By Jim Allen,
Hanshin Tigers rookie Shoki Murakami will get a chance for "revenge" against Orix Buffaloes ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tigers manager Akinobu Okada said Friday, as the teams practiced on the eve of Japan Series Game 1 in Osaka.
Japan's best-of-seven championship, the first in 59 years between teams from western Japan's Kansai region, opens Saturday at Kyocera Dome Osaka, the home of the three-time repeat Pacific League champion Buffaloes.
Murakami, the Central League ERA leader, lost his interleague matchup with Yamamoto 2-0 at the Tigers' Koshien Stadium on June 13, and Okada called Game 1 an opportunity for his right-hander to get payback.
"He only gave up two runs in interleague, but this is a chance for him to get some revenge," Okada said.
The Tigers' speedy offense will need to be in form to hand Japan's ace pitcher his second straight tough start.
Yamamoto, who has now led the PL in wins, strikeouts, ERA and winning percentage for the past three seasons, was lit up for five runs over seven innings in his lone playoff game but still earned the win on Oct. 18.
During that game, Yamamoto gave up a lot of balls that were nearly caught but went for hits, two right past him in the first inning.
"I think I might have caught those in ordinary circumstances. In that game, I was a little too tight throwing some pitches and didn't quite have enough late life on them. If they had that little extra, they would have missed barrels and be easier to catch," he told Kyodo News.
"My velocity was fine, but from the point of view of the batters that day, my pitches were easier to see and easier to hit right at the start of the game. I've reflected on that and have made some adjustment, so I feel better about it now."
A key to beating Yamamoto could be leadoff man Koji Chikamoto, who struggled during the CL playoffs and was not making any guarantees.
"I'm doing the work I need to do," he said. "But I won't know how good I'm going to be. We'll know after a couple of games whether I've gotten results I can be satisfied with."
The Tigers, whose only championship came in 1985, have one remaining player who was active in 2014 in their last Japan Series, catcher Ryutaro Umeno.
"We've just got to play Tigers baseball, the way we usually do," he said. "But these games are the last ones of the season, so it's important that we play them as well as we can."
The Buffaloes, looking for their second straight Japan Series championship, should be used to the pressure by now, but third baseman Yuma Mune said, "It is always nerve wracking."
"I was nervous the first time. I'm nervous now."
Orix skipper Satoshi Nakajima said his team is ready, although he may be without slugging left fielder Yutaro Sugimoto, who is dealing with ankle issues. Shortstop Kotaro Kurebayashi practiced with his left wrist taped up, but appeared ready to go.
"I think we're prepared," he said. "Hanshin is a team whose pitching is of an extremely high level, and hits will be hard to come by. We'll have to hit when we have scoring opportunities and field well. These are going to be hard-fought games."
The series moves to Hanshin's iconic Koshien Stadium in neighboring Hyogo Prefecture on Tuesday for Games 3, 4 and 5, if necessary.
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