TOKOROZAWA, Saitama Pref. -- Orix BlueWave manager Hiromichi Ishige had the numbers crunched in his head. Team batting average against Seibu this year: a shabby .200. Lions' top reliever Shinji Mori's ERA against his squad this year: a perfect 0.00.
So what does Ishige tell his players in the top of the ninth, game tied 2-2, with a runner on first and none out? Bunt. Not once. Not twice. Three times.
"Well, I think we showed you can win ballgames with bunts," said Ishige, whose team edged the Pacific League's front-running Lions 3-2 on Saturday at the Seibu Dome, with the go-ahead run coming on a squeeze bunt. "Look at our statistics! In those situations, all we can do is bunt to win."