Baseball: Japan Series opener ends in 12-inning tie

Oct 28 (Japan Times) - The winner of Game 1 of the 2018 Japan Series was, well, nobody.

Although the relievers for the Hiroshima Carp and Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks certainly warrant an honorable mention.

The Carp scored twice in the first inning, the Hawks scored twice in the fifth, and neither team was able to find its way across home plate after that as Game 1 ended in a 2-2 ,12-inning tie on Saturday night in front of a crowd of 30,727 at Mazda Stadium.

â€œIt was a big tie for us,â€ Hawks manager Kimiyasu Kudo said. â€œWeâ€™ll be able to take advantage of it.â€

On the same day the MLB saw its longest-ever World Series game end in 7 hours and 20 minutes, the Carp and Hawks played for 4 hours and 38 minutes. Japan Series games are considered ties after 12 innings this season, a departure from the usual 15 frames played in the final round.

The tie was the first in the Japan Series since 2010, when the Chiba Lotte Marines and Chunichi Dragons finished 2-2 in Game 6. It was the first to open a Japan Series since 1986, when the Carp and Seibu Lions played a 14-inning, 2-2 draw in Hiroshima. That was also the last Japan Series to require an eighth game, due to the tie. The Lions won the series 4-3, with Kudo, one of the Lionsâ€™ star pitchers, named MVP.

Do Bears Prefer Acorns or Berries?

Bear sightings across Japan have already climbed to nearly twice the level recorded during the same period last year, prompting entry bans in mountain areas behind Kyoto’s Ninna-ji Temple and the cancellation of hiking events in Kansai, while new research suggests that the key to reducing encounters may lie in understanding what bears eat in each region.

Copper Thieves Target Japanese Shrines

Copper roofing panels were stolen from several shrines in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, including a city-designated cultural property, in the latest case amid a nationwide surge in copper thefts targeting shrines and temples across Japan, where soaring metal prices have fueled crimes that leave historic religious buildings damaged, exposed to the elements, and facing repair costs of millions of yen.

1200-Year-Old Temple on Miyajima Reduced to Ashes

Flames broke out on the morning of May 20th on Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture, home to one of Japan's World Heritage sites, destroying Reikado Hall near the summit of Mount Misen.

From Bento Boxes to Garbage Bags, Rising Costs Hitting Daily Life Across Japan

Uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East is beginning to affect daily life in Japan, as concerns over crude oil supplies spread to restaurants, cleaning services and even household garbage disposal systems across the Kansai region.

Tochigi Robbery-Murder Suspect’s Wife Posted Dance Videos on Social Media

A 25-year-old woman arrested as a suspected ringleader in a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture once posted cheerful dance videos on social media and was remembered by those who knew her as an energetic and outgoing young woman.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Garbage Burnoff Spreads to 3 Buildings in Okayama

A fire that broke out in Kagamino, Okayama Prefecture, shortly after noon on May 20th destroyed three buildings, including a home, after flames from open burning spread to dead leaves and then to nearby structures.

Gang Members Arrested After Opening Office Near Nursery

Six people, including a senior member of a group affiliated with the Sumiyoshi-kai crime syndicate's Kohei-ikka faction, have been arrested on suspicion of opening a gang office in a prohibited area near a nursery school in Tokyo's Itabashi Ward.

Six Police Officers Injured After Man Sprays Liquid at Station

A man who visited a police station in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in the early hours of May 21st allegedly sprayed a transparent liquid inside the building, causing six police officers to complain of eye and throat pain and be taken to hospital with minor injuries.