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LEAD: Ichiro goes hitless again as Japan edges Giants in WBC warm-up
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TOKYO, March 1 (23:31) Kyodo
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(EDS: ADDING QUOTES, DETAILS)
Ichiro Suzuki returned to where he belongs, the leadoff spot,
but nothing changed in his struggle at the plate Sunday as Japan's
World Baseball Classic team beat the Yomiuri Giants 2-1 in 10 innings
in an exhibition game.
The Seattle Mariners star went 0-for-5 and extended his hitless
streak to 11 at-bats, ending the WBC team's six-game exhibition
schedule with a .130 batting average (3-for-23).
Suzuki grounded out three times and flied out twice amid a flood
of camera flashes from the stands at Tokyo Dome.
The game also ended in anticlimactic fashion when Yomiuri
right-hander Wirfin Obispo threw a wild pitch to pinch-hitter
Shinnosuke Abe in a two-out, bases-loaded situation in the bottom of
the 10th.
''I don't worry about Ichiro at all,'' Japan manager Tatsunori
Hara said. ''He is healthy. He can run and he can throw the ball
hard. I believe he's ready for the tournament. Today, I moved him to
the top of the order to show that we have two options in the lineup.''
Suzuki was batting third in the first five exhibition games as
he did in the semifinals and final of the 2006 WBC.
Daisuke Matsuzaka threw three scoreless innings in relief of
starter Toshiya Sugiuchi, who yielded a solo home run to former major
league second baseman Edgardo Alfonzo in the top of the first.
Kenji Jojima delivered a game-tying two-out single in the fifth.
''Matsuzaka didn't have his velocity tonight partly because he
was bothered by a sore leg a little bit,'' catcher Jojima said. ''But
he was controlling his pitches. He didn't struggle on the mound.''
The Boston Red Sox right-hander allowed one hit, walked two and
struck out none in a 32-pitch outing.
With two outs and runners on first and second in the eighth for
Yomiuri, Daijiro Tanaka singled up the middle, but Kosuke Fukudome
threw out Masakuni Odajima for what would have been the go-ahead run.
Earlier Sunday, the 2008 Japan Series champion Seibu Lions
cruised to an 11-1 victory over China.
Seibu beat Japan 7-2 on Saturday. |
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