Tadahito Iguchi couldn't help feeling a sense of deja vu after the Chiba Lotte Marines' destruction of the Seibu Lions in Game 1 of the Pacific League Climax Series First Stage on Saturday at Seibu Dome.
After all, it was just a few years ago that the Marines blew into Seibu Dome as underdogs and upset the Lions to trigger a postseason run few Lotte fans will ever forget.
So it was only natural on Saturday — after Iguchi's three RBIs admist an offensive explosion and reliever Yuji Nishino's great escape with the bases loaded in the fifth — that some wondered aloud if the Marines were about to do it again.