[tehsuigi]

ARROWS WIN THE PENNANT!

It came down to the wire, but this team's leadership core got it done. With the Okinawa Kirin Spirit an out away from a comeback win, Arrows outfielder Kenjyu Kuwahara rapped a double off the center field wall, and third baseman Takahiko Arakawa planted a ball in the opposite field bleachers, clinching the Pacific League pennant for the second time in three years during a 15-6 September. They await the winner of the PL Climax Series First Stage between the Orix Buffaloes and Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.

Other plaudits:
* 1B Hirotaka Hayashi came 0.010 away from the PL batting title, the first time a Shizuoka player has made a case for it
* LF Kota Inoue made it to 101 RBI, 5th in all *** before being benched to rest for the playoffs
* DH Kikuo Kawamoto finished tied for 3rd in doubles with 33; Hayashi finished two behind him tied for 6th
* Hayashi led all players with 59 stolen bases; teammate 2B Meiji Onishi had 44
* RHP Ethan Smith led all players with a 2.39 ERA over 154 1/3 IP; the next closeset was 0.20 behind
* Smith's 14 wins were good for second, behing Masonori Koizumi of the Buffaloes
* RHP Danny Bergeron's 40 saves were good for a tie for 2nd - Kota Futaki of Orix had one more
* RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto's 173 IP were sixth-most in all ***
* LHP Tetsuya Yoshimoto's 11.2 K/9 was 3rd best in ***
* Retiring RHP Alan Busenitz finished 5th in *** with 19 holds

Pacific League Climax Series Final Stage
The Shizuoka Arrows start with a one-game advantage as pennant winners.

Game 1: Fukuoka SoftBank 3, Shizuoka 1
Arrows starter Ethan Smith left the game in the sixth inning, diagnosed with a hamstring strain that will shut him down for the rest of the postseason. Hawks starter Kazuo Okada racked up 13 strikeouts while only allowing one run on three hits, as SoftBank stymied the offense effectively. SoftBank 2B Koichi Maeda and LF Seiya Hosokawa both hit home runs in the affair.

Game 2: Shizuoka 4, Fukuoka SoftBank 2
Shizuoka 1B Hirotaka Hayashi is not known for home runs, but he slugged one in the bottom of the fifth as his second hit of the day; it stood as the game-winner. Arrows left fielder Kota Inoue also went yard in the game, as the Arrows compiled eight hits against the Hawks pitchers. Starter Alex Ramos did strike out 10 over 4 2/3 IP, but got tagged with the loss. Shizuoka starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto scattered five hits and a walk over 6 2/3 innings; Danny Bergeron threw two scoreless for the save.

Game 3: Shizuoka 6, Fukuoka SoftBank 1
Now it was the Arrows' turn to get some strikeouts from their pitchers. Left-handed starter Tetsuya Yoshimoto threw 6 innings and struck out 10, allowing only one run on a solo home run from Hawks DH Daiju Nomura. Again, Danny Bergeron with a 2-inning save. Shizuoka DH Kikuo Kawamoto was named star of the game for his pair of two-run home runs.

Game 4: Fukuoka SoftBank 7, Shizuoka 4
Welcome to the playoffs, Kikuo Aoki. The Shizuoka left-hander allowed 3 runs on four hits and four walks in 3 2/3 innings of work to take the loss, and the bullpen had a rough game to cough up the rest. Hawks starter Yasunobu Okugawa got the win with 6 1/3 innings of 2-run ball. Arrows catcher Yasutoki Kato and left fielder Kota Inoue both homered late in the game to make it close, but to no avail.

Game 5: Shizuoka 9, Fukuoka SoftBank 3
This one was over before the half-way mark, as the Arrows scored seven runs in the first three innings against SoftBank starter Sho Ito and reliever Kotaro Otake. Shizuoka 2B Meiji Onishi and CF Shizue Uchino did most of the damage with 2-run and 3-run homers, respectively. DH Kikuo Kawamoto launched his own in the 7th for good measure. Hawks DH Daiju Nomura hit two home runs in the losing effort. Shizuoka starter Daichi Ishii took care of business with 6 innings of 2-run ball for the win.

Arrows center fielder Shizue Uchino's 2 home runs, 6 RBI, .286/.348/.619 slash line, and 3 stolen bases earned him series MVP honours.

The Shizuoka Arrows will get their rematch against the Yomiuri Giants in the Japan Series next.