A year after nearly everyone picked the Hiroshima Carp to win their first Central League pennant since 1991, that elusive goal is now firmly on the agenda of the men in red.
Hiroshima's offense had scored 383 runs going into Wednesday's games, more than any team in Japan, while the pitching and defense surrendered 293 — one run more than the Yokohama BayStars' CL-best 292.
Two years ago, the Carp had the CL's best offense, and people expected center fielder Yoshihiro Maru and second baseman Ryosuke Kikuchi to set the table at the top of the order. With the return of veteran first baseman Takahiro Arai to further bolster the offense and veteran big leaguer Hiroki Kuroda back alongside ace Kenta Maeda, the picture could not have been brighter.