Dragonbutts for the win!

[dr4b]

I don't fucking believe it, but Daisuke Yamai and Hitoki Iwase combined for a perfect game to win the 2007 Japan Series. The last time the Dragons won the Series was 53 years ago.

Yeah, the Fighters lost, but fortunately the Dragons are my second favorite team, so it's all good. Misero Ochiai Nippon Ichi!

I watched Ochiai get interviewed a little while ago and now I am watching Iwase, Kenshin, and Takashi Ogasawara (on fucking NEWS ZERO!!!), talking about it all. They are all remarkably dry and beer-free (And quite good-looking in street clothes). My boy Morino isn't anywhere to be seen, but that's ok. They showed the clips of Nori Nakamura giving his Series MVP speech... in tears. I'll be damned if he's not one of the best baseball stories of the year, anyway.

So of course, now my question is... what do I do this weekend? I was seriously considering going to Nagoya to hang out with the2belo and watch some Japan Series games, but now there is no more Japan Series. Wait, now I could go to Nagoya and GO SHOPPING IN THE VICTORY SALES!1!!1!!1!1!11 or something?

Wow, hard to remember the rest of the day now. I did watch about 15 minutes of the game, and it was where Chunichi scored its one run against Darvish. What a blur. OH, and Heiroku Sushi, the kaiten place I always go to in Lala Garden, is having a sale from 11/1-4, where certain sushi nigiri have THREE pieces per plate instead of two, so I got like 6 dishes and it was really like having 8 or 9. Pretty awesome. Oh, and I got this week's Shube and the card promotion was retiring guys and I got Sasaoka and Furuta! Wheeeee.

Comments

[firearmofmutiny.livejournal.com]

Yes, victory sale!

(Um... I'm still trying to decide what championship goods I want. I think I'll ask my co-worker, since he's coming back early December.)

[zaph.livejournal.com]

Do Japanese managers use their pitchers differently? The concept of a combined perfect game just seems very odd to me, 'cause I'm pretty sure that here, a manager would be crucified if he pulled a pitcher who had retired the first 24 batters.

[dr4b]

Well, here was the situation:
They were up 1-0 after 8 innings.
They were up 3 games to 1 in a best-of-7 series.
If they lost, they'd have to go play as the Away team for the final two games (this was their last home game of the Series).

So, Ochiai said "screw the perfect game" and put in his closer.

I think during the normal season, sure, you let the guy finish out or try to finish out the perfect game, but when it comes to the Japan Series and all of this is on the line, I'm not sure whether that still follows.

I doubt anyone in Nagoya's really going to complain, since they just won their first Japan Series championship since 1954.

[the2belo.livejournal.com]

The Japanese play conservative baseball as a rule of thumb. Managers will make moves like this to protect the game at hand rather than individual records, especially when only the second championship in your team's history is on the line. Iwase had not given up a run in 11 Series games. Yamai, despite his incredible game up to that point, was less proven as a pitcher statistically in late innings with such a miniscule lead.

When Ochiai pulled him I was like NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, but after the fact, I'm cool with it. :)