He’s 103-for-164 with two home runs…but he’s 1-for-9 with no RBIs, WBC second baseman Markie Fall baseball ends early
The most RBIs, most hits, and two-time champion shakes his head.
Yokohama BayStars second baseman Shugo Maki, 25, reached career highs in his third year as a professional. He is the only player in either league to surpass 100 RBIs this season. Played in all 143 games, batting 2-for-9 with 164 hits, 29 home runs, and 103 RBIs. He led the Central League in RBIs, tied for first in hits, third in home runs, and fourth in slugging percentage.
He was especially strong with the bases loaded, going 3-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Yomiuri Giants No. 4 hitter Kazuma Okamoto (27) finished third with 41 home runs, but Maki had 10 more RBIs.
Maki was the starting second baseman for Team Japan at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March. He stepped up to the plate as veteran Desto Yamada, 31, struggled.
He has been the best “clutch hitter” in Nippon Professional Baseball this season, but his fall slump has been noticeable.
Hiroshima Captains and Central League Climax Series First Stage 1-2 at Matsuda Stadium in Hiroshima on Sept. 14-15. Third-place Yokohama was eliminated after losing two straight games to second-place Hiroshima. Maki, batting fourth and second in both games, went 1-for-9 without a hit.
In Game 1, he left runners on base three times and came away empty-handed. He was stranded at second base in the first inning on a pitcher’s interference, at second base with one out in the third inning on a fielder’s choice, 온라인카지노 and at first base with one out in the sixth inning on a fielder’s choice. His other two at-bats were a strikeout and a fielder’s choice. He was hitless in five at-bats.
In the opener, Yokohama took a 2-0 lead before giving up a game-tying hit in the bottom of the 11th to lose 3-2 in extra innings.
In the top of the second inning of Game 2, he lined out to left field. In the top of the fourth inning, he led off with a single. He followed with a single to left to put runners on first and second, but Yokohama was unable to capitalize.
His third at-bat in the top of the sixth was also disappointing. With runners on second and third, he flied out to right field. His final at-bat in the top of the eighth was a fly ball to shortstop.
With the 2-4 loss, Yokohama finished fall baseball in the First Stage for the second year in a row.
It was a disappointing season. Maki told the Japanese media, “Last year and this year, we lacked something. Next season, we will utilize our experience to win.”
The focus of the regular season and fall baseball is different.