Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters manager Hideki Kuriyama faced the type of decision that can decide championships during Game 4 of the Japan Series.
His 24-year-old starter, Masaru Nakamura, was dealing in his Series debut and had been one of the driving forces behind keeping the Fighters and Giants locked in a scoreless tie heading into the eighth inning.
Nippon Ham's margin for error was slim. The Fighters trailed Yomiuri 2-1 in the series, and the prospect of losing and then needing to win three straight — two of which would be on the road at Tokyo Dome — was not an inviting one.