Baseball: Murakami hurls 2-hit gem to spoil Giants' Nagashima memorial
Murakami (10-3) struck out nine while issuing just one walk in a 123-pitch gem to upset the hosts, who all wore the No. 3 uniform donned by "Mr. Giants" Nagashima who died at 89 in June.
Nagashima was a key player on the Giants team that won nine consecutive Central League and Japan Series titles from 1965 to 1973, rising to stardom during Japan's era of rapid economic growth. As manager, he won five pennants, including two Japan Series titles, over 15 seasons spanning two stints through 2001.
Before the game, former New York Yankee Hideki Matsui, who was picked as the No. 1 draft pick by Nagashima soon after his return to management in 1992, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
Nagashima's former Yomiuri teammate Sadaharu Oh, whose 868 home runs are a Nippon Professional Baseball record, and former Giants and Japan manager Tatsunori Hara stood inside the batter's boxes to mark the special occasion.
But the Tigers silenced the home crowd when Shota Morishita hit a two-run home run to left off Giants starter Haruto Inoue (3-7). The lefty allowed another run in the third on Yusuke Oyama's RBI double.
Murakami, who did not allow a batter to reach second base, gave up his second hit with a single to open the sixth. But the Tigers nipped a potential jam in the bud with a double play before Murakami closed out the game with three perfect innings.
In other action, the Lotte Marines beat the Pacific League-leading SoftBank Hawks 7-2 to end their seven-game skid.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yomiuri Shimbun
13 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Oh, Matsui, Other Japanese Baseball Stars, Honor Legendary Nagashima at Memorial Game Held at Tokyo Dome
Former Yomiuri Giants star players gathered for a memorial game to honor baseball legend Shigeo Nagashima at Tokyo Dome on Saturday. The close friends and proteges who had built an era with the late Nagashima celebrated his timeless achievements which shone light on the baseball world. Messages from former players of other professional teams who had competed fiercely with Nagashima were also shared at the event organized by the Giants. At the ceremonial first pitch, another legendary slugger, Sadaharu Oh, 85, and former manager Tatsunori Hara, 67, who also served as head coach under Nagashima during his tenure as Giants manager, took their places at the left-handed and right-handed batter's boxes. Known as the O-N pair, Oh and Nagashima were the Giants' driving force during the team's so-called V9 period, when it won nine consecutive Central League and Japan Series titles. Behind the plate was current Giants manager and former catcher Shinnosuke Abe, and Hara grinned while swinging at a ball pitched by Hideki Matsui, 51, a protege of Nagashima, who also played for the New York Yankees in the U.S. major league. Joined by former manager Yoshinobu Takahashi, 50; Tsuneo Horiuchi, 77; Kiyoshi Nakahata, 71; and Nagashima's second daughter, Mina Nagashima, 57, they all declared, 'Play ball!' 'I'm sure Mr. Nagashima is very pleased,' said Oh. 'I hope this kind of event will be held occasionally in the future so that we will all remember Mr. Nagashima and raise our spirits.' Hara said: 'It was an honor to stand in the batter's box today. He was always giving his all and sparkling with his brilliant performance on the field.' A video message from Masayuki Kakefu, 70, a former star player of rival team Hanshin Tigers, was also shown in between innings. Kakefu recalled a phone call that he received from Nagashima when he was struggling as the No. 4 batter in the lineup. Nagashima told him, 'I want to hear the sound of your bat swing,' so Kakefu said he swung the bat in front of the phone. ''That's it, Kakefu. That's the way to do it,' he said. I will never forget the conversation I had with Mr. Nagashima about bat swing sounds,' Kakefu said in the video. A season-high 42,403 spectators packed Tokyo Dome on Saturday. At the end of the fifth inning, the audience used orange and black towels distributed beforehand to form letters that spelled out, 'Mr. GIANTS' and 'NAGASHIMA SHIGEO,' expressing their respect and gratitude for the legend.
Kyodo News
a day ago
- Kyodo News
Baseball: Murakami hurls 2-hit gem to spoil Giants' Nagashima memorial
TOKYO - Shoki Murakami threw a two-hit shutout Saturday to put a damper on the party atmosphere at Tokyo Dome as the Central League-leading Hanshin Tigers beat Yomiuri 3-0 in a memorial game for the Giants' late former star player and manager Shigeo Nagashima. Murakami (10-3) struck out nine while issuing just one walk in a 123-pitch gem to upset the hosts, who all wore the No. 3 uniform donned by "Mr. Giants" Nagashima who died at 89 in June. Nagashima was a key player on the Giants team that won nine consecutive Central League and Japan Series titles from 1965 to 1973, rising to stardom during Japan's era of rapid economic growth. As manager, he won five pennants, including two Japan Series titles, over 15 seasons spanning two stints through 2001. Before the game, former New York Yankee Hideki Matsui, who was picked as the No. 1 draft pick by Nagashima soon after his return to management in 1992, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Nagashima's former Yomiuri teammate Sadaharu Oh, whose 868 home runs are a Nippon Professional Baseball record, and former Giants and Japan manager Tatsunori Hara stood inside the batter's boxes to mark the special occasion. But the Tigers silenced the home crowd when Shota Morishita hit a two-run home run to left off Giants starter Haruto Inoue (3-7). The lefty allowed another run in the third on Yusuke Oyama's RBI double. Murakami, who did not allow a batter to reach second base, gave up his second hit with a single to open the sixth. But the Tigers nipped a potential jam in the bud with a double play before Murakami closed out the game with three perfect innings. In other action, the Lotte Marines beat the Pacific League-leading SoftBank Hawks 7-2 to end their seven-game skid.
The Mainichi
a day ago
- The Mainichi
Baseball: Murakami hurls 2-hit gem to spoil Giants' Nagashima memorial
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Shoki Murakami threw a two-hit shutout Saturday to put a damper on the party atmosphere at Tokyo Dome as the Central League-leading Hanshin Tigers beat Yomiuri 3-0 in a memorial game for the Giants' late former star player and manager Shigeo Nagashima. Murakami (10-3) struck out nine while issuing just one walk in a 123-pitch gem to upset the hosts, who all wore the No. 3 uniform donned by "Mr. Giants" Nagashima who died at 89 in June. Nagashima was a key player on the Giants team that won nine consecutive Central League and Japan Series titles from 1965 to 1973, rising to stardom during Japan's era of rapid economic growth. As manager, he won five pennants, including two Japan Series titles, over 15 seasons spanning two stints through 2001. Before the game, former New York Yankee Hideki Matsui, who was picked as the No. 1 draft pick by Nagashima soon after his return to management in 1992, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Nagashima's former Yomiuri teammate Sadaharu Oh, whose 868 home runs are a Nippon Professional Baseball record, and former Giants and Japan manager Tatsunori Hara stood inside the batter's boxes to mark the special occasion. But the Tigers silenced the home crowd when Shota Morishita hit a two-run home run to left off Giants starter Haruto Inoue (3-7). The lefty allowed another run in the third on Yusuke Oyama's RBI double. Murakami, who did not allow a batter to reach second base, gave up his second hit with a single to open the sixth. But the Tigers nipped a potential jam in the bud with a double play before Murakami closed out the game with three perfect innings. In other action, the Lotte Marines beat the Pacific League-leading SoftBank Hawks 7-2 to end their seven-game skid.
