Midori no Ya! An *** Expansion Dynasty

[tehsuigi]

2042 Opening Day Roster

Decided to do this one graphically. Masashi Koide and Caleb McAdam had rough springs, so they'll be heading to the Grandserows for some extra conditioning, diving Ed Grate a shot at the big club. And hello new graduates Yukio Ogawa and Takatoshi Tamaki!

[tehsuigi]

The Quiver - May 1, 2042
Your Shizuoka Arrows News Source!

Okay, these Arrows are looking like the Big Green Machine of yore with a dominant 22-5 start as the calendar flips into May. 6.5 game lead in the pennant race. And there's still rumours of GM tehsuigi looking to rebuild the squad? How do you improve on THIS?!

Narihira Kimura seems to be nicely ensconced back in the closer role and won PL Pitcher of the Month for April with a 3-0 record and 8 saves, thanks to 19 Ks in 11 IP and a 1.64 ERA. Other notable performances include Koji Kashima and Tomosaburo Morioka BOTH having three-HR games in the same homestand. Also liking Fuminori Ishizaki tearing the cover off the ball as our new lead-off man with Akiho Sana sent down to AAA and Yui Nakamura on the IL.

[tehsuigi]

The Shizuoka Volley - June 1, 2042
Arrows updates, quick and on target!

* After that ridiculous April, a merely good 15-11 May still sees the Arrows atop the PL, but only 8.5 ahead of the Buffaloes. At one point, every team in the PL other than Shizuoka was below .500. Holy cow.
* The Arrows called up Caleb McAdam and sent down Ed Grate, as expected. Seems like McAdam's been doing swell since the move.
* No monthly award winners
* Kikaku Nakayama took a trip to the farm to straighten himself out, but it worked - he finished the month with 7 shutout innings
* Yui Nakamura seems to have lost a step, so welcome to the starting lineup Fuminori Ishizaki
* Luis Alejandrez and Tomosaburo Morioka are playing themselves out of an extension, ai-yai-yai
* And we may see Shigeharu Tanaka take more 2B starts if Ito's month-long slide continues
* Pitching-wise, good to see Nishi and Sato up there with Matsumoto as among the team's best last month
* Interleague approaches - here's hoping for the best!

[tehsuigi]

GM Notebook - July 1, 2042

Interleague roughed us up again, we only went 12-12. Started with a Matsumoto no-hitter at Meiji Jingu (2nd in his career, 3rd in franchise history), lost 5 in a row to end the month. SoftBank went 17-7 to win the interleague title.

As a result, our league in the division has shrunk to 5.5 games. Hirao's been subpar as a replacement to the oft-injured Morioka, so time for Yukio Ogawa to get some reps there. Alejandrez had an injury, Grate slugged 3 HRs in one game while he was out, but then he got injured.

Still, Matsumoto's having a career year even by his standards, and this deadline could prove interesting. The plan for the years to come still hinges on his opting out or not.

[tehsuigi]

All-Stars
* RHP Shigejiro Matsumoto will lead the Arrows and the PL onto the field as the starting pitcher again. Boasting a 10-3 record, 1.26 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, and 14.0 K/9 over 114 IP, Matsumoto's on pace for his best career season.
* RHP Kim Chae-bong's not getting as much run support, as his 5-4 record attests, but a 2.44 ERA, 12.6 K/9, and 1.16 WHIP over 99 2/3 IP is nothing to sniff at
* Earning his first All-Star nod is RHP Katsushi Sato, thanks to his 7-2 record, 2.71 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 12 K/9 over 89 2/3 IP.
* Closer LHP Narihira Kimura will get the ninth thanks to his 22 saves and 13.4 K/9 over 36 1/3 IP
* Third baseman Koji Kashima has his 11th straight All-Star nod, and will start the game again at the hot corner. .272/.306/.518 slash line with 22 HRs.
* LF/DH Yoshikuni Yokota's earned his first All-Star nod thanks to a .304/.383/.585 slash line and 16 HRs in a platoon role. Big things ahead for the 25 year old.
* And making up for a rough season with an All-Star nod is RF Luis Alejandrez. The pending FA has .288/.335/.438 as his slash line with 22 SB.

Future Stars
* 21-year-old 3B Ricky Mendez has been tearing up AA, with a .341/.446/.599 slash line and 10 HRs
* 20-year-old SS Willie de la Cruz has been a solid bat too, with a .313/.425/.458 slash line
* 22-year-old RF/DH Hiromi Ishimaru got a surprise nod thanks to his 13 HRs and .248/.330/.545 slash line

GM Notebook - August 1, 2042
Sometimes, the best trade is one you don't make. Stood pat at the deadline because no one was offering a decent deal of any sort. Also we finished July on a six-game win streak to finish the month at 10-8 and gain a game on Orix for the PL lead.
Kim won Pitcher of the Month for July, going 3-0 with 30 Ks and a 0.67 ERA over 27 innings. Good to see him getting some respect! Morioka finally returned from injury and he looks ready to tear the league a new behind.
Bullpen is failing a bit - might be time for Muneo Miyamoto to return to the bigs. Just not sure who goes down.

[tehsuigi]

The Shizuoka Volley - September 1, 2042
Arrows updates, fast and on target!

* The guys in green turned the heat back up in August, going 18-8 and finishing the month on a six-game win streak.
* Losing Yoshikuni Yokota to an intercostal strain stinks, but that's why we've got Mitsuchika Saruwatari! The old man has started to step up, batting .400 since becoming a full-time DH. That's close to what Yokota was doing this month.
* Good to see some old friends like Akiho Sana and Masashi Koide return to the team after spending most of the season in AAA. Here's hoping they can contribute down the stretch!
* Kikaku Nakayama finally had a rough enough stretch to justify a demotion - that time will come for Toyonobu Nishino if he's not careful. At least Takao Koike's been on a tear this month!
* The magic number sits at 13 for your Arrows. Get ready to celebrate Clinchmas again!!

[tehsuigi]

At Season's End

The Shizuoka Arrows clinched the 2042 Pacific League pennant with a 6-4 loss to the Saitama Seibu Lions in the middle of September, and finished the month 12-9 to push their record to 89-54 on the season. Yoshikuni Yokota returned from injury and finished with the team's second-best batting average behind Luis Alejandrez. Jon Lutz slumped towards the end, but led the team and tied for 6th in *** with 37 HR. Koji Kashima's 95 RBIs was good for 6th in *** too. Shigejiro Matsumoto's 16 wins, 1.57 ERA, and 284 Ks earned him his second Pitching Triple Crown.

2042 Pacific League Climax Series Final Stage

The Orix Buffaloes earned the right to rematch the Arrows after sweeping the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in two games in the First Stage. The Arrows went 11-6 against the Buffaloes during the regular season, and start the best-of-seven with a one-game head start as pennant winners.

Game 1: Shizuoka 3, Orix 0
Kim Chae-bong continued his dominant postseason performance from last season with 7 shutout innings, striking out 10 and allowing only 5 base runners. Arrows first baseman Tomosaburo Morioka's 2-out 2-run double in the 4th was the only extra base hit for either squad.

Game 2: Shizuoka 5, Orix 2
The Buffaloes got on the board early against Shizuoka with a solo home run from star center fielder Tomohiro Iwahashi, but the Arrows stormed back in the 4th thanks to second baseman Nobuyoshi Ito's bases-clearing double. After a rough season at the plate for Ito, it's a welcome sight. Sato went 6 innings allowing only the early dinger and striking out 8, and Caleb McAdam managed to wriggle out of a jam in the 8th to sent any threat of an Orix comeback.

Game 3: Orix 5, Shizuoka 2
No sweep here, as the Buffaloes got to Arrow starter Hiromitsu Nishi early, scoring 3 runs in the 1st. Orix's catcher, Angelo Ramirez, was the hero of the game, with a 2-run double in the first, then a solo home run in the 6th. Light-hitting shortstop Yui Nakamura did get a double and a solo home run, and right fielder Luis Alejandrez got 3 hits - just weren't in the right order.

Game 4: Shizuoka 5, Orix 0
Have yourself a game, Takao Koike. The sophomore leftie made his first postseason start after missing all of last year's run with an injury, and wasted no time, striking out 12 Buffaloes and allowing only three hits and a walk over 8 shutout innings. The game's biggest hits were 2-run home runs, one each from center fielder Takatoshi Tamaki and Morioka.

For his .500/.588/.571 slash line over the four-game series, Arrows 2B Ito wins series MVP.
Also, Arrows manager Paul Paez announced that Masashi Koide will be starting at LF in the Japan Series to make up for the struggling Jon Lutz.

[tehsuigi]

2042 Japan Series
This is turning into one of the greatest rivalries in *** - Hanshin and Shizuoka. The Tigers won the Central League pennant for the second time in 5 years, swept the Ehime Honda Comets, and will get a FOURTH chance to unseat the Arrows as Japan's best team. It's such a shame that Hanshin's best years are coincident with what they're now calling the Invincible Arrows.
Since it's an even year, Shizuoka and the PL get home field advantage.

Game 1: Shizuoka 2, Hanshin 1
And really, this is a microcosm why. The Tigers got the early lead thanks to a Jesus Vega RBI single in the 1st, the Arrows tied it in the 5th on an Ito RBI single, and it stayed that way into the 8th. The Tigers' star shortstop Keisaburo Aso got a double against Arrows closer Narihira Kimura, but he couldn't score. And in the bottom of the 9th, Tigers closer Yasunaga Suzuki yielded a sayonara solo home run to Arrows first baseman Tomosaburo Morioka. Both starters pitched into the seventh with only minor blemishes.

Game 2: Shizuoka 5, Hanshin 1
Luis Alejandrez was at it again, picking up 4 RBIs on two hits to power the Arrows to a win. Unfortunately for Shizuoka, Alejandrez's back seized up, and he's questionable for the rest of the series. Kim Chae-bong continued his postseason dominance with 7 innings of one-run ball, and Narihira Kimura went 2 clean innings in a non-save situation. Tigers starter Vince Vesper failed to get out of the 3rd.

Game 3: Hanshin 7, Shizuoka 6
You can always count on the Koshien crowd to bring their beloved Tigers back from the dead. This one was a power display from two Tigers batters in particular, left fielder Jesus Vega with two 2-out solo home runs, and right fielder Shinya Kochi with a 2-run bomb to tie the game off Narihira Kimura in the 8th. Aso hit an RBI double later that innings to give the Tigers the lead, and new life in the series.

Game 4: Hanshin 4, Shizuoka 3
Another close contest, another late comeback on the strength of the power bats. Shizuoka built a 3-1 lead after the top of the 4th, but the Tigers got one back in the 7th, and first baseman Takehiko Tsuji belted a 2-run bomb off Arrows reliever Caleb McAdam in the 8th to hand the lead to the home side. New series now.

Game 5: Hanshin 10, Shizuoka 3
Jesus Vega is doing what Luis Alejandrez isn't - carrying his team to the promised land. Vega hit THREE home runs in the first four innings for a total of 7 RBI, knocking Arrows starter Takao Koike out of the game in the 3rd and taxing the Shizuoka bullpen. Tsuji and third baseman Tetsuo Numata also went yard for Hanshin. 35-year-old Yohsuke Kobayashi pitched into the 7th to get the win for the Tigers.

Two chances to win it, but they're at Ito En and against the Arrows' two aces. Can Hanshin pull it off?

Game 6: Shizuoka 7, Hanshin 5
This game, it was Luis Alejandrez's time to put on a power display, hitting a game-tying home run in the 6th and a go-ahead 2-run bomb in the 8th (again, against Yasunaga Suzuki) to knot the series at 3. Arrows DH Yoshikuni Yokota and center fielder Takatoshi Tamaki also went yard for the home side. Good thing too, as Shigejiro Matsumoto allowed 5 runs over 5 innings on 8 hits and 2 walks. Kimura gets the win here.

Game 7: Shizuoka 10, Hanshin 4
It's Kim vs Vesper again. Neither side got the ball out of the infield until the bottom of the second, when Morioka just missed a home run and settled for a double off the wall in center. He would score on an Ito sac fly. The Tigers would battle back and end Kim's no-hit bid in the 4th, with second baseman Tango Sato getting a single, and Kochi cashing him with a 2-run blast to deep right center. The wheels fell off for Vesper in the 4th, as shortstop Yui Nakamura tied it with an RBI single, Lutz put Shizuoka ahead with an RBI double, and Alejandrez added insurance with another double, all with 2 out. It didn't get better from there, as Kiyonori Nakashima slugged a 3-run bomb into left, and Lutz knocked one out himself right after, in the 5th as part of a 6-run frame. The Tigers would scrape together runs in the 6th and 8th, but the damage was done. Kimura struck out Aso to end the 9th, and the Tigers' best chance at their first Japan Series in 57 years.

No avail. Invincibility is intact.
And Luis Alejandrez wins his FIFTH straight Japan Series MVP. Just name the award after him, man...

[tehsuigi]

2042 Season Summary

I mean, what else can you say? 7 chips in a row.
At some point I'll start thinking my farts don't stink.

No practice tomorrow.

[tehsuigi]

Seven Stars for the Invincible Arrows!

Draft Picks
* SS Nobuyoshi Ito, 2nd round in 2034
* LHP Narihira Kimura, 2nd round in 2032
* RF Masashi Koide, 2nd round in 2035
* LHP Takao Koike, 2nd round in 2036
* RHP Hideo Matsumoto, 3rd round in 2037
* RHP Shigejiro Matsumoto, 2nd round in 2031
* 1B Tomosaburo Morioka, 1st round, 18th overall in 2031
* CF Shojiro Murakami, 3rd round in 2035
* LHP Hiromitsu Nishi, 1st round, 12th overall in 2035
* 3B Yukio Ogawa, 5th round in 2038
* RHP Katsushi Sato, 1st round, 17th overall in 2036
* CF Takatoshi Tamaki, 1st round, 17th overall in 2037
* DH Yoshikuni Yokota, 1st round, 17th overall in 2038

Free Agents
* RHP Masaji Hayashi, 2035-36 offseason
* RHP Seigo Kinjo, 2040-41 offseason
* LHP Caleb McAdam, 2040-41 offseason
* SS Yui Nakamura, 2037-38 offseason
* LHP Kikaku Nakayama, 2037-38 offseason
* RF/DH Mitsuchika Saruwatari, 2041-42 offseason

Trade
* SS Fumihito Ishizaki from Kirin for 3B Mitsunobu Suzuki
* 3B Koji Kashima, from Okinawa Kirin for LHP Yoshimitsu Ota
* RHP Muneo Miyamoto, from Niigata Komatsu with 1B/3B Ayumu Imakake and RF Reizo Nishimoto for 3B Alex Espinosa, LF Brad Chapman, RHP Keitaro Onishi, and RHP Shuta Kurokawa
* C Kiyonori Nakashima, from Nippon-Ham with 2B Koji Kikuchi for RHP Andres Valle
* RHP Toyonobu Nishino, from Saitama Seibu with DH Shigeo Tanigawa and CF Akiho Sana for RHP Taju Kawada, 3B Akitada Taira, and CF Masaharu Takeuchi
* C Eizo Osaki, from Saitama Seibu for RHP Seishiro Nakatani and C Yoshtomo Nakatani
* CF Akiho Sana, see Nishino
* RHP Seiji Tabata, from Chunichi with RHP Tokuei Yoshikawa for 3B Yoshio Kato, RHP Juan Miranda, RHP Takeo Fukunaga
* 2B Shigeharu Tanaka, from Yokohama DeNA with LF Ryoji Tokuda and C Kawanari Kondo for 1B Makoto Fukuhara, LF Takao Okamoto, and RHP Bret Pettis
* RHP Akira Wada, from Yomiuri for RHP Iori Shibata
* LHP Tetsuya Yoshimoto, from Ehime Honda for RHP Katsuyoshi Ogawa

Acquisition
* RF Luis Alejandrez, from Road Warriors (ATL)
* RHP Kim Chae-bong, from California Dogecoin (PA)
* LF Jon Lutz, from St. Paul Saints (AA)

[tehsuigi]

2042-43 Offseason Summary

Awards
* Four Golden Gloves are heading Shizuoka's way - second baseman Nobuyoshi Ito, third baseman Koji Kashima, shortstop Yui Nakamura, and right fielder Luis Alejandrez.
* Kashima and Alejandrez were also both nominated to the Best Nine for their efforts. Kashima slashed .279/.330/.509 with 33 HRs, and Alejandrez slashed .307/.349/.451 with 12 HRs and 36 SB.
* Paul Paez earned Manager of the Year for the 6th time in 7 seasons.
* To no one's surprise, Shigejiro Matsumoto won the Eiji Sawamura award unanimously, thanks to a 16-3 record, 1.57 ERA, and 284 Ks in 184 IP. Teammate Kim Chae-bong finished a unanimous second place too.
* To everyone's surprise, Matsumoto also made a run at the PL MVP award, blocking Marines home run king Satoshi Teramoto from a unanimous win (his 4th in a row) and finishing 2nd. Kashima took 4th in voting, Kim 7th, and LF Jon Lutz, DH Yoshikuni Yokota, and Alejandrez picked up votes.

Arbitration and Free Agency
* As most expected, Arrows ace Shigejiro Matsumoto exercised his contract opt-out and will be the most eligible free agent on the market at age 29. Shizuoka management is working overtime to try and keep the best pitcher in their history with the team...
* And stay he will! On October 24, the team made it official. Matsumoto signed a 10-year extension for 54M, with an opt-out after year 4 and the last two years as options. "After hearing from Matsumoto how much he adored playing here and winning here, our hands were tied. We went right to work to preserve his services for the long-term." With the extension, Matsumoto becomes the highest-paid player in Shizuoka franchise history, and among the top-5 salaries in the league.
* The Shizuoka Arrows sent CF Akiho Sana to the Ehime Honda Comets, receiving Tomoki Yamauchi. The 27-year-old corner outfielder and first baseman has eye-popping talent at the dish, but hasn't quite realized it with the Comets. As for Sana, he's expected to improve the locker room attitude in Ehime, having lost his playtime to Tamaki and Murakami in Shizuoka.
* The Arrows have declined arbitration with RHP Katai Yokoyama, RHP Mitsumasa Saito, and LHP Kikaku Nakayama.
* The Arrows went to arbitration with two players, winning both cases. 1B Kazushige Hirao and RHP Koichi Yoshinaga could not be reached for comment.
* Two long-time Arrows hit free agency, as 1B Tomosaburo Morioka and RF Luis Alejandrez test the open waters. RF/DH Mitsuchika Saruwatari joins them.
* The Shizuoka Arrows surprised most observers with the first signing in free agency, adding 24-year-old right-handed starter Moritake Hara on a 2-year, 840K deal. Hara's got a chance to make the rotation with a good spring.
* Another early signing, another Hara. This one is Shinichi Hara, a left-handed center fielder who put up 2.4 WAR last season for the Swallows. His plus defense in CF earned him a Golden Glove last year, so he'll be complementing Tamaki nicely. His contract is one year at 270K.
* Just before the winter meetings, the Arrows purchased shortstop Andy Lunsford from the Sugar Land Skeeters of the Atlantic League. The 22-year-old may compete for a starting job in the middle infield, as none of Ito, Nakamura, or Ishizaki are doing anything with their bats.
* The Shizuoka Arrows announced that Opening Day will feature two number 7s - the 7th championship in a row, and the retirement of jersey number 7 in honour of Shizue Uchino, who called it career at age 40 this offseason.

2042 First-Year Draft
With the 16th selection, the Shizuoka Arrows drafted right-handed reliever Eishin Shibazaki from Nichinan Gakuen HS. Shibazaki's two plus pitches and sidearm motion make him a valuable component in a future bullpen.
2. Shunsho Fujiwara, a long-needed shortstop with strong defense.
3. Tetsuo Fujikawa, a balanced center fielder with a decent contact tool.
4. Koji Sakakibara, a bat-first leftie outfielder.
5. Masamune Igarashi, an intriguing leftie starting pitcher. He'll struggle with control, but his pitch mix is strong. May be tough to sign, though...
6. Naoki Sato, replenishing a somewhat depleted stock of 3Bs at the AA level. Switch hitter too!
7. Takanori Watanabe, first baseman without too much of a bat.
8. Masami Kato, the usual high-ability catcher
9. Harutomi Oshta, a groundballer reliever from college
10. Tomoki Watanabe, total flyer this late in the draft.

Winter Meetings and Deep Offseason
* The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and Shizuoka Arrows made a trade, with 2B Shigeharu Tanaka and RHP Tooru Kubo heading to Sapporo with LHP Matsu Hitomi and LF Jian Gang Hayashi coming back the other way. Hitomi is expected to compete for a leftie bullpen spot.
* The Arrows also made a deal with their Japan Series opponents, with LF Ed Grate and LHP Toshiyuki Yamada going to the Hanshin Tigers in exchange for LF Setsuo Yamashta (#70 prospect) and CF Kenji Ono.
* The Arrows signed RHP Sumiki Takeshta after the pre-season started on a one-year, 650K deal. The feisty pitcher was used by the Fighters as a starter for the last five seasons, but he'll probably fare better as a dynamite bullpen arm.

[tehsuigi]

2043 Opening Day Roster

A few surprises in here. Eizo Osaki lost the catcher tandem role to prospect Shunzo Oshta, and Shinkichi Hara failed to make the squad over Shojiro Murakami. Included in that is 22-year-old Andy Lunsford failing to make the team over Fuminori Ishizaki and Yui Nakamura. Nobuhiro Saito will be a solid utility man around the diamond, too.

Pitching-wise, an eight-man bullpen is an interesting look for the team. Hideo Matsumoto (no last name to save all of Shigejiro's fans to buy a new jersey) was the surprise to make the team, with Koichi Yoshinaga hanging in as an emergency SP. Ditto for Moritake Hara, who had a good spring to get in ahead of a bunch of veterans.

The Shizuoka Arrows start the season at ES CON Field Hokkaido taking on the Fighters, then raise their 7th straight championship banner and #7 to the rafters at home on March 31 vs Orix.

[tehsuigi]

The Shizuoka Volley - May 1, 2043
Arrows updates, fast and on target!

* Stunning news out of the Arrows front office - GM tehsuigi will be retiring at the end of the 2047 season. "I'm content with what I've been able to accomplish in Shizuoka. Retiring here in Japan was always the plan, and soon I'll be able to enjoy the games without losing more hair than I already have."
* Congratulations to Koji Kashima for winning April's Batter of the Month thanks to his .374 average, 8 HRs, and 22 RBIs. What a line for the captain.
* Shigejiro Matsumoto won April's Pitcher of the Month as well, thanks to a 3-0 record over 5 starts with a 1.25 ERA and 49 Ks over 36 IP.
* Also at 3-0 are Katsushi Sato and...Seigo Kinjo? Kinjo's ERA's only 0.74 too. Good to see he's doing so well!
* Speaking of doing well, your new 1B Tomoki Yamauchi. .363/.411/.611 to start the season.
* Oh, and the Arrows are tied with the Buffaloes at 18-10 for the PL lead, with SoftBank half a game back. Going to be a tough season!

[tehsuigi]

The Quiver - June 1, 2043
Your Shizuoka Arrows News Source!

Having cycled through three different shortstops with mediocre results, the Arrows pulled the trigger on a daring move - they sent LHP Hiromitsu Nishi and SS Fuminori Ishizaki to the Ehime Honda Comets for their 7-time Gold Glove shortstop, Yukio Kanno. Kanno slugged a home run in his first at-bat in green, earning that 5.8M/yr contract.

Still, May was something of a disappointment at 12-15. Orix went 20-7 and is running away with the PL. The Arrows sit 3rd, 8 back of the Buffaloes. The whole team is having a batting slump, even though their pitching remains top-notch. And with interleague looming...

[tehsuigi]

The Shizuoka Volley - July 1, 2043
Arrows updates, quick and on target!

* For the first time in franchise history, the Shizuoka Arrows are sole Interleague Champions!! Their 17-7 record wasn't the best in franchise history, but it was the best in the league this year.
* That moves the Arrows to 47-32, 6 games back of the Orix Buffaloes (who went 15-9 in interleague despite a 13-game win streak) and into second place
* Koichi Yoshinaga fell out of the rotation, with Moritake Hara joining the rotation and going 13 innings without allowing a run over his first two starts
* Arrows manager Paul Paez announced that Nobuhiro Saito would be getting more starts at 2B over Nobuyoshi Ito heading into the All-Star Break, giving the new kid a chance
* No rumours yet for trades, but you know GM tehsuigi is keeping his ear to the ground. And that includes hiring his successor as Assistant GM this offseason!
* Last note - the Arrows acquired ex-Giants prospect Shissho Takaki from Honda in the industrial leagues; he's reported to AAA Shinano and could contribute to the rotation soon.

[tehsuigi]

All-Stars
* The Shizuoka Arrows are sending three right-handed starting pitchers to the All-Star Game - Shigejiro Matsumoto (9-2, 1.70 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, 13.8 K/9 over 111 IP), Kim Chae-bong (7-7, 2.27 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 12.2 K/9 over 111 IP), and Seigo Kinjo (7-2, 2.05 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 8.4 K/9 over 83 1/3 IP).
* Joining them is closer Narihira Kimura and his 1.34 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 14.6 K/9 over 22 saves and 47 IP.
* Koji Kashima will be starting for the PL at third base, thanks to his .273/.340/.507 slash line and 23 HRs.

Future Stars
* 19-year-old LHP Masamune Igarashi has rough numbers in his first pro season, but a 7.1 K/9 and 1.0 WAR at least are decent
* 23-year-old RHP Eiji Ito has a 3-3 record and 1.29 WHIP over 38 IP for AAA Shinano
* 19-year-old RHP Eishin Shibazaki has been thrown to the wolves as a closer in AAA Shinano, but he's done decently with a 7.6 K/9 over 25 IP
* 21-year-old shortstop Willie de la Cruz has a slash line of .339/.441/.477 in AA Hamamatsu, with 19 SBs
* 25-year-old Setsuo Yamashta has a .286/.362/.488 slash line with 8 HRs in AAA Shinano. He may be knocking on the door of Shizuoka soon.
* 23-year-old Hiromi Ishimaru's .297/.405/.452 slash line is just as impressive for the team.

[tehsuigi]

The Shizuoka Volley - August 1, 2043
Arrows updates, quick and accurate!

* A 15-3 July has put the Arrows back into a race with the Orix Buffaloes for the PL pennant, with Orix's lead shrunk to 1.5 games
* Kim Chae-bong won PL Pitcher of the Month for July, in part thanks to his 13-K no-hitter at ZOZO Marine Stadium against Lotte on the 22nd. His line was 4-0, 39 Ks, 0.31 ERA, and 0.96 oAVG in 29 1/3 IP. Just dominant.
* The Arrows pulled off an intriguing trade with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows at the deadline, adding DH Teruhide Hirata (75% retained) and RHP Eisuke Tsumura and sending over LF Jon Lutz (100% retained), LHP Tetsuzan Akiyama, and LF Setsuo Yamshta (#72 prospect). Hirata's 6-year contract with Yakult given his lacklustre defense never made sense, but as a DH, he'll fit perfectly in at Shizuoka.
* Sure enough, guy slugged a grand slam in his second at-bat for the double-green.
* This also means Yoshikuni Yokota will be playing left field for the future, with Shinkichi Hara called up to help with the outfield defense.
* And a speedy recovery to our closer Narihira Kimura, who will be out for August with a strained back.

[tehsuigi]

GM Notebook - September 1, 2043

Thank goodness August is over. Losing 5 in a row to finish the month, yecht. We've falled to 3.5 back of the Buffaloes, and our cushion over the Hawks has shrunk to 5.5 games.

McAdam's played his way out of our squad, and is a non-tender/trade candidate this offseason. He deserves to start, but he's not going to get that chance in the stretch drive. He'll do it in AAA, maybe he can prove his worth. With Kimura back from rehab, Takeshta's back in a setup role and our bullpen looks that much better.

Speaking of proving his worth, holy smokes Teruhide Hirata. .352/.436/.682 with 8 HRs since joining the squad. He's inspiring some other offensive performances too - our first baseman Tomoki Yamauchi batted at a .373 clip with 8 dingers to win PL Batter of the Month. First time in a while we've taken that award home, and I can't wait to see if he can pick up the batting title while he's at it.

[tehsuigi]

At Season's End

The Shizuoka Arrows finished 2nd in the Pacific League at 83-60, 6 games back of the Orix Buffaloes who sealed their first PL pennant in 17 seasons. They will be hosting the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, who rode a 14-7 September to steal third place in the last weekend of the season, in the best-of-three Climax Series First Stage. The Eagles won the season series 10-7, but are just .472 away from Rakuten Seimei Park Miyagi.

Game 1: Shizuoka 9, Tohoku Rakuten 0
This one was over from the word "ike" - Arrows captain Koji Kashima took Eagles ace Mincho Nozawa deep with a 2-run blast in the bottom of the 1st, then Shizuoka first baseman Tomoki Yamauchi picked up 6 RBIs on 2 dingers and a double. Nozawa failed to get out of the 4th, while Arrows ace Shigejiro Matsumoto cruised through eight innings, striking out 9.

Game 2: Tohoku Rakuten 4, Shizuoka 2
A big fourth inning against Arrows leftie Takao Koike has given the Eagles life in this first round, courtesy of a 2-run single from 3B Kyotaka Okamoto and an RBI double from first baseman Yoshimasa Abe afterwards. Rakuten starter Koto Oshta got through 6 innings of 2-run ball for the win, with ex-Arrow Rintaro Takashima getting the 2-inning save for the Eagles.

Game 3: Tohoku Rakuten 1, Shizuoka 0
The champions have been defeated. Shizuoka starter Kim Chae-bong only allowed one run on five base runners in 6 innings of work, with Eagles right fielder Toshtaka Hirayama getting the lone RBI for the visitors. Rakuten's starter Shigekatsu Maeda went 7 2/3 scoreless, but left the game in the 8th due to injury. Takashima picked up the save to twist the knife against his former team.

The dynasty, at long last, has been felled.
For his valiant efforts, and .417/.462/1.000 slash line, Arrows first baseman Tomoki Yamauchi won the series MVP.

[tehsuigi]

2043 Season Review

All good things must come to an end. Especially since Yomiuri won the Japan Series for the first time in 8 seasons (they last won it the season before the Incredible Arrows era).

There's some retooling to do - a few trade chips we could move, a few prospects I've got eyes on. We can quickly get back to the promised land with adjustments and more offense.

Winter camp starts in two days. We've gotta work at it.

EDIT: That said, good for our old friend Yasutoki Kato to retire a champion. He got one more ring with the Giants this year.