospects. This is a special fall and winter ball version of ATF that recaps all the offseason action by Indians players in the Arizona Fall League and the Caribbean Leagues. The positions listed below are where the player was playing in the game.

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE

Tyler Naquin (Surprise Saguaros, CF) - 1-for-6, 1 2B, 1 K. Despite getting six turns at the plate, Naquin managed only a double to left in his first plate appearance. Even with this tough outing he is still batting .333 (21-for-63) with 11 RBI in 15 games this AFL season, and it was nice to see him rip an extra base hit - his second in the AFL.

Tony Wolters (Surprise Saguaros, SS) - 1-for-5, 1 R. Wolters continues to struggle at the plate, and it is not very often you see a batting average go up after a 1-for-5 night - which happened as he raised his batting average from .167 to .172. I'm sure bouncing between catcher and shortstop along with the inconsistent playing time has affected his performance.

Will Roberts (Surprise Saguaros, SP) - ND, 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R (all earned), 3 K, 2 HR allowed. Roberts continues to have his issues in the AFL and was not part a factor in the decision beacuse no one won or lost since the game was called a 5-5 tie after 11 innings. Roberts has now allowed 11 runs (10 earned) on 20 hits in 16.0 innings pitched for a 5.63 ERA in four games.

DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE

Juan Diaz (Estrellas Orientales, SS) - 0-for-3, 2 K. Diaz had a rough night at the plate that dropped him to a .238 batting average in eight games on the LIDOM season. The biggest concern, however, is his K:BB ratio which now stands at 9:2.

Ronny Rodriguez (Estrellas Orientales, 2B) - 0-for-2, 1 BB. Given Ronny's struggles in the semi-regular playing time he has received thus far this LIDOM season, him getting on base this winter season is something of a relief in itself. Unfortunately, his winter batting average continues to decline, as it now stands at .056 (1-for-18) through 6 LIDOM games.

Jerry Gil (Estrellas Orientales, RP) - 0.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R (all earned), 2 HBP. Often times relief losses are a case of a pitcher being on the mound at the wrong time. This is not one of those cases. Gil had only allowed one unearned run in 3.1 innings in 3 LIDOM outings heading into the night.

Erik Gonzalez (Leones del Escogido, SS) - 3-for-5, 3 RBI, 2 K, 1 E. Erik Gonzalez is to LIDOM what Jesus Aguilar is to the LVBP. Okay, his numbers may not be RBI machine-level, but whose are? These are still highly impressive figures: .371/.371/.514 with 6 RBI in nine games. This is definitely a player making a massive impression in winter ball and piggybacking a nice breakout season in affiliate ball.

Jose Ramirez (Toros del Este, 2B) - 1-for-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 K. J-Ram continues to be inconsistent on the winter season, but is still posting respectable numbers: .257/.297/.400 in 9 games. While it would be nice to see some more consistent production out of J-Ram, it is still good to see some flashes of brilliance out of him as it proves that the potential is still there.

VENEZUELAN WINTER LEAGUE

Paolo Espino (Carines de Anzoategui, SP) - W (1-1), 5.2, 3 H, 1 R (earned), 6 K. Espino picks up his first win of the LVBP campaign with this gem of an outing. This outing also benefited Espino by getting his stats back into a more reasonable range (for example, his ERA dropped from 10.38 to 6.91) after a couple of rough games on the mound. Hopefully this is the beginning of a turnaround for Paolo.

Luis Hernandez (Tigres de Aragua, SS) - 0-for-3, 1 K. Luis now stands at only 7-for-24 on the winter season after Tuesday night's hitless night at the plate. Why does it seem like the story of the Cleveland Indians Caribbean winter ball in 2013-2014 is middle infielders having offensive difficulties?

Ezequiel Carrera (Navegantes del Magallanes, CF) - 2-for-5, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 K, Picked off 1 time. On the bright side, Carrera picked up two hits, including a double, and scored twice (once on the third inning double and again the next inning after reaching on a fielding error). On the negative side, the two times he failed to reach base were on strikeouts and he was picked off to end the sixth inning after reaching on a a single.

Jesus Aguilar (Leones del Caracas, 1B) - 1-for-2, 1 2B, 2 BB. Aguilar continues to dominate the LVBP, plain and simple. Tuesday night's stellar outing raised his slash line in 17 Venezuelan League games to .394/.461/.712 with 6 home runs and 19 RBI. It is becoming evident that this run of form from Aguilar is not an early-season fluke. Anytime you're talking about a 1.173 OPS almost three weeks into the season, it is definitely an impressive statistic.

Alex Monsalve (Bravos de Margarita, DH) - 1-for-3. Not much of a night for Monsalve, but it does raise his batting average to .250 (3-for-12) in 5 games thus far this winter season. Alex's offseason play has been largely a story of small sample sizes, so it is difficult to comment any further on his performance right now.

Bryan Price (Bravos de Margarita, RP) - L (0-1), 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R (earned), 1 BB (intentional), 1 K. Price continues to be somewhat uneven in this winter season, but the good outings have outnumbered the bad ones so far, which is why I am giving him the benefit of the doubt at this time. This is a good learning experience for him and should help provide a little more intel into his major league future.