The Yomiuri Giants of Japanese professional baseball suffered a shocking comeback loss. Manager Shinnosuke Abe refused to hold a press conference after the game.
Yomiuri lost 3-4 to the Chunichi Dragons in a game held at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, on the 13th.
Starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka pitched 5 innings, allowing 7 hits, 1 walk, striking out 5, and giving up 3 earned runs, but did not become the winning pitcher. He also had to postpone his challenge for a total of 199 wins between the U.S. and Japan. The next pitcher, Taiki Kikuchi, pitched 1 inning, allowed 1 hit (1 home run), struck out 2, and gave up 1 earned run, becoming the losing pitcher.
Yomiuri grabbed the early lead by scoring 3 runs in the first inning, but failed to score another run until the 9th inning. Yoshihiro Maru, starting as the leadoff right fielder, had a strong performance with 2 hits, 1 home run, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored in 5 at-bats, but it was overshadowed by the team loss.
Chunichi's starting pitcher Yuya Yanagi recorded a victory, pitching 6 innings, allowing 6 hits (1 home run), 4 walks, striking out 8, and giving up 3 earned runs. The bullpen, consisting of Kento Fujishima (1 inning, scoreless), Tatsuya Shimizu (1 inning, scoreless), and Shinya Matsuama (1 inning, scoreless), secured the team's victory.
Chunichi's lineup exploded with 11 hits and 1 home run. Seiji Uebayashi and Jason Vosler both had 3 hits, while Michael Chavis hit his 3rd home run of the season.
Yomiuri took the lead in the first inning with a leadoff home run by Maru. Following that, Sasaki and Yuta Izuguchi struck back-to-back hits, and Trey Cabbage drew a walk, creating a bases-loaded opportunity. Yukinori Kishida hit a sacrifice fly for 1 RBI, and Raito Nakayama's 1-RBI double widened the score gap to 3-0.
In the top of the 5th inning, with 1 out, Yuki Okabayashi hit a single, and Yasuhiro Yamamoto's ground ball resulted in a throwing error by the second baseman, allowing Okabayashi to score, while Yamamoto advanced to second base. Uebayashi hit a 1-RBI double, and Vosler hit a timely single for 1 RBI, leveling the game at 3-3. In the 6th inning, Chavis hit a go-ahead solo home run, flipping the game. Chunichi's bullpen held the remaining innings scoreless, leading to a comeback victory.
Japanese media Sponichi Annex reported, "Yomiuri scored 3 runs first, but remained scoreless from the 2nd inning onward and suffered a comeback loss. Manager Abe did not respond to media interviews after the game and communicated through the team's public relations team that 'we will prepare well starting from Friday's game.'" This reflected the mood surrounding Yomiuri after the defeat.
In Japanese professional baseball, it is customary for the manager of the losing team to respond to media interviews after the game. However, after suffering a comeback loss while ranked 2nd in the league with a record of 51 wins, 3 draws, and 51 losses (win percentage of .500), trailing rival Hanshin (64 wins, 2 draws, 40 losses; win percentage of .615) by 12 games, Manager Abe opted not to hold an interview. Sponichi Annex pointed out, 'This is the fourth time this year that Manager Abe has not responded to media inquiries following the Yokohama game on April 17, the Hanshin game on May 5, and the Seibu game on June 22. It has been 52 days. He has already surpassed last year's record of refusing interviews three times.'
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