Masanori Ishikawa was soaked in beer from head to toe. The white Central League Champions T-shirt clung to the veteran Tokyo Yakult Swallows pitcher as he shuffled onto the makeshift stage in center field after the Swallows' pennant-clinching 11-inning 2-1 victory over the Hanshin Tigers on Friday night.
The Swallows had chosen to have their "beer fight" celebration in the outfield at Jingu Stadium and invited fans to stay and watch as they went through over 2,000 bottles. Ishikawa had been called on to salute the fans who stayed one final time and bring the night to a close — since Yakult had a game in Hiroshima scheduled the next day.
Ishikawa relished every second of the celebration. At one time, the left-hander had considered nights like these a forgone conclusion. Then, when a title never came, he may have wondered if he'd ever get a night like Friday night.