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The story
On October 6, the Hanshin Tigers beat the Hiroshima Carp 2-1 at Koshien Stadium, snapping the Carp’s winning streak. Starter Otake gave up a run in the 6th but held things together, with Teruaki Sato’s go-ahead RBI hit proving decisive. The game also doubled as the retirement game for Hanshin’s Iwasada, who hung up his cleats after this contest, and a moment where Hiroshima’s Suekane struck out swinging on a borderline pitch at a key moment became a hot topic — fans wondered if it was done to “let him go out on a high note.” The thread split between those who took it warmly and those who called it “a breach of competitive integrity,” even though the standings were already settled and the game was essentially a formality.
Hiroshima 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 ｜1
Hanshin 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 X ｜2
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Source: nikkansports.com / Original article here
What people said
Though it'd be possible if the Swallows send out Aoyagi.
Tomorrow's Nishi's retirement game, day after that is Itohara's.
Umeno looks like he's about to declare free agency out of spite.
Suekane read the room and struck out swinging like a returned COD package (i.e., he basically didn't even try).
The leadoff batter in an inning matters a lot.
Put the retirement-game headliner out there, and the batter basically has no choice but to strike out.
Why does Hiroshima have to just hand Hanshin a free out on an important leadoff at-bat this late in the game…
This kind of staged game just kills the mood for me.
Both Hanshin's and Hiroshima's standings were already locked in — this was just a dead game.
Exactly, it's basically throwing the game.
Save that stuff for next spring's exhibition games.
So should he have pulled a Sasaoka-style revenge play?
At Shinji Sasaoka's own retirement game (Hiroshima vs. Yokohama),
Yokohama's Shuichi Murata actually hit a home run off him.
Iwasada, great career — well done.
[Hiroshima] Comes back to beat pennant-clinching Hanshin, averting a third straight year of getting tossed up "right before his eyes"! Manager Arai apologizes for the fuss… final home game
https://hochi.news/articles/20261003-OHT1T51278.html
Because that one was just the championship toss ceremony.
He avoided having it happen at MAZDA Stadium, so
it's fine.
Funny how he dodges the toss-up at home only for it to chase him down anyway.
Doesn't change the fact he still got tossed up after losing.
If they'd at least won, he could've used that excuse.
Even in a dead game, if Suekane had just gotten a hit, Hiroshima might've won.
Getting a hit off a guy in his retirement game — Iwasada could've just laughed it off and retired anyway.
I don't want to watch pro-wrestling-style retirement games.
If it were a Hiroshima player's retirement game in a dead game, they'd do the exact same thing.
That's just give-and-take across the league — relax before you go bald over it.
Chill out, zombie.
but since about two years ago he could only hit the low 140s.
Still, he kept himself going by leaning entirely on his slider.
Gotta give him credit for hanging in there.
Hope Rikida and Mayumi stick around as the regular pair.
Rikida really watches the team closely, but Mayumi's no good.
After Mayumi spouted some nonsense about Hanshin having a stacked roster, Rikida immediately pointed out that Ishii broke down in camp, Chikamoto missed time from a hit-by-pitch, and they barely built a winning margin even with ace Murakami.
Hanshin's 1-5 in the lineup can hold up against any other team, but their bench and pinch-hitters are easily the worst of all 12 teams.
Does it still count as a start if he gets pulled after recording just one out against the leadoff batter?
Yes, it counts. On the flip side, even if the starter gets pulled without recording a single out, and the reliever goes the distance and records all 27 outs, that still doesn't count as a complete game.
A start is a start regardless — a complete game only counts if the starter is the one who finishes it.
Of course it counts.
That said, no player actually plays for the sake of a record like this, so don't sweat it, lol.
Hiroshima players get the same treatment all the time.
Sasaoka: "Everyone, huh?"
Hanshin's probably gonna lose tomorrow.
Gotta pay back the favor from Iwasada's ceremony.
Losing and still winning the pennant, then losing and still getting the ceremony — that'd be rough.
Suekane's probably just apologizing for that 3-run homer earlier.
Don't need Onodera either.
Iwasaki still looks like he's got something left.
Next year will be the turning point.
Yeah, Onodera's not needed.
Why do they keep calling him up to the first team?
Background and key points of this discussion
In Japanese pro baseball retirement games, it’s common for an unspoken “script” to play out — pitchers throwing hittable pitches, or batters deliberately striking out — all meant to send the retiring player off in style. This time, the controversy centers on Hanshin’s Iwasada’s retirement game, where Hiroshima’s Suekane struck out swinging on a borderline pitch, leaving it unclear whether it was staged or a genuine swing-and-miss. In the thread, since both teams’ final standings were already locked in and the game was essentially a formality, opinions split between those calling it “a breach of competitive integrity” and those defending it as “give-and-take within the industry.” It’s worth noting this kind of “script” isn’t always followed — in the past, Yokohama’s Shuichi Murata actually hit a home run off Hiroshima’s Shinji Sasaoka during Sasaoka’s own retirement game. It should also be noted that the outcome of this particular game had no bearing on the standings, since it was already a dead game, so no real competitive harm was done.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports Express+) thread “[Iwasada’s Retirement Game] Central League: Tigers 2-1 Carp [10/6] — Hanshin’s Otake allows runs over 6 innings, Teruaki Sato’s go-ahead RBI hit, Carp’s win streak snapped.”
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