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The story
On October 2, the Pacific League game at Lotte’s home stadium against SoftBank was held as the retirement game for Lotte’s veteran outfielder Katsuya Kadonaka. The Hawks came back to win, 4-3 (M3-4H), stretching their winning streak to seven. In the 9th inning, pinch hitter Yudai Yamamoto hit his 6th home run of the season — a go-ahead 3-run shot — while Lotte closer Rikuto Yokoyama blew the save. On 5ch’s live-game thread, the home-plate umpire’s call during Kensuke Kondo’s 9th-inning at-bat, which set up the comeback, sparked controversy, and fans also compared the day’s events to other teams’ retirement ceremonies held the same day.
SoftBank 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3｜4
Lotte 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 X｜3
[Battery]
Source: nikkansports.com / Original article here
What people said
This is what you get on a retirement day?
Orix's Hirano retirement game was way worse than this
They gave up 6 runs in the first inning and the result was already decided
By 6:30 PM
it was just a matter of waiting for Hirano to come out
Kokubo's trash too for leaving Maeda in through the 8th when he wasn't even getting the win
A line from "Downtown's Bar-Hopping" a few years back
If you've ever left Fukuoka, you'll understand this reality
They just embarrassed themselves lol
Yudai Yamamoto:
"Did you see my go-ahead 3-run homer?!"
There was no comeback
The toilet-umpire is garbage
Background and Key Points of This Story
This game served as the retirement ceremony for Lotte’s veteran outfielder Katsuya Kadonaka, taking place at a point when the Pacific League pennant race had already been decided in SoftBank’s favor. Against that backdrop, pinch hitter Yudai Yamamoto hit a go-ahead 3-run homer late in the game that decided the outcome. Where opinions split on the thread was the umpire’s call during Kensuke Kondo’s 9th-inning at-bat — fans disagreed over whether it should have been a strikeout or a walk. Since this kind of close call is hard to judge definitively from broadcast footage alone, this article only notes the fact that “the call sparked controversy” and withholds judgment on which side was right. It was also noted that Kadonaka wasn’t the only one retiring that day — his teammate, pitcher Yuki Karakawa, had his own retirement game too, and fans discussed how several teams held retirement ceremonies on the same day. The blown save by Lotte closer Rikuto Yokoyama could also affect how the bullpen is used down the stretch of the season.
*This article excerpts and summarizes the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Kadonaka’s Retirement Game] Pacific League M 3-4 H [10/2] Hawks Rally for 7th Straight Win! Yamamoto’s 6th Homer a Go-Ahead 3-Run Shot! Lotte’s Yokoyama Blows the Save.”
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