Ichiro still at it, going 2-for-3 as the Yankees beat the A's.
Hisashi Iwakuma got his 7th win as the M's beat the Rangers. If that idiot Wedge hadn't let Iwakuma rot out in the bullpen for half the season, he might have 11 or 12 wins this year. :beatyou:
Don't think we'll see too many American players doing this:
Twins IF Nishioka waives buyout, released
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Twins released Tsuyoshi Nishioka on Friday, ending their experiment with the Japanese middle infielder after two rough seasons.
The move, which the Twins said came at Nishioka's request and was supported by the club, wasn't much of a surprise. But the way the 28-year-old went out was unique.
Accepting blame for his failure to produce at the plate or play capable defense at shortstop and second base, the Twins said Nishioka waived his right to his $3 million salary for the 2013 season and a $250,000 buyout.
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I take full responsibility for my performance which was below my own expectations. At this time, I have made the decision that it is time to part ways. I have no regrets and know that only through struggle can a person grow stronger.
h -- Tsuyoshi Nishioka
So they don't owe him any more money, and Nishioka is now a free agent. With guaranteed contracts, major league teams rarely are able to get off the payroll hook like this for players no longer in their plans. But Nishioka, in a statement released by the Twins, was nothing but graceful and generous.
"I would like to thank the Twins organization for helping me fulfill my dream of playing in Major League Baseball," Nishioka said. "I take full responsibility for my performance which was below my own expectations. At this time, I have made the decision that it is time to part ways. I have no regrets and know that only through struggle can a person grow stronger. I appreciate all the support the team and the fans in Minnesota and Rochester have shown me."
Nishioka spent most of 2012 with the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings, batting .258 with two home runs and 34 RBIs in 392 at-bats. He played in only three games for the Twins this summer, making two errors plus several other mistakes in the field and going 0 for 12 with one sacrifice fly.
Signed to a three-year, $9.25 million contract before the 2011 season after the Twins bid more than $5.3 million to his Japanese team to gain negotiating rights, Nishioka broke his lower left leg just five games into his rookie year when he stayed too close to the base while trying to turn a double play and New York Yankees slugger Nick Swisher slid into him.
Nishioka returned from the injury that June but never found a rhythm, finishing with a .226 average and just five extra-base hits in 221 at-bats. He made 12 errors in 68 games in 2011.
Halos beat the Rangers 5-4 in Darvish's final start of the season, but he got a no-decision. He ends the year 16-9 with a 3.90 ERA and 221 K's. Not a bad rookie year. :applaud:
A's beat the Rangers 4-3 which officially eliminates the Halos. In fact, if the A's can sweep, they'll win the West and Texas will be the wildcard team.
Cardinals clinch at least a tie for NL wildcard, Dodgers still mathematically in it.
gaijinmark wrote:Cardinals clinch at least a tie for NL wildcard, Dodgers still mathematically in it.
Dodgers hanging by a thread... When they get eliminated, they can look back at all of those blown saves by the relievers and what could have been. :shakehead:
I think Matt Kemp missing 50 games, Mark Ellis out for 6 weeks with a broken leg, Ted Lilly out since the end of May and Chad Billingsley missing the last two months might have just a little bit to do with it.
And it spite of all that, they're still going to end up with a better record than they had last year!! :woot:
Iwakuma ends the season on a high note beating the Halos 6-1. :victory:
Iwakuma sets Seattle rookie ERA record
SEATTLE, Oct. 3 (16:14) Kyodo
Hisashi Iwakuma marked his final outing of the season on a record-breaking note Tuesday, pitching six shutout innings in the Seattle Mariners 6-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.
Iwakuma (9-5) lowered his ERA to 2.65 in 16 starts to set a Mariners record for lowest ERA by a starting pitcher in his first big league season. Felix Hernandez set the previous record with a 2.67
ERA in 2005.
The Japanese right-hander struck out seven and walked one.
"I'm glad I could shut them down in my final game of the season," said Iwakuma, who struck out Albert Pujols three times -- the second time with one out in the third with the tying run on third base.
"Those came in situations that called for me to challenge him, so they (the three strikeouts) were big. All in all, it was a good year."
OAKLAND, Calif. -- When the Texas Rangers start the 2012 playoffs -- whether that's Friday in a wild-card game or this weekend in the ALDS -- 26-year-old Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish will be on the mound. Manager Ron Washington confirmed that choice prior to Wednesday's game with the Oakland A's that will determine the AL West.
Darvish, signed this offseason after the Rangers won the bidding rights for him and invested a total of about $107 million to get him in a Texas uniform, will be making his first postseason start.
The rookie is 16-9 with a 3.90 ERA in 29 starts. He's thrown 191 1/3 innings and is third in the AL with 221 strikeouts. Opponents have hit just .220 against Darvish, who had a start skipped last week because of a stiff neck, is healthy and ready to go. He pitched on Sunday and the neck felt fine as he gave up three runs in 6 2/3 innings for his eighth consecutive quality start in a no-decision against the Angels.
"He's our big-game pitcher," Washington said. "That's something he's always been in his career."
Norichika Aoki looked back on his first season in the big leagues on Thursday, a day after the Milwaukee Brewers wrapped their campaign with a third-place finish in the National League Central Division.
Aoki who was not considered a favorite to win a starting job in the Brewers outfield before the start of camp, earned the leadoff spot in the order midway through the season and played in 151 of Milwaukee's 162 games.
"I just played with intensity, and put the pedal to the metal until the end," said the 30-year-old.
The three-time batting champion in Japan's Central League batted.288 with a .355 on-base percentage. He was second on the club with 37 doubles, and tied for second in stolen bases with 30. He also hit 10 homers and drove in 50 runs.
"I was able to make an impact in some crucial situations," he said. "But I can't be satisfied with my numbers. I achieved my goal of becoming a regular, but the stats don't lend themselves to a feeling of achievement."
After the Brewers won Aoki's rights with the high bid after he was posted by the Yakult Swallows, Milwaukee took the unusual step of asking him to tryout before signing him to a contract.
"I didn't see that coming, but I understand the thinking that Japanese performance doesn't equal performance here," said Aoki, who earned a quarter of what he had with Yakult in 2011. "It was important that manager Ron Roenicke gave the go-ahead after watching me."
As expected, Aoki made the opening day roster as a reserve and started just three games in April. Although it was a trying experience, he did well when he had a chance, going 7-for-23 in his first month.
"I joined the team as a reserve, so I was prepared for that role," he said. "But the time I spent watching games from the bench proved vastly longer than I had imagined. However, I want to be the kind of player who goes out and executes in the most trying situations."
"Before games, I would watch the opposing starting pitcher so much that it seemed I might wear out the video. When I became a regular I didn't change my attitude. Because if I failed, there's always good players in the minors they can call up one after another."
"It's just been one season, so I don't know if it's been a success. But I don't think I've reached my limit."
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