totositesafe111   Album Posted Sep.20th, 2023, viewed 106 times

Kansai Club's 'Together Throne' for the first time in 59 years

Orix won 6-2 at home against Chiba Lotte Marines Marines of the 2023 Japanese professional baseball league at Kyocera Dome in Osaka, Japan, on the 20th (Korea time), raising the Pacific League trophy for the third consecutive year.

Now, it can be called a "strong team" in name and reality. The Orix was a "weak team" that has never been included in the Pacific League A class (1st to 3rd place) since 2014. To the extent that no team considered Orix a "competitive" opponent. In the six years to the 2020 season, he finished last three times, twice in fourth place and once in fifth place. Orix was the only team that was never included in the A class during the period.

It was in the 2021 season that Orix, who was so weak, began to revolt. That year was when Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who is called the best ace in Japanese professional baseball, was in full bloom. In addition, 2019 rookie draft first-rounder Hiroya Miyagi also saw his potential explode. Yamamoto won four times as a pitcher with 18 wins and five losses and a 1.39 ERA, while Miyagi strongly supported him with 13 wins, 4 losses and a 2.51 ERA. Masataka Yoshida (Boston Red Sox) was at the center of the lineup.

Orix was the "last" in the Pacific League in the 2020 season, and he immediately lifted the Pacific League trophy. However, it was regrettable that the finish was not perfect. At that time, Orix was held back by the Yakult Swallows, postponing the Japanese Series title until next. But Orix immediately made up for that regret. The following year, he rose to the throne.

Orix won the Pacific League title for the second consecutive year with a "one-two punch" leading to Yamamoto-Miyagi, and once again faced Yakult in the Japanese series. The Orix won four consecutive games in one draw and two losses, clearly recovering from the sadness of the 2021 season, and stood tall at the "highest" in 26 years since 1996, when "legendary" Ichiro Suzuki stayed at the Orix.

Prior to this season, Orix advanced to the Major League through the posting system, predicting that it would be difficult to win even if it entered the A-class. But this was a misjudgment. In fact, "Ace" Yamamoto stayed strong in Orix, and Miyagi also took a big step toward winning the championship, recording 10 wins for three consecutive years, finally erasing all magic numbers on the 20th and winning the championship for the third consecutive year.

Sachiya Yamasaki, who is having a "career high" season eight years after his debut, took the heavy responsibility of the selection on the day when the championship could be decided. And Orix formed a starting lineup that led to Keita Nakagawa (center fielder), Masahiro Nishino (third baseman), Tomoya Mori (catcher), Leandro Sedeno (designated hitter), Mawin Gonzalez (second baseman), Kotaro Sugimoto (left fielder), Kotaro T Okada (first baseman), Kotaro Kurebayashi (striker) and Tomoya Noguchi (right fielder).

It was Chiba Lotte that first broke down the tight race between pitchers in the early days of the game. Orix starter Yamasaki, who prevented the run in the second inning, allowed consecutive hits at the start of the third inning and drove to second and third bases with no outs, and gave up the first run in exchange for a grounder. And once again in the fifth inning, he gave up three consecutive hits against the Chiba Lotte top lineup, drawing 0-2.

With Chiba Lotte dominating the atmosphere, Orix reversed the trend with one shot. With two outs and no runners in the seventh inning, Gonzalez got a walk and Sugimoto hit a timely hit to chase in a scoring chance created by a wild pitch. And T-Okada served as a "connection" with a walk, and Kurebayashi hit an equalizer to balance it 2-2.

The Orix lineup simply exploded. Orix hit four consecutive batters in the following first and second base chances, and took the lead by scoring six runs in attack alone in the bottom of the seventh inning. And Yuki Udagawa and Soichiro Yamazaki, who helped the Japanese national team win the World Baseball Classic (WBC), took the mound in the eighth and ninth innings to tie up the Chiba Lotte lineup, finally securing the championship.

Orix's victory led to numerous records. It was the 15th victory in the history of the Orix club, including the Hankyu period, and it was the first time in 45 years that he won for three consecutive years since 1975-1978. And in terms of the entire league, it became the second club to win a championship for three consecutive years after the start of the 21st century after the Seibu Lions in 1990-1994.

In addition, the Hanshin Tigers lifted the trophy for the first time in 18 years in the Central League before the Orix confirmed the Pacific League title, and the Orix based in the same Kansai region also won. It was the second time in 59 years since Hanshin and Nankai (now Softbank) in 1964 that a club with a home in the Kansai region reached the "Thrones" of each league.

Coach Satoshi Nakajima, who received five rinsing after winning the championship, was the first to express his short and thick feelings, saying, "It's the best," adding, "I wanted to seal the championship today, but I thought I was lying until the seventh inning. However, the players somehow turned the tables. It's great," he said with a big smile.

The Orix have all won away ballparks in the past two years, but they have had joy at home on this day. Nakajima said, "Thank you for your wonderful support. I will try to win the climax series, advance to the Japanese series, and win the championship," he said emphatically.
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