Giants Walk It Off on Izumiguchi’s Two-Run Homer — Chunichi Starter Kanamaru Gutted by Last-Gasp Blast

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The story

In the September 18 Central League matchup, the Giants and Chunichi Dragons were locked in a scoreless pitchers’ duel through nine innings — until the Giants’ Izumiguchi delivered a dramatic walk-off two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth, sealing a 2-0 win and snapping the Giants’ losing streak. Chunichi starter Yumeto Kanamaru had been grinding through a tough season, sitting at 5 wins, 10 losses, and a 2.72 ERA over 24 games coming into the start, but after surrendering the walk-off shot he was saddled with the ironic distinction of his first career complete game in a loss. On 5ch, reactions ranged from sympathy for Kanamaru to frustration with Chunichi’s weak run support and celebration of the Giants’ win.

Chunichi 0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  |0

Giants 0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 2X |2

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Source: nikkansports.com / Original article here

What people said

2AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:33
Honestly, watching Showa-era retro exploration videos on YouTube beats watching the livestream of Peace-kun the peacock at Omiya Park.
3AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:34
The Giants won again today, and my yokan-bread tastes amazing (o^∀^o)
4AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:34
Great hit by Izumiguchi
Kanamaru just never gets rewarded, does he
8AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:34
The way the Chunichi Dragons keep leaving 'Muengo' Kanamaru out to dry is brutal (´・ω・`) (his nickname, from 無援護 — "no run support")
11AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:34
The Giants won again today, and my kishimen noodles taste amazing (o^∀^o)
12AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:34
Kanamaru picked the wrong team to join, huh
15AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:35
Re: #12
Can't help it, that's just how the draft works
13AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:35
Ondai pitched a great game. He's basically the ace already.
19AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:35
Until that final head-to-head series with Hanshin
Let's keep this comfortable game-lead going
22AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:35
Too dramatic
Maybe this turns things around for the Giants
23AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:35
I feel so bad for Kanamaru
Just send the guy to the majors already
25AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:36
The Giants won again today, and Komeda Coffee's Shironoir tastes amazing (o^∀^o)
27AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:36
Sheesh, finally snapped that losing streak
Damn BayStars, doing something unnecessary
28AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:36
Marah could probably outhit every position player on Chunichi, so he might as well go two-way lol
30AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:36
Re: #1
Pitcher of record
Winning pitcher: Giants' Martinez (5-4, 39 saves)
Losing pitcher: Chunichi's Kanamaru (5-11, 0 saves)
32AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:36
Feel bad for Kanamaru, but I guess that's just his fate
A truly blessed player wouldn't get drafted by the Chunichi Dragons in the first place
33AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:36
A lot of Nagoya women say 'Muengo' Kanamaru stirs their maternal instincts
34AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:36
I mean, Kanamaru's a pitcher with 11 losses
That's about the level he's at
38AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:37
Let Kanamaru savor the day he finally gets to leave the Chunichi Dragons
63AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:43
Re: #38
Hiroshima's Morishita: "Not until I've earned my free agency."
39AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:37
11 losses for Kanamaru, huh — picked the wrong team to join
40AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:37
Way too many calls going the Giants' way
The strike zone only shrinks when Kanamaru's on the mound
41AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:38
He probably never hit a single home run back in his Osaka Toin days
42AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:38
Kanamaru should've gone to Hanshin
He'd already be their ace by now
44AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:38
Guehh… Muengo (a pained groan mashed together with his "no-support" nickname)
88AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:55
Re: #44
Somebody pull him already, Cle-mens! (a pun on "降板してくれ," "please take him out," that trails off into the name of pitcher Roger Clemens)
45AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:38
No outs, runners on 1st and 3rd — Kanamaru lays down a sac bunt → the runner from 3rd, Hanada, breaks for home, scrambles back but is out anyway; 1 out, runners on 1st and 2nd
1 out, runners on 1st and 2nd — Fukunaga hits a shallow liner to short, the runner from 2nd, Ishii, breaks and can't get back, inning over

That right there is today's masterpiece
46AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:38
At the end of the day it's just a 'dark-age' franchise
Useless, lol
58AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:41
Manager suddenly quits over a scandal, interim manager leads them to the pennant
Make it happen
72AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:49
Re: #58
Even the players probably don't want anything to change — the mood's way better under the current setup
60AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:43
Yumeto Kanamaru, career record: 7-17, 2.69 ERA
80AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:52
Re: #60
That's rough
I mean… there's really nothing to say
73AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:49
Starting to smell like this pennant race ends in a flat-out tie
84AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:52
Re: #73
Would be hilarious if it turns into that SoftBank-vs-Orix situation from a few years back lol
76AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:50
Re: #1
2026 Yumeto Kanamaru: 24 games, 5-11, 2.72 ERA, 155.2 IP, 141 K, 1 complete game, 0 shutouts
89AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:55
Re: #76
Do the position players just hate Kanamaru or something
His stuff is good enough that he should have double-digit wins
81AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:52
Kanamaru gives up a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 9th — and picks up his first career complete game in the process
87AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:53
Re: #81
So that was his first complete game. Such a Kanamaru-esque way to get a weird record.
96AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:59
Re: #81
Sounds like the kind of record that'd pop a trophy in My Life mode or something, not that I'd know

Background and Talking Points

Yumeto Kanamaru threw over 155 innings this season with a solid 2.72 ERA, yet ended up with a disappointing 5-11 record. What stood out in the thread was how posters kept their assessment of his individual pitching separate from their frustration with Chunichi’s weak offensive support — lines like “he joined the wrong team” weren’t knocks on his ability, but ironic jabs at how little run support he got. On the other hand, comments about a “narrow strike zone” reflect individual viewers’ subjective impressions and aren’t backed by any official record, so they’re worth taking with a grain of salt.

*This article was compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Sports News+) thread “[Baseball] Central League: Giants 2x-0 Dragons [9/18] — Giants’ Izumiguchi hits walk-off two-run homer! Chunichi’s Kanamaru left out to dry (Muengo).”

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