Akira Nakamura drove in three runs and the SoftBank Hawks came within one out of a no-hitter as they beat the Yomiuri Giants 4-0 in Tuesday’s Japan Series Game 3 and moved within one win of their fourth straight Japan pro baseball championship.
Nakamura hit a two-run third-inning homer and singled in a run to back seven innings of no-hit ball from Matt Moore. Setup man Livan Moinelo kept the no-hitter in play in a scoreless eighth before Yoshihiro Maru singled with two outs off closer Yuito Mori.
Akira Nakamura of the SoftBank Hawks hits a two-run home run in the third inning off Yomiuri Giants pitcher Angel Sanchez in Game 3 of the Japan Series at PayPay Dome in Fukuoka on Nov. 24, 2020. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
In a well-pitched game on both sides, the Hawks broke open the scoreless game at PayPay Dome in the third inning on Nakamura’s first homer of the series.
“I got behind in the count and my concern was not swinging at a bad pitch,” said Nakamura, whose seventh-inning single made it 3-0 before the Hawks added another run in the inning.
The Hawks have now won 11 straight Japan Series games, and 15 straight at home, while the Central League champs have now lost eight straight following last year’s sweep at the hands of the Hawks.
Moore issued two walks, while two men reached on errors against him. The lefty struck out five. Moinelo walked one batter in the eighth and hit another but struck out three.
SoftBank Hawks pitcher Matt Moore pumps his fist during Game 3 of the Japan Series against the Yomiuri Giants at PayPay Dome in Fukuoka on Nov. 24, 2020. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
Right-hander Angel Sanchez gave the Giants their best start of the series so far, allowing three runs over 6-1/3 innings. He mowed down eight of the first nine Hawks hitters before surrendering a two-out infield single in the third. Nakamura then put a good swing on a splitter that hung up in the zone and ended up in the seats.
Moore only looked like a candidate to throw a no-hitter because of some good plays behind him. When the Giants started getting good swings against him in the sixth, Moore reared back to strike out Giants captain Hayato Sakamoto to end the inning with a man on.
“They hit a couple of balls really hard off me in that inning and I got lucky,” Moore said of the big out that was preceded by a meeting on the mound. “That was a big hitter and I think they wanted me to catch my breath.”
Yomiuri Giants pitcher Angel Sanchez (C) is pulled during the seventh inning in Game 3 of the Japan Series against the SoftBank Hawks at PayPay Dome in Fukuoka on Nov. 24, 2020. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
Sanchez gave up the lead in the third, but maintained his poise and kept the Hawks off the board, even when his manager loaded the bases intentionally with one out in the sixth. Giants second baseman Noaki Yoshikawa kept the game close with the defensive play of the game, spearing a grounder headed for right field and turning it into the inning’s final out.
Sanchez left after allowing a single and a sacrifice in the seventh. Lefty reliever Yuhei Takanashi hit a batter and surrendered Nakamura’s RBI single before getting an out. Right-hander Kan Otake then allowed Yurisbel Gracial’s single that made it 4-0.
At that point, Hawks manager Kimiyasu Kudo yanked his starter instead of giving him a shot at being the first pitcher to go the distance in a Japan Series no-hitter.
“Moore really pitched well for us, and the defense, with the exception of the error to open the game, was solid,” Kudo said. “But I could see he (Moore) was a little fatigued, and our priority is winning — and if possible winning in front of our fans here.”
The Hawks will go for the franchise’s 11th Japan Series championship on Wednesday when Kudo gives the ball to veteran lefty Tsuyoshi Wada. He will face off against Giants right-hander Seishu Hatake.
