2031 Pacific League Climax Series Final Stage
As the Pacific League pennant winners, the Hawks will receive a one-game advantage.

Game 1: Fukuoka SoftBank 1, Shizuoka 0
This was a dynamite pitchers' duel. SoftBank's Naruki Terashima and Shizuoka's Tetsuya Yoshimoto put up zero after zero, with both only allowing 5 base runners, the former going 8 innings, and the latter 7. It was the Arrows' closer Yoshimitsu Ota who blinked, with Hawks 2B Koichi Maeda launching the ball 456 feet to dead center field for the sayonara home run.

Game 2: Fukuoka SoftBank 6, Shizuoka 5
The bullpen did the Arrows in again, with Danny Bergeron allowing the tying run in the seventh off the bat of SoftBank 3B Tatsuro Kaneshiro, and veteran LF Seiya Hosokawa hitting the walk-off single off Shizuoka closer Yoshimitsu Ota again. Arrows LF Kenjyu Kuwahara with 4 RBIs on two home runs was the best offense the visitors had.

Game 3: Fukuoka SoftBank 4, Shizuoka 3
Woe betide Yoshimitsu Ota. He was tagged with the loss in the third straight game, this time after giving up a home run to Hawks DH and series MVP Daiju Nomura in the 8th.

Welp, that was disappointing. So much for the three-peat.

Post-script: the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks would take home the Japan Series in six games over the CL pennant-winning Yokohama DeNA BayStars. Old friend Atsunori Nishiyama won Japan Series MVP with a .318/.423/.818 slash line and three home runs. It's the first championship for the Hawks since 2019.

2031 Season in Review

Injuries, freakin' injuries, man. If Aoki and Puikkonen and Smith and Yamamoto and Ota didn't get injured, maybe we stood a chance to win the pennant. We've got a bunch of young pitchers ready to turn over the rotation in a year or two, so that'll be great to see as Ishii, Yamamoto, and Smith's contracts expire. Christian Reyes may replace Aatu Puikkonen as another FP pitcher, come to think about it...

Batting-wise, good to see Murakami and Kuwahara put up such strong numbers. Arakawa even had a bounce-back year, but he's going to be pushed by Ryota Miyake next season and may get pushed out. Also need to find playing time for Reizo Nishimoto. Maybe at LF? Shortstop may have to be one area I look at for improvement with Shinji sliding back with the bat.

Going to have some tough choices about who I offer arbitration too. There's also the fact that most of my coaching staff had all their contracts expire at once, so that'll keep me busy this offseason.

2031-32 Offseason

Arbitration to Free Agency
* The Shizuoka Arrows have declined arbitration with RHP Aatu Puikkonen.
* The Hanshin Tigers acquired 2B Satoshi Onishi and LF Atsushi Fujimoto from the Shizuoka Arrows for 2B/CF Hatsuhiko Tanimoto.
* The Ehime Honda Comets acquired CF Eric Santana and SS Seishiro Sakaguchi from the Shizuoka Arrows for SS Seung-Yeop Kaneshiro.
* The turnover in the coaching staff has been so great, we'll just stick to the main club.
* With 26 years of experience, including a decade in the SILP, Hideiichi Hashimoto joins the Arrows as their new manager
* Daisuke Hayakawa brings nine years of experience with the Angels, Hawks,and BayStars to be hitting coach.
* Former Blue Jay reliever Steve Delabar will be getting his first crack at being a pitching coach with the Arrows; the hope is he can work well with Shizuoka's staff of groundballers
* The Arrows are trying out another ex-player in their coaching staff, with Delabar joined by former Marine Takahiro Okada becoming hitting coach in AAA.
* Players leaving by free agency include RP Taiki Ono, RP Koki Sugiyama, and CF Yuki Okabayashi.

Awards
* Three arrows were gifted Golden Gloves - pitcher Christian Reyes, catcher Yasutoki Kato, and right fielder Shizue Uchino.
* DH Kikuo Kawamoto joined the Best Nine for the PL, with 32 HR and a .279/.390/.586 slash line
* When no Arrow gets votes for the Eiji Sawamura, that gives an indication of how difficult this season has been.
* Kawamoto was the only Arrow with MVP votes, sitting at 4th

2031 First Year Draft
1. Tomosaburo Morioka, a slugging first baseman from Nishogakusha HS. There were a trio of high-power 1B guys at my pick (second-last!), so I went with my preference.
2. Shigejiro Matsumoto, high school right-hander who likely profiles for bullpen duty but his two good pitches are QUITE good.
3. Terukatsu Watanabe, high school infielder who could play 2B or 3B.
4. Takao Okamoto, high school left fielder with a good personality and great legs. If his contact tool develops, he'll be a menace.
5. Yoshizumi Suezaki, left-handed RF from high school (where the heck did all the good college players go?). Decent power bat, average defense.
6. Tetsuzo Kobayashi, college right-hander with mind-blowing stuff that goes straight as a line and nowhere near the plate. Lottery ticket, b/c his three pitches are ML-ready.
7. Hiroshi Higashi, high school third baseman. Another high-contact guy.
8. Yorkis Okamura, college infielder likely best at shortstop. Noodle bat, though.
9. Taiyo Otsuka, the usual high-ability catcher
10. Sumiteru Saito, bullpen arm with leadership traits.

BOMBSHELL - HASHIMOTO TO SHIZUOKA FOR FIVE PLAYERS
NAGASAKI - November 26, 2031

Leave it to tehsuigi to start the Winter Meetings off with a bang. The Shizuoka Arrows GM swung for the fences with his latest deal, sending RHP Katsumi Ikeda, RHP Nick Richmond, 1B Yoichi Nakamura, RHP Jon Looney, and RHP Daichi Ishii (yes, one of the two remaining original Arrows) to the Yomiuri Giants.

Who'd they get back? Four-time Golden Glove winning shortstop Natsuki Hashimoto. Hashimoto's contract will be 80% retained by the Giants for the next three seasons.
"This was a matter of giving some of our prospects a chance to compete, and giving our team the shortstop we need to win a Japan Series."

Hashimoto was the first overall pick in the 2021 draft by the Niigata Komatsu Bears, and will play alongside the second overall pick, Shizue Uchino (the last original Arrow).

Top Ten After Ten
A retrospective on the first decade of the Shizuoka Arrows

Figured I'd do some kind of look back at the key contributors to the team I've assembled, especially as the championship window closing looms ominously.

Top 10 Batters by WAR

1. RF Shizue Uchino, naturally. The original Arrow remains our best player by a factor of 2, at 27.3 WAR.
2. LF Seiya Yamazaki, a key component of the offense in the first half of the team's history. 13.8 WAR.
3. 3B Takahiko Arakawa, just 0.2 WAR behind at 13.6. He's never been able to replicate that glorious debut, but he's still a key contributor.
4. DH Kikuo Kawamoto, the big boy. 11.3 WAR over 3 seasons, and on the cusp of 100 HR.
5. 1B Hirotaka Hayashi, at 8.9 WAR. 169 SB in 4 seasons gives you an idea of how much of a menace this guy is.
6. SS Toyoharu Miyake at 8.3 WAR. He's been doing well at Hanshin since the Kota Inoue trade, so this one's a little regretful.
7. RF Yuta Takano, the former beating heart of this team.
8. LF Malik Collymore, with 7.8 WAR over 4 seasons. When he was healthy and trying, he was good.
9. 2B Meiji Onishi, who put up 7.5 WAR over the two championship seasons before leaving in free agency. Definitely a savvy pickup.
10. OF Kenjyu Kuwahara, with 7.2 WAR in 5 seasons. The hidden weapon slugger in this lineup finally getting a chance to play fulltime.

Top 10 Pitchers by WAR

1. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, with 21.8 WAR over 7 seasons. His acquisition was the clarion call that this team was For Real.
2. The recently departed Daichi Ishii with 20.4 WAR over 10 seasons
3. Tetsuya Yoshimoto, the highest-ranked leftie at 17.7 WAR over 6 seasons. He's got the power pitcher role down pat.
4. Ethan Smith, with 14.7 WAR in 4 seasons. With his free agency a year away, can the Arrows afford to keep him? Can they afford to LOSE him?!
5. Conner Greene, the old ace, with 13.3 WAR. He's back in the *** in Hiroshima's minors.
6. Colby White, the highest-ranked reliever at 8.7 WAR over 6 seasons. His 156 saves are the most by an Arrow.
7. Kikuo Aoki, with 8.4 WAR over three seasons (one of each truncated by injury). He's the erstwhile ace of this crew now.
8. Michito Nakayama, whose 8.0 WAR below his 21-21 record over 4 seasons. He's in the industrial leagues now.
9. Danny Bergeron, with 6.7 WAR over 4 seasons, and a good shot at challenging White's save record if he returns to form.
10. Jumpei Takahashi, one of the swingmen from the first half of the franchise's 10 years, good for 6.4 WAR over 5 seasons.

2032 Opening Day Roster
Last season was a bit of a fall from grace; we're looking for big things this year before our window closes!
A few players are here by grace of a good spring training, like RHP Akira Yamane and LF Bobby Ochampaugh. Long-time Eagle CF Louis Okoye signed a 1yr/400K deal, and will start the year with the big club.

Pitchers
Rotation: LHP Yoshimitsu Ota (yes, he's getting a chance to start), RHP Ethan Smith, RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, LHP Tetsuya Yoshimoto, LHP Christian Reyes, RHP Akira Yamane*
Bullpen: RHP Danny Bergeron, LHP Isamu Hiratsuka, RHP Hironori Watanabe, RHP Yoshihide Yonamine, RHP Mitsukuni Matsuda, RHP Yuifumi Nishimura
Closer: RHP Yasunaga Suzuki

Fielders
Catcher: Yasutoki Kato, Motosugu Fujiwara
First Base: Hirotaka Hayashi, Kikuo Kawamoto (DH)
Second Base: Taisei Murakami, Jiro Kawasaki*
Third Base: Takahiko Arakawa, Ryota Miyake
Shortshop: Natsuki Hashimoto*, Shinji
Left Field: Bobby Ochampaugh*, Kenjyu Kuwahara
Center Field: Louis Okoye*, Kintaro Sasaki
Right Field: Shizue Uchino, Reizo Nishimoto

LHP Kikuo Aoki will be starting the season on the IL due to a strained oblique; he's expected back in the first month.

The Quiver - May 1, 2032
Your Shizuoka Arrows News Source!

And so, the dogfight begins! The Shizuoka Arrows have started the season 18-11 and sit just a game back of the reigning Japan Series champions for the PL pennant.

The teams offense is firing on all cylinders, with Kawamoto already slugging ten dingers so far, and Shizue Uchino batting .349 with 6 homers. New addition Natsuki Hashimoto seems to be acquitting himself well, as has rookie Bobby Ochampaugh.

Pitching-wise, things are a bit more dire. Yoshimitsu Ota has gone 4-0 to start the season, but Aoki and Smith both have ERAs over 5. Based on BABIP, that'll regress, but it's still not confidence-inspiring. Neither is Tetsuya Yoshimoto's 0-3 start. At the the bullpen's holding it down, with Danny Bergeron back to form and Yasunaga Suzuki a perfect 10-for-10 in save opportunities.

Here's hoping Louis Okoye has a speedy recovery so our outfield defense returns to normal. Bring on May!

Shizuoka Volley - June 1, 2032
Arrows updates, quick and on target!

* KEEP IT UP, BOYS! A 19-7 May has the Arrows a game ahead of SoftBank for the PL pennant, and 8 games ahead of Nippon-Ham for 3rd.
* Congratulations to DH Kikuo Kawamoto for winning PL Batter of the Month, with a .380 average, 9 HRs, and 21 RBIs. He's leading the league in BA, and is a Triple Crown threat this year!
* It's great to see Kenjyu Kuwahara work his way back into the lineup, especially with that eight-game hit streak. That said, with Louis Okoye back from injury and Bobby Ochampaugh still doing well, that may not last.
* Not every team has a double-digit HR hitter in their 9-spot, but Cap'n Arakawa seems to be quite successful in that role.
* With Hidenori Kawasaki down for the season, Mitsukuni Matsuda returns from Shinano to join the bullpen.
* Yoshimitsu Ota remains a dominant force (where is this coming from?!).
* Yasunaga Suzuki still perfect in save opportunities, even if his predecessors in the bullpen are struggling a bit.

The Quiver - July 1, 2032
Your Shizuoka Arrows News Source!

June 12 was a bittersweet game for Arrows faithful, as Daichi Ishii got the start...for the visiting Yomiuri Giants. After his 10 years and two championships with Shizuoka, Ishii and the fans watched a video board presentation honouring his exploits with the Arrows. Afterwards, he saluted the crowd, and headed for the visitor's dugout. The Arrows would win that game 6-4 with a two-run sayonara shot by LF Bobby Ochampaugh, who earned a Player of the Week Award during that stretch.

All told, the Shizuoka Arrows went 14-10 in interleague, perfectly serviceable, and they are tied with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks atop the PL. Seven games back are the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in 3rd.

SS Natsuki Hashimoto lost a few weeks due to injury, but he's rehabbing and not a moment too soon because he was HOT in June. Ditto for 3B Ryota Miyake and C Yasutoki Kato...the former of those two is going to make the decision on what to do with 3B Takahiko Arakawa even harder. Also, look at pitcher Ethan Smith with a two-run dinger! Just please ignore Hirotaka Hayashi having a rough month.

Pitching-wise, Smith and LHP Kikuo Aoki are back to normal, but losing Hironori Watanabe for a short while makes the bullpen a bit wobblier. Hopefully he comes back soon!

All-Star Game and trade deadline coming up soon - who's on the move this year?

All-Stars
* LHP Yoshimitsu Ota makes his first All-Star Game as a starter, 8-3 with a 3.06 ERA and 1.10 WHIP over 114 1/3 IP. He's not as hot as he started, but still a ridiculous addition to the rotation.
* RHP Danny Bergeron gets his 4th nod as a reliever, 7-3 with a 2.72 ERA and 13.6 K/9 over 46 1/3 IP
* LHP Isamu Hiratsuka is a first-time All-Star, putting up a 2.73 ERA and 15.5 K/9 over 46 IP
* C Yasutoki Kato's .249/.355/.348 line isn't too good, but his 1.4 WAR is among the best as catchers
* DH Kikuo Kawamoto is getting more starts at 1B lately, but his .363/.463/.745 slash line and 26 HRs make it clear his bat is the reason he's here and starting
* 2B Taisei Murakami's unheard-of 44 SB and .247/.339/.361 slash line gets him the starting job

Future Stars
* Shigejiro Matsumoto is only an 18-year-old, but has 5 saves with a 1.79 WHIP in 21 games with Shinano. He's expected to start sooner than later, but he's in the AAA bullpen now.
* Tetsuo Numata gets the nod as a third baseman for AAA Shinano, and his .283/.323/.394 slash line has been competent for his first season in the middle league
* Shigejiro Matsunaga made the move up to AAA this season, and the center fielder has a .307/.325/.444 slash line in 39 games. It bodes well for the top prospect in the Arrows system.

GM Notebook - August 1, 2032

Standing pat for the entire length of July is killing me. We went 10-10, so a little disappointing. I guess we could have traded one of our arb guys like Hayashi or Kuwahara or Arakawa, but to what end? We're half a game back of the Hawks, like everyone said we'd be.

Speaking of Hayashi, he's having a rough season, so Kawamoto's starting at 1B so we get Kuwahara's bat into the DH spot...that said taking a look at the WAR numbers, time to stop that! Maybe package him and Arakawa to let Ryota Miyake take over 3B? It's going to be so close between those two. Maybe let one of them take 1B to get some flexibility.

Pitching wise, Yasunaga Suzuki has been a damn revelation. 10 innings with only one hit allowed? Unfair. Hoping Yoshinobu Yamamoto can keep up his performance for this year and into next before Shigejiro Matsumoto matures.

This is gonna be some fun finish to the season.

GM Notebook - September 1, 2032

77-47, 16-9 in August, and still just a game behind SoftBank. We only play them twice, so it's going to be a close finish for the pennant.

Something is broken with Hirotaka Hayashi, and now I regret trading away one of my first basemen last offseason. At least with Miyake in a 2 for 22 slump I can start Arakawa without concern.

What is a concern is our rotation. Aoki and Yoshimoto are both gone until the playoffs, so we've called up Yoshihide Yonamine and Giichiro Kaji from AAA Shinano to fill in. And Yonamine pitches a CG SHO in his first start of the season, so...

At season's end

* The Shizuoka Arrows finished 86-57, a single game behind the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks for the PL. It's the exact same record as last season!
* DH Kikuo Kawamoto wins the batting title! His .340 average was best in both leagues. He also finished 7th in RBI with 95, and first in OBP, SLG, and OPS.
* LF Bobby Ochampaugh had a good start to his *** career with 47 doubles to lead the *** by 6.
* 2B Taisei Murakami handily won the *** stolen base race with 69 (nice), 16 more than the next closest batter
* LHP Yoshimitsu Ota led all *** with 185 1/3 innings pitched. Not bad for a converted reliever! He also led the *** with 5 complete games, 2 of those shutouts.
* RHP Yasunaga Suzuki finished tied for 4th in the *** (3rd in PL) with 35 saves in 37 opportunities.
* The Central League required a Game 144 to decide the final playoff spot, and the Chunichi Dragons bested the Niigata Komatsu Bears on the road 9-5 to take it.

Finishing second, the Shizuoka Arrows will host the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in the best-of-three Climax Series First Stage. The Eagles snuck into the final playoff spot over the Fighters and Spirit in the last three days of the season.

Game 1: Shizuoka 4, Tohoku Rakuten 3
RF Shizue Uchino's sayonara single to cash in 1B Hirotaka Hayashi with two out in the 9th sealed the deal for the Arrows. Shizuoka starter Yoshimitsu Ota went 7 strong, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits, striking out eight. Closer Yasunaga Suzuki blew the save in the 8th on a 1B Tomo Mikami based-loaded walk. Rakuten starter Toshiharu Miyashta struck out 10 Arrows, with ex-Arrow Taiki Ono taking the hard-luck loss in relief.

Game 2: Shizuoka 3, Tohoku Rakuten 0
For a guy who barely made the team out of spring training, Akira Yamane is making a name for himself this season. His 9-5 regular season record earned him a postseason start, and he came an out away from a complete game shutout. 6 hits, 1 walk, 9 strikeouts, and 126 pitches. Hironori Watanabe with the final strikeout to get the cheap save. Catcher Yasutoki Kato's 2-run home run off Rakuten starter Atsuki Yuasa in the 4th stood up as the winner.

Once again, the Shizuoka Arrows will head to the PayPay Dome in Fukuoka to play the SoftBank Hawks.

Pacific League Climax Series Final Stage
The Hawks will have a one-game head start as pennant winners.

Game 1: Fukuoka SoftBank 7, Shizuoka 5 (10 innings)
Stop me if you've heard this before - the Hawks are really good. The Arrows built up a 4-0 lead against Hawks starter Aatu Puikkonen (who bombed out with them last season), but starter Ethan Smith and reliever Hironori Watanabe gave up two each. The Arrows got a lead with a one-out solo home run from Kenjyu Kuwahara in the 9th, but Hawks 2B Koichi Maeda hit a one-out solo shot of his own also off Watanabe to knot things up. It was Hawks 3B Tatsuro Kaneshiro who walked it off with a two-run bomb off leftie Isamu Hiratsuka.

Game 2: Shizuoka 8, Fukuoka SoftBank 4
The losing streak is over at last. A big component of that was new Arrow Natsuki Hashimoto, as the shortstop slugged a 3-run bomb to go ahead 5-3 in the 4th. Hawks starter Roki Sasaki yielded 7 runs (6 earned) over 4 1/3 innings to take the loss. Shizuoka starter Yoshimitsu Ota yielded three runs on 7 innings to win it.

Game 3: Shizuoka 8, Fukuoka SoftBank 3
This one was over after the first inning, a 4-spot by the Arrows. Hawks starter Yasunobu Okugawa gave up 6 overall in 2 2/3 innings, with a 2-run double by LF Bobby Ochampaugh the one that started the headache. Shizuoka starter Kikuo Aoki yielded 2 runs (1 earned) on 3 hits and 2 walks over 6 innings. And just like that, the series is tied.

Game 5: Shizuoka 7, Fukuoka SoftBank 5
Akira Yamane struggled through seven innings, yielding 5 runs (most of that on a Shohei Ohtani grand slam in the 6th), but the Arrows offense tied it in the 7th on solo home runs from catcher Yasutoki Kato and centre fielder Louis Okoye against Hawks starter Sho Ito, and took the lead off a 2-run double from Kato in the 8th off closer Mitstuaki Yasuda. After struggling this postseason, Arrows reliever Hironori Watanabe pitched two scoreless innings in relief to get the save.

Game 6: Shizuoka 7, Fukuoka 4 (10 innings)
Just as Game 1 was a regret for the Arrows, this one is the same for the Hawks. SoftBank's starter Kazuo Okuda managed five innings of 2-run ball, handing a 4-2 lead over to relievers Takamasa Yasashi and closer Mitsuaki Yasuda for 3 1/3 innings. But those pesky Arrows chipped away - a wild pitch by T. Hayashi to score DH Kikuo Kawamoto from 3rd in the 8th inning, then a single from 1B Hirotaka Hayashi off Toshikuni Arakawa to tie the game by scoring 3B Takahiko Arakawa. In the 10th, it was Arakawa vs Arakawa with Takahiko hitting a 2-run double with two out to take the lead; Takahiko would score himself on a double by 2B Taisei Murakami. Shizuoka closer Yasunaga Suzuki with two clean sheets and four strikeouts in the final two innings to get the win.

And just like that, the Arrows have revenge from last season. It is unknown who they will play in the Japan Series. For the second straight series, DH Kikuo Kawamoto is MVP.
EDIT: It will be the Yomiuri Giants, and with it being an even year, the Arrows will have home field advantage.

2032 Japan Series

These two teams are almost identical in record, in home/road split, in runs scored and runs against (only off by 3 and 2, respectively!). It's going to be a fun one!

Game 1: Shizuoka 5, Yomiuri 4
Call them the cardiac Arrows; they've walked it off again. The Yomiuri Giants tied the game with a 2-run home run from their right fielder Terufumi Sasaki in the top of the 9th against closer Yasunaga Suzuki, but the Arrows tired out Giants closer Seita Honda with a Reizo Nishimoto pinch-hit double, 7-pitch K from PH Kenjyu Kuwahara, 7-pitch BB from 2B Taisei Murakami, 6-pitch flyout from 1B Hirotaka Hayashi, and 6-pitch sayonara single on a screaming line drive into right from DH Kikuo Kawamoto (who else?). Shizuoka starter Yoshimitsu Ota struck out 11 over 6 2/3 innings.

Game 2: Yomiuri 4, Shizuoka 3
Hironori Watanabe's rough postseason continues, as he gave up a 2-out single from Giants star Kazuma Okamoto in the top of the 9th to steal this one. The Giants tied the game in the top of the 7th against the normally steady Danny Bergeron. Arrows right fielder started the game with a bang, a 3-run home run in the bottom of the 1st.

Game 3: Shizuoka 3, Yomiuri 2 (12 innings)
You just can't predict who's going to win these games! The Shizuoka Arrows took a one-run lead in the top of the 8th off 1B Kikuo Kawamoto's 2-run shot, but Giants 1B Kazuma Okamoto knotted it with a double off the beleaguered Arrows reliever Hironori Watanabe in the bottom of the inning. The bullpens held firm for three frames, before Arrows LF Bobby Ochampaugh scored 2B Taisei Murakami on a single. The pitcher was ex-Arrow Yuto Kanakubo. For the bottom of the 12th, the Arrows turned to Mitsukuni Matsuda, who got three ground outs on eight pitches for the save. Danny Bergeron with the win for Shizuoka.

Game 4: Yomiuri 5, Shizuoka 4
This one was about body blows, as both teams hung 4-run innings up against the others' starters. Yoshinobu Yamamoto for Shizuoka only went 4 innings, giving up 5 runs on 4 walks and 4 hits, while Jacob Schultz for Yomiuri struck out 10 over 6 innings of work. Both bullpens held things scoreless after the 5th.

Game 5: Yomiuri 6, Shizuoka 5
Another back-and-forth tilt settled late, as the Giants took a lead in the bottom of the 7th on a 2B Jordan Ayala sac fly, then the Arrows knotted it in the top of the eighth from 1B Kikuo Kawamoto solo home run, before Yomiuiri went ahead for good in the bottom of the 8th with a 3B Hirokazu Kikuta solo home run. Seita Honda with the blown save and win for the Giants, who now have two chances to win their 25th Japan Series.

Game 6: Shizuoka 4, Yomiuri 3
Every game has been decided by one run, and this one's no exception. The Arrows put up 4 runs in the 3rd against Yomiuri starter Kyle Brnovich, from 1B Hirotaka Hayashi's ground out, DH Kikuo Kawamoto's 2-run double, and LF Bobby Ochampaugh's single. The Giants were able to get three runs off Arrows starter Yoshimitsu Ota in the 5th, but that was it. Ota went 7 innings scattering seven hits and a walk, striking out six. Closer Yasunaga Suzuki pitched two clean innings for the save, striking out the final batter.

Game 7: Yomiuri 6, Shizoka 0
At the end, the Shizuoka Arrows just faltered. Arrows starter Ethan Smith gave up 5 runs in 3 innings on two home runs, six hits, and 3 walks, and the lineup just couldn't find an answer to Giants starter Mike Sauer, who went the distance in a 4-hitter shutout.

Giants 1B Kazuma Okamoto wins the MVP award with a .375/.412/.563 slash line and 7 RBIs. (worth noting Kikuo Kawamoto slashed .379/.438/.724 with 3 HRs, but that's sour grapes)

2032 Season Summary

Why is always the Giants who beat us? At least this was right down to the wire before we stumbled.
Going to be a fun offseason as I try to fit Arakawa and Miyake into my lineup.
Was not expecting Louis Okoye to do as well as he did, but at age 35 I can't imagine that result's repeatable.

There's going to be a few arbitration declines to get myself back into my budget for next year, the last ride of this dynasty.

*sigh*
At least Daichi Ishii and Katsumi Ikeda got rings.

2032-33 Offseason

Awards
* Catcher Yasutoki Kato and right fielder Shizue Uchino were honoured with Golden Gloves. For Kato, it's his 4th in a row.
* Kato also picked up a Best Nine selection, alongside DH Kikuo Kawamoto
* LF Bobby Ochampaugh finished 3rd place in the Rookie of the Year Award. Buffaloes LF Motonobu Kai took home the award.
* Hideiichi Hashimoto won Manager of the Year award for the PL in his first season managing the Arrows
* LHP Yoshimitsu Ota was the top Arrow to get Eiji Sawamura award votes at 3rd, with Hawks starter Kazuo Okuda winning the award unanimously
* DH Kikuo Kawamoto finished second in MVP voting behind Lions SS Hiroshi Abe. Yoshimitsu Ota also got votes, but not many.

Pre-Winter Meetings and Free Agency
* The Shizuoka Arrows and Hanshin Tigers made another trade, this time sending LHP Christian Reyes and RHP Yukinari Nakano to Nishinomiya, with OF Hiromoto Nomura coming back the other way.
* The next day, CF Kintaro Sasaki and C Motosugu Fujiwara were headed to Shikoku, with the Ehime Honda Comets added DH Michio Suzuki.
* The Arrows went to arbitration with C Asakichi Shimoda, and won.
* Rumours about 1B Hirotaka Hayashi being traded in that deal were false, but he's been declined arbitration instead. Also declined are DH Michio Suzuki (whoopsie!), and OF Kenjyu Kuwahara.
* Leaving via free agency are RHP Ethan Smith, CF Louis Okoye, and RHP Kodai Umetsu.

First Year Draft
The Arrows are drafting fourteenth. Fingers crossed we get who the mock draft predicts for us...
1. Rintaro Takashima, a leftie starter from Kindai University. A groundballer with three OK-to-good pitches, and a BB/9 below 1. He'll fit right in (yessss).
2. Narihira Kimura, a closer out of Osaka Toin HS. If his arm develops, he'll do well as a middle reliever groundballer.
3. Yoshio Kato, high school third baseman who looks to fit the Takahiko Arakawa mold.
4. Ikkaku Masuda, a high school third baseman who's probably a better fit in the outfield.
5. Tsuneto Kobayashi, high school first basman who's got the makings of a decent right fielder.
6. Yoriyoshi Hamada, the usual high-ability catcher
7. Kosaburo Tsumura, college 3B who's torn up whichever feeder league he's in with a high contact bat. Good leadership.
8. Atsushi Mikami, handsy high school 2B. Could play SS too.
9. Kikaku Yamada, the usual lottery ticket reliever (although he seems to not want to sign right away)
10. Narihari Hirayama, a college first baseman who may be better suited in the outfield.

Update: Kikaku Yamada refused to sign and will be heading to University of Tokyo.

Winter Meetings and Adjacent
* The Hiroshima Carp made an early move to save some budget, sending RHP Enmanual Mejia to the Shizuoka Arrows for RHP Yonathan Ramirez. For the Arrows, they get another groundballer reliever to fill the foreign player slot left open by Ethan Smith. (Chris Bowling takes the one Christian Reyes vacated)
* CF Kunimitsu Mizokami joins the Arrows on a minor-league deal. His speed and outfield prowess helped him to a 1.3 WAR season with the Hiroshima Carp, and 10 WAR over 6 seasons there in total.
* Rumours are swirling that OF Kenjyu Kuwahara may return to the Arrows as a free agent after all. Will keep you posted.
* 1B Hirotaka Hayashi returns to the Shizuoka Arrows on a minor-league deal. Will see if he sticks with the big club - Takahiko Arakawa has put in work at first base to make room for Ryota Miyake at 3B, so he may be out of a job.
* A minor league pitcher swap as the Fighters get Tony Canizales from the Arrows for Masahiko Maruyama.
* A quick shuffle of the coaching staff, as Yoshtaka Hashimoto was promoted from AA to AAA, Derrick Lewis from AAA to the major league club to work with all those groundballers, and Steve Delabar heading down to AA.
* Hard to keep a good man down - OF Kenjyu Kuwahara returns to the Shizuoka Arrows on a 1 year, 1.245M deal.

2033 Opening Day Roster
With the Pacific League Climax Series Champion flag waving at Ito En Park, the Shizuoka Arrows have had a surge of youth break into the lineup thanks to some timely promotions and strong spring training.

Pitchers
Rotation: LHP Yoshimitsu Ota, RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, RHP Akira Yamane, LHP Tetsuya Yoshimoto, RHP Yoshihide Yonamine, RHP Akitada Honma
Bullpen: RHP Hironori Watanabe, RHP Danny Bergeron, LHP Isamu Hiratsuka, LHP Hidenori Kawasaki, RHP Enmanuel Mejia, RHP Yuifumi Nishimura
Closer: RHP Yasunaga Suzuki

Fielders
Catcher: Yasutoki Kato, Asakichi Shimoda
First Base: Takahiko Arakawa, Kikuo Kawamoto (DH)
Second Base: Taisei Murakami, Masari Miyamoto
Third Base: Ryouhei Tanaka*, Ryota Miyake
Shortshop: Natsuki Hashimoto, Chris Bowling*
Left Field: Bobby Ochampaugh, Kenjyu Kuwahara
Center Field: Shigejiro Matsunaga*, Kunimitsu Mizokami*
Right Field: Shizue Uchino, Reizo Nishimoto

LHP Kikuo Aoki will start the season on the IL, and is expected to return by May.

The Quiver - May 1, 2033
Your Shizuoka Arrows News Source!

Well, that was not the start anyone wanted to have to the season. The Arrows are 14-16, and in 6th place in a surprisingly tight Pacific League. The Spirit and Buffaloes are tied with the lead so far, but the Arrows are only 4 games back of those two, and only 1 game back of the Hawks and Eagles tied for 3rd.

Kikuo Aoki's return will help right the ship, as he's expected back from rehab shortly. Lord knows the starting rotation needs the help. Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tetsuya Yoshimoto's ERAs both start with 7, so there's a demotion impending if they don't shape up. And then there's Shigejiro Matsumoto, supposed pitcher wunderkind on the way...

Batter-wise, the team's batting average is dead-last for no discernable reason. There may be a hitting coach change imminent if this keeps up. We did already see the season's first trade, as CF Kunimitsu Mizokami was sent to the Orix Buffaloes for 1B Kunihiro Torigoe.

This was also an important month for the future direction of the team, as Arrows management made a trio of extensions to popular players. First, RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto gracefully accepted a pay cut to 350K for his next (and final?) year in Shizuoka. Then, catcher Yasutoki Kato inked a 5 year, 12.65M pact that will see him behind the dish in Shizuoka for the foreseeable future. And finally, most importantly...Shizue Uchino will be an Arrow lifer, with a 6 year, 17.19M deal signed to take him to his age-36 season. Can't wait to see #7 hanging from the standards!

GM Notebook - June 1, 2033

Man, interleague started early this year...
We're not gaining ground like I hoped we would. 13-13 in May isn't going to cut it. Aoki hasn't been himself since returning, and neither of the Yoshis are figuring it out. At least Yoshimitsu Ota won Pitcher of the Month with that 4-0 record and 1.73 ERA and 0.96 WHIP over 36 1/3 IP.

I've already swapped pitching coaches, hoping that'll help our run prevention at least, but guys like Murakami and both our third baseman HAVE to start producing. Next homestand, I'm making larger changes.

GM Notebook - July 1, 2033

Well, 13-11 in interleague is actually decent for us? The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, Yomiuri Giants, and Niigata Komatsu Bears all won the interleague title at 15-9.

We're still 3 games out of a playoff spot and 9 games back of SoftBank for the PL pennant. At this point, catching Orix (or Seibu, half a game ahead of them) seems like a good target. The team's starting to hit again, Murakami aside, and it could bode well for a return to form. Helping is the promotion of our top pitching prospect, Shigejiro Matsumoto. He's already won his first two decisions as a 19-year-old.

I don't think we'll be making any moves at the deadline unless the right deal is there. It'll be ride or die with this squad.