Saturday, August 23, 2003
Tanaka strikes out 14 to lead Tokyo to title
Associated Press
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- A Japanese team won the Little
League World Series for the third time in five years, with Yuutaro
Tanaka striking out 14 and Hokuto Nakahara hitting a grand slam in
a 10-1 win Sunday night over Boynton Beach, Fla.
Tokyo's players raced into center field after the game, bowing
to the bust of stadium namesake Howard J. Lamade, a tradition that
began with Tokyo Kitasuna in 2001.
This time, Boynton Beach's players, rather than hanging their
heads, ran out to join them. The victory lap, which both teams ran
together, turned into a footrace.
Another Tokyo team beat Apopka, Fla., 2-1 in the 2001
championship game. Osaka defeated Phenix City, Ala., 5-0 in 1999.
Florida has put eight teams into Little League World Series
title games, but never won a championship.
Japan (6-0) broke open a scoreless game with eight runs in the
fourth inning. Eito Ono was hit by a pitch with two outs and the
bases loaded and Kazumasa Sakamoto drew a walk from Michael Broad
(2-1).
Nakahara sent the next pitch over the wall in center field for a
6-0 lead and his first home run of the series. After Takeru Ohmae's
single, Tanaka hit a two-run homer to make it 8-0.
Tanaka (2-0), who allowed four hits, beautifully mixed fastballs
and curves to keep the Boynton Beach batters off guard.
Devon Travis, who came in hitting .667 in the series, went
1-for-2 with two walks. Michael DeJesus, who was 6-for-6 in his
last two games, went 1-for-3.
Tokyo went up 10-0 in the fifth on Hirofumi Yamazaki's solo home
run and Sakamoto's RBI double.
Boynton Beach (4-2) barely avoided a "mercy rule'' loss when
DeJesus' RBI single scored Travis in the bottom of the fifth. If
Japan had been leading by 10 runs at the end of the inning, the
game would have been stopped.
Travis singled in the bottom of the sixth, but was tagged trying
to reach second base for the final out before Benny Townend could
get home.
Tokyo completely dominated its opposition during the series,
outscoring opponents 59-9. Its 15 home runs tied a record for the
most in a series since pool play began -- Kao-Hsuing, Taiwan's 1996
team also hit 15 homers, but did it in just five games.
Before Tokyo's fourth-inning outburst, it looked like the game
would be a pitcher's duel. Tokyo had stranded runners in each of
the first three innings, and Broad was one strike away from ending
the side in the fourth when his fastball hit Ono.
Boynton Beach had two on with one out in the third and had the
bases loaded in the fourth, but both times Tanaka struck out the
next two batters.
Tokyo nearly went up 1-0 in the first when Takeru Ohmae was
called out trying to score on Tanaka's fly to left field. Replays
appeared to show Ohmae slid in under the tag.
Earlier in the consolation game, Tharick Martines pitched a
one-hitter to lead the Netherlands Antilles to a 6-1 victory over
Saugus, Mass. It was the third consecutive year a team from Curacao
finished third.
