Impressions of the Chunichi vs. Giants game on Sunday, September 21st (Vantelin Dome)

Starting lineups for both teams

Chunichi starting lineup

1 (CF) Yuki Okabayashi .279
2 (2B) Kanya Tanaka .277
3 (RF) Seiji Uebayashi .269
4 (LF) Seiya Hosokawa .256
5 (1B) Bossler .252
6 (3B) Yuki Fukunaga .171
7 (SS) Rodriguez .231
8 (C) Yuta Ishii .229
9 (P) Yudai Ono .033
P: Yudai Ono ERA 2.05

Giants starting lineup

1 (LF) Yoshihiro Maru .264
2 (CF) Cabbage .259
3 (SS) Yuta Izumiguchi .292
4 (3B) Kazuma Okamoto .320
5 (C) Yukinori Kishida .287
6 (RF) Reito Nakayama .268
7 (1B) Richard .216
8 (2B) Shunsuke Urata .250
9 (P) Masahiro Tanaka .111
P: Masahiro Tanaka ERA 4.81

Game result

Good points

Regarding the pitching staff

After giving up 2 runs on the first 4 hits, Ono held on well. It wouldn't have been surprising if the game had been decided in the first inning today. Of course, it was a close, dangerous game, but I think the fact that there were no walks was a big reason it turned out this way. Ono's comeback was truly huge for this season. Unfortunately, we couldn't use the return of our ace Ono to improve our standing, but personally, I'm really happy to see Ono looking cool on the mound again. I wonder if the cartilage removal surgery helped him overcome his chronic elbow pain. I really want the Dragons to win a championship while Ono and Oshima are still active!

Saito, Mejia, and Matsuyama also provided nice relief. The relief corps didn't issue any walks and were able to get strikeouts, so I think the pitching content was good today.

Regarding the position players

It was a tough game after losing 2 runs in the first inning, but it was good that we were able to get 1 run back immediately with Uebayashi's home run in the bottom of the inning.

Uebayashi has also recovered quite a bit recently. It seems his body is worn out from his first full season in a while, but I hope he gives it his all for the remaining few games. Please rest well in the off-season and take care not to get injured again.

And then in the 2nd inning, Ishii turned the game around with a blast.

This was Ishii's first home run at Vantelin Dome. He hits many balls that reach the outfield even when they result in outs, so if the home run terrace is built next season, we might be able to expect 7 or 8 home runs from him. He is a truly wonderful rookie.

And in the 6th inning, Hosokawa hit a valuable RBI triple for an insurance run.

After this, Bossler hit a solid sacrifice fly to add 2 more runs in that inning. Today, the middle of the order functioned well, and we were able to score at the right times. This hit by Hosokawa would have been a home run starting next season, so I'm looking forward to the home run terrace.

Well, we've been dominated by Masahiro Tanaka until now, so I'm glad we were able to stop him from reaching 200 wins. However, I do want him to reach 200 wins, so I hope he achieves it against a team other than the Dragons.

Bad points

Regarding the pitching staff

Nothing in particular.

Regarding the position players

Other than Rodriguez starting, there's nothing much to say. He's still a young player, but since he takes up an international player spot before even being on the active roster, honestly, I don't think he's worth the investment. Unless something changes dramatically, he's an unnecessary player, and I wouldn't mind if he were cut this offseason.

General Review

Anyway, I'm glad we were able to end the final home game with a win. In terms of the draft, if we're going to be in B-class, finishing last is fine, but well, finishing last for four consecutive years isn't great for morale, so let's finish at least 5th or higher.

Inoue's comments were far from optimistic and he wasn't a motivator at all, but there were signs of improvement in his decision-making, and for better or worse, I think his skill as a manager is average. Considering the lineup of Dragons alumni, it's likely the next manager would be worse, so I'm fine with him continuing. The one who should take responsibility for this season is the pitching coach, who did nothing but ban three-day consecutive appearances.

The current situation for the Chunichi team is that they lack pitching depth, starting with the starting rotation, but the position players are looking good. Understanding that there are bright spots like that, his speech clearly stating that as manager he takes responsibility for this season's results was good. Some might say it's just talk, but compared to his predecessor, it's far better to be told it was a good speech.

This season, we went 35-36 at Vantelin Dome. This is really not good for a home stadium. Moreover, many fans come to support us at every game at Vantelin Dome, so I want us to win at least 60% of our games there next season. I think that is the minimum requirement for reaching A-class and winning the championship.